Big pin found

[McCDig]

I don't think this is particularly old but would like to know the manufacturer to get a better idea of its vintage.

This pin is 4 and one-half inches long and is hand-stamped with numbers "137"; there is a manufacturer logo that looks like KI bounded by a circle.

I've seen such a pin described as a laundry pin, horse blanket pin, or military issue to recruits.

 

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[jewelerguy]

when I was a kid, our public swimming pool would give you a large safety pin that was numbered to correspond with a basket for your clothes which you would pin to your swim suit, but they weren't quite that large

 

[McCDig]

Thx jewelry guy! Similar to your experience I've heard that a pin this size would be used by sports teams to keep similar appearing gear together for each team member; seems like that would only work if you had the identical number sewn into each item.

 

[Icewing]

I dug one of those too. I'm pretty sure they were and still are sold as key chains.

 

[McCDig]

Thx Icewing! This one was found open. Can you imagine using it as a key chain? Talk about "deep pockets"!

 

[Subterranean]

It is a vintage laundry bag pin. Cheers, Sub

 

[BLK HOLE]

Yep, looks just like the one I got in Boot Camp for my laundry bag.

 

[Tony in SC]

At the SC state parks they gave you a pin like that with a number when you checked you're clothes for swimming.