A law from 1592 is the reason Airdrieonians and Ayr United ended up with new badges. Supporters Direct Scotland reported in April 2016 that Airdrieonians had already been forced to launch a new crest and Ayr United would change theirs for 2017-18. The Act makes the Court of the Lord Lyon responsible for prosecuting anyone who uses unauthorised arms, and the court treats plenty of football crests as exactly that.
The symbols involved are the heart, the harp, the stag's head, the lion rampant and a few others, each tying a crest to a place, a founding community, a regiment or the royal arms. They mark clubs and national teams on shirts, and they also circulate as collectible enamel pin badges.
What Do the Symbols on Scottish Football Badges Mean?
Very little on a Scottish club badge is decoration. Most of it points to a place, a founding community, a regiment or the club name.
| Symbol | What it refers to | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Heart | Old Tolbooth entrance, marked by the Royal Mile mosaic | Heart of Midlothian |
| Harp | Irish founders of the club | Hibernian |
| Stag's head | Seaforth Highlanders regimental badge | Ross County |
| Lion rampant | Royal Standard of Scotland | Scotland national team crest |
| Saltire | St Andrew's Cross | Hearts, former Ayr United crest |
National symbols
The lion rampant comes from the Royal Standard of Scotland. The Scottish FA's 2023 commemorative crest uses it in gold on a blue shield, with tonal thistles behind it, per SportsLogos.net.
The saltire turns up at club level too. Hearts kept it when they rebuilt their identity in 1997.
Partick Thistle needs no decoding. The thistle is on the badge because it is in the name.
Local and civic symbols
- Hearts based their crest on the Royal Mile mosaic that marks the Old Tolbooth, a building that became a prison in 1640 and gave the club its name (Scottish Football Museum).
- Hibernian's badge has combined the ship of Leith for the port and Edinburgh Castle for the city with a harp for the Irish founders of 1875 since 2000 (Hibernian FC).
- The Ross County stag's head is the Caberfeidh from the Seaforth Highlanders, the regiment local men served in during the Great War. It also gave the club the nickname Staggies (SPFL).
Each of these points to something a supporter can visit or look up. None was invented for the shirt.
Dates, mottos and colours
Hearts put 1874 on the badge next to the Royal Mile cobbles, as Design Week reported in 1997. Lettering inside a shield is also the exact feature the Lord Lyon challenged on Airdrieonians' badge, so text on a Scottish crest is a legal question as well as a design one.
Colour carries meaning too. Hearts take a deep maroon from the kit into the crest, and Hibernian's green comes from the same Irish heritage as the harp and the name.
How Have Scottish Club Crests Changed Since the 1870s?
Crests started out as rare shirt marks in the 1870s and ended up as managed club identities. Most redesigns since then trace back to money or to supporters complaining, with heraldic law forcing a few.
Early shirt badges
The only known surviving Scotland men's shirt badge from 1872 belonged to David Wotherspoon, a Queen's Park player and committee member, according to the Scottish Football Museum.
Club badges on playing shirts arrived much later. Hibernian wore none for over a century, and the 1979/80 kit carried the first (Hibernian FC).
Redesigns and what drove them
- Hearts redesigned for commercial reasons in 1997. After the club's Stock Exchange flotation, the Edinburgh consultancy EH6 built a new identity that kept the St Andrew's Cross, the 1874 date and the Royal Mile cobbles. It also brought back two details from the original stadium crest, the club name in a circle around the heart and the football at the centre (Design Week).
- Hibernian's 2000 change came from supporters. An earlier crest drew complaints that it ignored the club's history, and the replacement combined the harp, the ship of Leith, Edinburgh Castle and a football.
- Airdrieonians in 2015 and Ayr United in 2017 both lost badges to heraldic law, which is covered below.
- Ross County went the other way in 1987, when the stag gave way to plain initials (Historical Football Kits). The stag is on the current crest.
The Hearts case shows how far a crest can travel. It was built as a full visual identity for corporate literature, not only a shirt.
Redesigns that cut local detail tend to draw the loudest reaction. The Hibernian harp is the clearest example, because fans wanted it back.
Which Emblems Represent the Scottish FA, the SPFL and the Cup Competitions?
The Scottish FA goes with a lion rampant crest and the SPFL with a lion and football mark. Cup competitions are different, since their logos follow the sponsor and change with each title deal.
Scottish FA and the national team
The Scottish FA formed in March 1873, with Queen's Park taking the lead, according to SportsLogos.net. In August 2003 Design Week reported a Curious Oranj badge for the national team, the first time a standalone crest from the association was used, unveiled on 6 September against the Faroe Islands.
