Both of the included patches are associated with the Sino-American Cooperation Organization (SACO); also known as the Sino-American Special Technical Cooperative Organization, the SACO was established in 1943 as a joint Nationalist/American operation headed up in tandem by the chief of Chiang Kai-Shek's secret police and the commander of the U.S. Navy's intelligence outfit in China. The SACO served as an intelligence gathering/sharing organization as well as a training center for Chinese guerrilla forces operating in Japanese occupied territory and other tasks. The smaller patch (3 inches in diameter) is embroidered, with four mounting snaps on the back, with a pennant marked "???!!!***" on an anchor set inside a Nationalist Chinese star. The larger patch (5 1/4 inch diameter) is embroidered silk, with a rope border around a red and green dragon perched on a blue anchor, with lightning emerging from its head. Also included with the group are two photographs of military men (sans visible rank insignia, as often seen in OSS photos) wearing identical dragon patches on their uniform jackets. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Excellent, with minor handling marks overall. Both patches show fine detail and color.