RARE WW1 88th Infantry Clover Leaf Dv Isorel Masonite SSI Enameled Insignia Sign for Sale

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RARE WW1 88th Infantry Clover Leaf Dv Isorel Masonite SSI Enameled Insignia Sign For Sale

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RARE WW1 88th Infantry Clover Leaf Dv Isorel Masonite SSI Enameled Insignia Sign:
$495.00

This sign shows the early shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) adopted by the 88th Infantry "Clover Leaf" or "Fighting Blue Devils" division of the United States Army. YOU WILL BE RECEIVING THIS SIGN ONLY, THE SET PICTURE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES.From a nearly? complete set of signs that are shown in the third picture. This set consists of each of the shoulder sleeve insignia used by units from the 1st world war, and are a very hard, glossy paint that I am assuming is an enamel on a confirmed Isorel board painted black, and measures 12 x 12 inches (30.48 cm). They are separated by that thin black paper packaging so common in that era. I am certain that it is Isorel by the cross like pattern of the pressing on the back which matches the Isorel pattern exactly. Isorel was the precursor to Masonite, which was not patented until 1924 and did not begin mass production until 1929. This set was likely produced some time after the war as most units did not have an insignia until then.
About the set:
This is obviously a very rare set and I am confident that it was issued by a significant organization, maybe even the US Military given the quality of the signs. I have had speculation on what they could have been for and it has been suggested that they might have been for a veterans group, but I think that they might have been used more for design purposes, possibly by a company that was in the business of supplying the newly adopted insignia patches to the various units in the US Military. Each of the 85 signs in the set have a hole on the top and bottom of the sign which I believe would be used for mounting, and they appear to have been extensively used. I will be offering each sign for sale individually so please be sure to stay tuned to my other listings as these become available.
About the 88th:
The 88th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that saw service in both World War I and World War II. It was one of the first of the Organized Reserve divisions to be called into federal service, created nearly "from scratch" after the implementation of the draft in 1940. Previous divisions were composed of either Regular Army or National Guard personnel. Much of the experience in reactivating it was used in the subsequent expansion of the U.S. Army.By the end of World War II the 88th Infantry fought its way to the northernmost extreme of Italy. In early May 1945 troops of its 349th Infantry Regiment joined the 103d Infantry Division of the VI Corps of the U.S. Seventh Army, part of the 6th Army Group, which had raced south through Bavaria into Innsbruck, Austria, in Vipiteno in the Italian Alps.Organized at Camp Dodge Iowa, in Sept., 1917. This division was composed of National Army drafts from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. First units embarked for overseas on Aug. 8th and the last units arrived in France on Sept. 9th. Upon arrival in France the division was ordered to the twenty-first training area at Semur (Cote d'Or), except the artillery, which was sent to the vicinity of Bordeaux for training. On Sept. 14th the division was placed under the command of the 4th French Army and moved by rail to the Hericourt training area near Belfort and on Sept. 23d relieved the 38th French Division in the center sector (Haute-Alsace). The division held this sector until Nov. 2d, when it was placed under the 4th American Corps and moved to the Lagney area (Meurth et Moselle) as part of the 2d Army Reserve, where it was located at the time of the armistice. On Nov. 29th the division moved by marching to the first divisional training area at Gondrecourt (Meuse). On April 26, 1919, the control of the division passed to the C.G., S.O.S. Arrived in the U.S. on June 1st. The artillery did not rejoin the division but remained in training in the south of France until after the armistice, and was returned to the U.S. in Jan. 1919. shlf