The 2023 anniversary crest marked 150 years. It has a gold lion rampant on a blue shield with tonal thistles in the background, and a gold and navy border runs round the edge. The association used it temporarily, not as a permanent replacement.
SPFL
The Scottish Professional Football League unveiled its identity at Hampden Park on 24 July 2013.
The Glasgow agency Material combined the lion from the old Scottish Football League logo with the football from the Scottish Premier League design (The Drum, 2013). The four divisions became the Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two.
Cup competitions
Design Bridge created a Tennent's Scottish Cup identity in 2000 for a four-year sponsorship renewal worth 4 million pounds (Design Week).
The League Cup has changed name more than once. It became the Premier Sports Cup on 27 April 2021 and the Viaplay Cup on 1 November 2022, then went back to Premier Sports Cup for 2024/25 (SPFL, Football Scotland).
The Women's Scottish Cup logo features the Mackintosh Rose, and the 2023 trophy adds the thistle (Scottish FA).
Cup badges date by sponsor, not by heraldry. The name on the badge places the year.
Lord Lyon Rules and the Official Status of Scottish Club Badges
A Scottish club badge with a shield and letters, a saltire, a lion rampant or similar heraldic elements can breach the Lord Lyon King of Arms Act 1592. Unauthorised use is a criminal offence in Scotland.
How the 1592 Act reaches football clubs
Prosecution sits with the Court of the Lord Lyon. The court has its own procurator fiscal, who generally acts only when someone complains (Supporters Direct Scotland, Evening Times).
Complaints come from unexpected places. Airdrieonians were reported to the Lord Lyon after a third party tried to trademark their crest, and Ayr United's badge was challenged by a rival supporter in late 2015 (Sunday Post, The Scotsman).
Clubs forced to change
- St Mirren and Kilmarnock altered their badges in the 1990s.
- Formartine United redesigned in 2010 after a saltire in a 53-year-old badge was reported.
- Airdrieonians unveiled a new crest on 19 June 2015, keeping as many original features as the law allowed.
- Ayr United held a supporter vote on 18 April 2017 and used the winning badge from 1 July 2017.
Registration and cost
Keeping a shield outline after removing the lettering would cost 3,000 to 4,000 pounds in Scotland, against 17,000 pounds in England, according to the Sunday Post in 2015.
Few clubs had registered at that point. Mark Hamid, secretary to the Lord Lyon, named only St Mirren and Queen's Park, and Hibernian said the Court approved its 2000 badge.
Official and unofficial badges
Official badges are made with the club's permission and show its current design. Anything that copies the design without that permission counts as unofficial.
Heraldic law and trademark law overlap, as the Airdrieonians case showed. A trademark filing was what triggered the Lord Lyon complaint.
Where the rules stop applying
The Lord Lyon's office says a heraldic device would probably involve a shield, and logos that are not heraldic need no registration (Mark Hamid).
Critics read it more widely. Airdrie supporter Colin Telford argues that framing a badge in a simple shield is enough to count. Supporters Direct Scotland listed crowns, lion rampant, castellation, saltire, town arms and any lettering as forbidden elements in April 2016.
Estimates of exposure are broadly similar. Telford counts around 20 senior Scottish clubs, while The Scotsman reported in 2016 that as many as half of all SPFL emblems could fall foul.
Who can change the law is disputed. Supporters Direct Scotland said the responsibility is reserved to the UK Government, but a UK minister told Parliament that the Lord Lyon's judicial functions are devolved to Holyrood, while the granting of arms remains reserved (Supporters Direct Scotland, Holyrood magazine).
Enamel, Woven and Embroidered Scottish Football Badges Compared
Soft enamel, hard enamel, woven and embroidered badges differ in how the colour goes on and how the surface feels, and they don't all survive wear equally well.
| Format | How it is made | Typical use | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft enamel | Die-struck metal, colour sits below raised metal lines | Pin badges, supporters badges | Needs an epoxy coat for extra protection |
| Hard enamel | Colour filled past the metal, fired, polished flat | Premium pin badges | More steps, higher cost |
| Woven | Thread woven into a flat patch | Shirt crests, scarf patches | Fine lines blur at small sizes |
| Embroidered | Thread stitched onto fabric | Shirt crests, sew-on badges | Detail limited by stitch size |
Enamel pin badges
Soft enamel keeps the colour below the raised metal lines, so the surface has a texture you can feel (Signature Pins). It is faster and cheaper to produce, and an epoxy coating adds scratch protection, according to the manufacturer Triumph Gifts.
