C05554 ITALIAN ENGINEER EM'S SHOULDER BOARD. A rough, grey-green wool shoulder board, 4 1/2" long, whose squared base is 2 1/8" wide, and which tapers along its length to 1 5/8" before its pointed tip. The board does not taper evenly, but appears to have one side at a right angle to the base, while the other side slants inwards. Along its base, and to either side up to its half-way point, is piping in red, now faded to a rose color. From the half-way point, and continuing around the pointed tip, is piping in yellow. Sewn to the face of the board is an embroidered "lictor" fasces, which replaced the Republican fasces in 1927 and was issued until 1943. Its "bundle" ("fascis" in Latin) is in gilt wire, and its "axe" is in silver-aluminum wire. Near the pointed end of the strap protrudes a 9/16" diameter, convex brass button, which has a threaded tube to its reverse mating with a brass screw. To the button’s obverse, its rope-like border encloses the horizontally ribbed background to an eagle with down-swept wings, which has a horizontal lictor fasces in its talons, and an oval shield to its breast, within which is a cross against a vertically ribbed background. To the reverse of the board, a 5/8" x 4 1/4" strap, in the same wool as the board’s facing, is sewn to its base, with a perforation to its free end through which passes the aforementioned screw. The wool to the reverse is relatively unmarred, but that to the obverse is moderately nap worn and noticeably age soiled and faded. The embroidered fasces has dulled with age, and the knotted "cords" which bind the "bundle" are loose and frayed. The brass button is age darkened and soiled. The consigner reports that this is an engineer enlisted rank’s shoulder board.

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