Original Items: One-of-a-Kind Group. This is an extraordinary group of American military memorabilia attributed to General George S. Patton Jr., one of the most recognizable American commanders of the Second World War. The grouping includes two original WWI officer collar insignia, a 1917-pattern Tank Corps insignia and a General Staff Corps insignia, accompanied by written provenance from retired U.S. Army Colonel Walter J. Fellenz, who stated that Patton personally gave him both pieces at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in 1926 or 1927. Also included is a leather-covered swagger stick or riding crop bearing a 5th Cavalry Regiment insignia above the monogram GSP, consistent with Patton's initials and his command of the regiment at Fort Clark, Texas, during 1938. The two insignia are preserved in a small frame with a dated provenance statement, while a separate letter provides additional details concerning the relationship between the Patton and Fellenz families. Patton commanded the 5th Cavalry Regiment in 1938, which is when he would have carried the swagger stick.

George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, California, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1909. Originally commissioned into the cavalry, he developed a lifelong interest in military history, horsemanship, and the employment of mobile forces. His early career included service during the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916, when he served under General John J. Pershing. Patton subsequently became one of the first American officers involved in the development of tank warfare during the First World War, an experience that helped establish his reputation as a leading advocate of mechanized military operations.

During WWI, Patton was assigned to the newly established American tank service and attended French tank training facilities before helping organize the American Tank School at Langres, France. He later commanded the 304th Tank Brigade and participated in operations involving American tanks during the final months of the war. Patton was wounded during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in September 1918, while leading his troops during the American advance. His service with the Tank Corps became an important part of his military identity and contributed to the experience he later applied as a senior armored commander during WWII.
The insignia frame measures 6 x 8 x 1 ⅛” and includes the following letter in the frame behind the insignia:

23. August, 1976
At Schofield Barracks, Island of Oahu, Hawaii, in 1924, I 
became a collector of military insignia. At Schofield
Barracks, in 1926 or 1927, the then-Major George S. Patton, Jr.,
gave me 2 items: A Model 1917 Tank Corps Branch Badge
And a dull black finish, small, General Staff Corps collar
Insignia. He told me he had worn these items
In WWI.

Walter J. Fellenz
Colonel, U.S.A. Retired
O-23055

The insignia are both pinback and are correct for WWI use. However, in most photos Patton is seen wearing the British Landship style of Tank Corps badge, so he likely wore this before the revised insignia was designed. The insignia come with a separate letter, also written by Walter J. Fellenz, describing the context in which Patton gave him the pins:

“Major Patton and my father were firm friends, on many occasions Major Patton would visit our home after work and have a cocktail. Major Patton knew of my military insignia collections, and during one visit, gave me one of his tank corps insignia from WWI. It is a brass replica of a French Tank from the front view. This pin is now the property of Mr. Sam Nesmith.”

It is interesting to note that Fellenz describes the tank corps insignia as a “brass replica of a French Tank from the front view”. This design is erroneously described by several sources as "a front view of a French tank"; it is actually a drawing of an imaginary American tank that never existed.

The letter measures 8 ½ x 11” and has a paperclipped page noting that the General staff corps insignia was also a gift from Patton in 1926/27. We indeed did find mention of Fellenz in Hawaii during this period, doing the work described in the letter.

The swagger stick / riding crop measures 24 ½” without the tail and roughly 30” with the tail. The silver-plated head of the stick has a brazened 5th Cavalry insignia over the monogrammed initials GSP. The bottom edge of the silver head is stamped Alpacca, for the type of silver used. Alpacca silver is not true precious silver; it is a silver-colored base-metal alloy typically made of copper, nickel, and zinc, sometimes with a small amount of silver or a silver plate, as is the case here. George Patton commanded the 5th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Clark, Texas, for six months, from July to December 1938, a post he relished.

The swagger stick is in great shape though there is wear to the leather towards the tail, with finish loss and some crazing on the tail itself.

This General George S. Patton Jr. attributed insignia and swagger stick grouping is a particularly noteworthy collection of American military memorabilia, combining original WWI-pattern collar insignia, period personal correspondence, and a personalized cavalry accessory. The strongest provenance rests with the two insignia, whose reported presentation by Patton to Walter J. Fellenz is described in a signed 1976 statement and supported by a separate letter detailing the circumstances of their acquaintance in Hawaii. The swagger stick's 5th Cavalry insignia and GSP monogram provide a historically consistent association with Patton's 1938 command, although we have no provenance linking it to him directly. Together, the artifacts offer an unusual perspective on Patton's military career before WWII, connecting his early service in the Tank Corps with his later command of a traditional horse cavalry regiment. The survival of the accompanying documentation makes this an especially interesting group for collections focused on General George S. Patton Jr., American military leadership, and the transition from cavalry to armored warfare during the first half of the twentieth century.