STS-2
The STS-2 crew wore the standard AB Emblem embroidered mission emblems on their escape suits and on their in-flight clothing, thus there is no rare 'crew patch' for this mission.
Embroidered Mission Patches
A-B Emblem patch
The regular commercial AB Emblem patch was the version worn by the crew.
Lion Brothers patch
This version of the Lion Brothers STS-2 mission patch has a bare cloth back.
Swissartex patch circa 1981
This distinctive bare cloth backed patch has recently been identified by Kevin Randall as the earliest
Swissartex design, produced around the time of the mission itself in 1981.
By around 1983 Swissartex had changed production methods and begun producing the coated-back version shown below.
Lion Brothers plastic backed patch
This version of the STS-2 Lion Brothers patch has a plastic coating on the reverse.
Lion Brothers canvas backed patch
This version of the STS-2 mission patch, apparently produced by Lion Brothers, has a unique canvas coating on the reverse. As only a couple of examples have been seen it may have been a prototype for a new backing type that was not adpoted.
Swissartex patch cira 1983 onwards
Originally thought to be the oldest Swissartex STS-2 mission patch, this design was actually introduced around 1983
when the company switched production methods to produce coated backed patches. Since it was produced
only a couple of years after the mission this can still be considered a vintage patch.
This design of the Swissartex STS-2 mission patch exists both with a waxy plastic backing and with a vacuum sealed
clear plastic coating on the reverse. The fronts of the two versions are virtually identical.