Gemini 5
Gemini 5 was the first mission to have an embroidered patch. Famously, the motto "8 days or bust" embroidered on the side of the wagon in the design was deemed unacceptable by NASA and had to be covered over on the crew's patches with plain cloth.
It seems that the two patches worn by Cooper and Conrad, shown here in detailed close-ups, were more-or-less hand produced, with subtle differences in the two designs being visible e.g. the running board to the right of the barrel on the side of the wagon seems to be a little lower on Cooper's patch than Conrad's.
The Crew Patches
Gemini 5 Crew Patch
This patch shown above is Cooper's, as photographed after the flight (photo id S65-59530). Note that the white background material on his patch seems to be very saggy. This was already visible on the post-flight pictures below the "5" of Gemini 5 and at the bottom of the patch where the inner black line is almost obscured by the sagging material.
Gemini 5 Crew Souvenir Patch
This design is easily identified by the large Gemini 5 text at the top which divides the brown inner border. The crew carried examples of this patch as souvenirs on the mission alongside examples of the variant patch noted below.
The unusual appearance of the back of this patch indicates that it was likely produced by the same manufacturer as the GTA-6 Crew patch, the Gemini 7 Crew Souvenir patch and the Gemini 11 Crew patch.
Gemini 5 Crew Souvenir Patch variant
This variant of the crew souvenir patch excludes the controversial "8 Days of Bust" text. According to Cooper's Letter of Authentication which accompanied a flown example of this variant offered at auction by Christies in 2019, the text was not added to a run of patches due to a directive from NASA Administrator James Webb. The letter states that in addition to this batch, the batch of patches with the text was flown anyway.
It's impossible to say how many examples of each patch were produced and how many of them were flown, but to-date I've only seen 2 examples of this variant.
Other Embroidered Mission Patches
AB Emblem 2010 Replica patch
An impressive modern replica of the crew patch, complete with sewn on fabric covering the "8 days or bust" text, produced by AB Emblem in 2010 in collaboration with Gene Dorr.
Eagle One Aerospace Replica patch
A reasonable replica of the Crew Patch produced by Randy Wagner of Eagle One Aerospace (later Cargo Bay Emblems).
AB Emblem souvenir patch
This is the AB Emblem souvenir patch for the mission.
Gemini 5 Retrorocket Emblems Replica Crew Souvenir patch
A high quality modern replica of the Gemini 5 crew souvenir patch, produced as a limited run by Retrorocket Emblems in 2020.
Currently available to order from their website here.
Gemini 5 Randy Hunt Replica Crew patch
This replica of the Gemini 5 crew patch was produced by Randy Hunt in the early 2000s.
Footnotes
[1] Sales of the original Crew Patches:
Superior Auction Feb 25, 1995 sold at $1,995 [Cooper's suit-worn patch]
Heritage Auctions May 12, 2012 lot 40056 at $19,120 [Cooper's suit-worn patch]
[2] Examples of Crew Souvenir patch sales:
Heritage Auctions September 21, 2007 lot 25066 at $2629 (inc buyer's fees) FLOWN.
Christies Space Exploration Auction May 9, 2001 lot 39 at $1880 (FLOWN).
Christies Space Exploration Auction Sep 18, 1999 37 at $4370 (FLOWN).
Lunar Legacies Space Auction lot no. 57 sold Jul 11, 2009 at $1375 (inc buyer's fees). Originally noted as flown.
Bonhams Space Auction Jul 16, 2009 Lot 71 at $3355 (FLOWN).
RRAuction Sep 22, 2011, Lot 206 at $693.60 (UNFLOWN).
RRAuction May 23, 2012, Lot 185 at $1,440 (UNFLOWN).
RRAuction Nov 29, 2012, Lot 190 at $2,100 (FLOWN).
Bonhams Space Auction Lot 87 Mar 25, 2013 at $7,500 [FLOWN by Conrad]
RRAuction May 23, 2013, Lot 202 at $519.60 [Unflown? crew signed, variant with no "8 Days or Bust" text].
RRAuction May 22, 2014, Lot 139 at $4,906 (FLOWN).
Bonhams Space Auction Apr 21, 2015 Lot 32 at $5,000 [FLOWN, from Cooper's estate]
RRAuction Lot 57 Apr 28, 2015 at $4993.10 on Cooper flight jacket
Sothebys Space Auction Nov 29, 2018 Lot 98 at [UNSOLD] [FLOWN, from Cooper's estate]
Christies Space Auction Jul 18 , 2019 Lot 27 at $5,000 [FLOWN by Conrad]
Christies Space Auction Jul 18 , 2019 Lot 28 at [UNSOLD] [FLOWN by Cooper, variant with no "8 Days or Bust text"]
RRAuction Oct 15, 2020, Lot 4042 at $6443.75 (FLOWN).
RRAuction Lot 3057 Apr 22, 2021 sold at $6,620 [FLOWN by Conrad]
Bonhams Space Auction Jul 18, 2023 Lot 33 sold at $3,160 [FLOWN by Cooper]
Heritage Auction Dec 6, 2024 Lot 50009 sold at $5,750 [FLOWN by Conrad]
Heritage Auctions lot 71005 Mar 29, 2025 sold at $4,625 [FLOWN by Cooper]