Description

This is an extremely scarce ODNI “UFO” patch. This is a genuine patch, made by AG. This is not a recreation or fandom patch, it’s exactly what the NIM folks have. Or, would have had, if things hadn’t gotten wonky! If you’re looking at this, you may already know the story. If not… let me regale you with the strange tale. In September of 2022, in the midst of tons of renewed public interest in the UFO topic, the NIM-AVIATION branch uploaded this official seal to their website. This exact emblem, complete with the black flying saucer, and the blue triangular next-gen fighter (or unmanned drone?) was added to their site as their new official seal. It very quickly spread around the internet, for obvious reasons. It was promptly removed from the official NIM website within a very short span of time. The NIM branch then stated they had somehow erroneously posted an unofficial and incorrect logo on their site, and that it had been taken down to be replaced with a proper one. This story was odd for a number of reasons, including the fact that the design had been approved for months, and had in fact been sent out to AG for patch making purposes months prior, in July of 2022. Lots of different sets of eyes had approved this bad boy in order for it to end up in all the various places that it did. How did this exact patch get into circulation? Good question. In the VERY SMALL window of time between the story of the seal breaking, and its eventual removal, a couple curious folks that were researching the seal found it listed on the patch manufacturer’s site. Out of pure curiosity, an order for a very small group of patches was placed. They didn’t expect to actually receive them, but they did. That order was somehow fulfilled. Other orders would not be fulfilled, because the design was immediately taken down and called a total error by the issuing party. All other attempts to order these patches were denied by the manufacturer. I’m not even sure if people at the actual NIM branch itself ever even received these. They are quite scarce, in any case. Please note, this is not a “fielded” patch. Not currently, or ever. There are no personnel, active or prior, that have worn these. The branch that made them say it was an erroneously uploaded design and that it wasn’t ever supposed to exist in the first place. I have these listed under “2001-current” in the militaria category, as that’s the best category for them for listing purposes. But they aren’t actually current. They aren’t actually anything. They are “a wozzle, a woozle… pure fairy dust”, in the parlance of Matthew McConaughey. CONDITION DETAILS: The photos showcase the EXACT patch you are bidding on. It hasn’t ever been used/worn, just carefully kept in my collection. A couple very small loose threads, as you always see on embroidered patches. What you see is what you get. Total diameter is 4”. The patch will be shipped via USPS with insurance. I will cover all shipping costs. All of my sales are final. If you have any questions or need any additional photos of the patch, please ask before bidding. I do not take returns.