Oh, My!

There’s an heraldic item up on eBay (the UK version) right now, that you can buy for only £1.97, that has the descriptor “Patch Badge Sew Iron Coat of Arms Flag England UK”. Of all the words in that description, I think I can fully accept “patch”, “sew”, “iron,” and possibly “coat of arms.” (It’s not truly a coat of arms, though it is heraldry like.) It’s not a “badge,” nor is it a “flag,” and the only relationship it has to “England” or the “UK” is that it comes to you from there. (No, wait, it doesn’t either. Looking at the entire entry more closely, it’s being shipped from Chiang Mai, Thailand. So I guess the only relationship it has to England or the UK is that it’s being sold via ebay.co.uk.) And why do I care at all about this? Well, see for yourself.

Never mind that it's a red eagle on a black field, which really isn't English heraldic style.  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a Germanic-looking eagle associated with England before. I hope I never do again.

I did go ahead and look at some of the stuff in their on-line eBay store, and they have some patches with the Union flag and with the cross of St. George on them, so it’s not a total loss. They’ve also got an heraldic patch consisting of a crowned shield with a lion rampant and the word “Sexy” on a chief (shown below; personally, I'm not certain that I could carry off wearing it), as well as a patch for Switzerland and patches with the flags of Turkey and Spain.

In the meantime, if you think you might be interested in purchasing this little gem (at the time I looked, there were still five available, and there was free economy delivery.  For myself, I'm going to pass this time), you can find it on-line at: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280625004888&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT