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When they stepped out of the recovery helicopter onto the deck of the U.S.S. Iwo Jima the crew were wearing blue jumpsuits with an embroidered mission patch attached.

The patches can be seen quite distinctly in these photos.

The crew were wearing the same jumpsuits and patches at a later meal onboard the Iwo Jima as shown in several color photos including S70-16007 (extreme right).

The patches are also quite visible in shots of the crew receiving medals from President Nixon on their arrival at Hawaii as shown in the other details on the right.

Taken together these images show enough detail in terms of design and color to positively identify the patch.
The Crew Patch

The photographic evidence shows that the patch worn by the crew on their post-flight jump suits is that shown here.

Examples of this patch are also known to have been flown on the mission as souvenirs[1].

It is not known who manufactured this patch.

These patches are pretty scarce and are also difficult to value as examples that do turn up on eBay are often hidden in amongst large lots of patches or mistaken for Lion Brothers versions. Recent examples have fetched perhaps $50 to $90 on eBay in this context.

The only example I've seen to date clearly identified as an Apollo 13 crew patch sold for just over $250[2], which is still well below the prices fetched recently by examples of the Apollo 12 crew patch.

[1] e.g. Swann Spring 2006 Space Auction lot 138 and Heritage Auctions September 21, 2007 lot 25123.

[2] eBay item no. 360011897647 Jan 14, 2008, sold at $255.51.

Apollo 13 Mission Patch Gallery
Crew Patch AB Emblem Lion Brothers Other Manufacturers

This patch, produced by un unknown manufacturer, is the design worn by the Apollo 13 crew on their post-flight jumpsuits. [4" / 101mm]

The AB Emblem patch is very different to the design worn by the crew, with multi-colored horses and no craters on the lunar surface.

This version shown here has a black velvety background but it also exists with a black twill cloth background. [4" / 101mm]

The Lion Brothers Apollo 13 patch is similar to the crew version but the colors are subtly different. The sun's rays are also longer to the upper right. [4" / 101mm]

This vintage Apollo 13 patch from an unknown manufacturer is similar to the crew version but lacks the black craters. The sun's rays are very similar to those of the Lion Brothers version. [4" / 101mm]

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