Vintage Rhode Island State Patch ⚓ NOS Felt Souvenir Shield, Gold Anchor 13 Stars

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country and it put an anchor on its flag. There is a reason, and it is older than the United States.

⚓ WHAT THIS IS

A shield-shaped souvenir patch, 2 1/2" x 1 3/4", worked in gold on cream felt. A gold-bordered banner across the top reads RHODE ISLAND. At the centre sits a gold foul anchor — an anchor with its rope wrapped round the shank — with a solid navy ribbon behind it, and around the whole device a ring of thirteen gold stars.

🏴 WHY AN ANCHOR

The anchor has stood for Rhode Island since the colony's founding in 1636. On 4 May 1664 the General Assembly adopted a seal bearing an anchor with the word HOPE above it, and the pairing has never left.

No record from the time explains why that particular word was chosen. The explanation generally given traces it to Hebrews 6:18–19 — *hope we have as an anchor of the soul*. A colony founded by people who had been thrown out of somewhere else for what they believed, choosing an anchor and the word hope, is not a difficult sentence to read.

⭐ WHY THIRTEEN STARS

The current state flag was adopted on 1 November 1897: a white field, a gold anchor, a blue ribbon beneath it carrying HOPE in gold letters, and thirteen gold stars in a circle.

The thirteen do double duty. They are the original thirteen colonies — and Rhode Island was the thirteenth state to ratify the Constitution, holding out longer than anyone else. The state that was last to sign put the number on its flag.

📌 ONE HONEST NOTE ABOUT THE RIBBON

On the flag, the blue ribbon under the anchor carries the word HOPE. On this patch the ribbon is blank. At 2 1/2" there is no room to embroider a legible motto, so the design keeps the shape and drops the lettering. We would rather tell you that than let you assume.

✅ CONDITION

New old stock. Unused, little to no wear, never sewn to anything. The gold is bright and unfaded, the felt is clean and full, and the embroidered border is intact all the way round.

The reverse is open plain-weave scrim showing the mirrored stitch bleed. No adhesive, no iron-on backing — this is a sew-on patch.

Worth saying plainly, because the market for these is mostly not like this: vintage Rhode Island souvenir patches usually turn up described as ripped, distressed or as-is. This one is none of those.

🖼️ WHAT PEOPLE DO WITH THESE

• Sewn to a denim jacket, a travel bag, a jacket sleeve or a hat
• Framed in a grid with other state shields — they were made to be collected that way
• Given to someone from Rhode Island, or someone who spent summers there
• Kept in a shadow box with a map, a ferry ticket or a shell

❓ QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

Does it say HOPE? No — the ribbon on this patch is blank. The word appears on the state flag and seal.

Why thirteen stars? The original thirteen colonies, and Rhode Island being the thirteenth state to ratify the Constitution.

Is it iron-on? No — sew-on. No adhesive backing at all.

Is it a reproduction? No. Unused original stock.

What is a foul anchor? An anchor with its rope or cable wrapped around the shank. It is the traditional heraldic form, and it is what Rhode Island uses.