Hard enamel is filled past the metal, kiln-fired and hand polished flat (All About Pins). It resists scratches better. It also costs more because of the repeated filling and polishing.
Collectors meet both. Neither proves age, since both start from the same die-struck base.
Woven and embroidered badges
Shirt crests use thread, not metal. Historical Football Kits records that Ross County's stag's head returned in 1982 embroidered directly onto the shirts.
Cloth badges for single fixtures go back further. Budds catalogued an embroidered official badge marked S : I, LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL for the Scottish League v Irish League match of 6 November 1912.
Cloth ages worse than enamel, which is one reason early embroidered pieces turn up less often.
How to Identify and Date a Vintage Scottish Football Badge
The maker mark, the fitting and the crest version together place most vintage Scottish football badges in an era. No single check settles it.
- Read the reverse. Impressed marks name the maker, for example Coffer Northampton, Reeves & Co Ltd Birmingham or Fattorini & Sons Ltd Barr St Birmingham, as dealer listings at Milivault show.
- Place the maker in an era. A Topps advert from 1978-79, reproduced by the Cartophilic Info Exchange, offered Coffer badges for every First Division and Scottish First Division team. Reeves is described as a prolific football badge maker in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter (Watford Gold archive).
- Match the crest to a redesign date. Compare the design against the dated redesigns in the crest history section above.
- Check the metal and enamel. Dealer descriptions use gilt brass with enamel for older supporters badges and chromium plating for others. Note whether the enamel sits flush or recessed.
- Inspect the fitting. Dealers flag original pin fittings and roller catches as condition points, and a replaced back weakens any dating.
- Weigh it. Compare the weight with a known-genuine example on a scale accurate to 0.1 g, a test the militaria.co.uk authentication guide (2026) calls one of the simplest and most reliable.
Where identification stops working
Many badges carry no maker mark at all. Even a marked one dates to a maker and a decade, not a year, and a replaced fitting can hide the original era.
Reproduction risk sits with the valuable badges. Faking a badge worth a few pounds does not pay.
What Are Vintage Scottish Football Badges Worth?
Common club enamel badges from the Coffer era sell for roughly 9 to 15 pounds, and early official shirt badges sell for several times that.
The best recent result is 140 pounds, the winning bid for two James Reid Scotland official shirt badges, 1912-13 and 1920, at the Budds Scottish sporting memorabilia auction of 21 May 2025.
On eBay in 2025, a Rangers Treble Winners enamel badge by Coffer Northampton sold for 14.95 pounds. A Dundee United Ace of Clubs badge by Coffer made 13.93 pounds, and a Brechin City vintage enamel pin badge went for 8.79 pounds (eBay sold listings).
Read together, the listings and the auction result point to one rule. Price follows age and official provenance, not the club name.
What makes a badge rare
Defunct clubs are the first place to look. Clydebank went out of business in 2002 (Football Crests of Scotland), and a Mullock Jones lot of Scottish club enamel badges from the 1970s onwards includes Clydebank and Meadow Bank, the club now known as Livingston.
Single-match issues like the 1912-13 league international piece have no mass-market run, and badges marking a Treble or a title exist in smaller numbers than the plain crest.
Where the value drops
A missing pin hurts, as in the St Patrick's Athletic badge noted in the Mullock Jones lot description. Chipped enamel or worn gilt, which dealers list as faults, hurts too, and so do a replacement fitting and any doubt over authenticity.
At these prices, resale after fees leaves little margin. Collect for the club or the era, not as an investment.
Where to Buy Scottish Football Badges
Club-linked shops cover current official badges. For vintage stock, eBay and specialist dealers are the usual routes, and the rare lots go to auction houses.
Club and charity shops
The Rangers Charity Foundation put a 150th anniversary pin badge on sale on 11 March 2022 and an Ibrox Stadium pin badge for the stadium's 125 years on 14 November 2024.
These are official and dated, and the club backs the sale. They are the safest route for anything recent.
eBay and specialist dealers
eBay has the widest range and the lowest prices, but a listing is only as good as the seller's photos and description.
Specialist dealers cost more. Milivault lists a Coffer Northampton Ipswich Town badge at 25 pounds with the maker mark, original fittings and height stated, and the premium pays for the description and the checking.
Auction houses
Mullock Jones sold a multi-badge lot of Scottish club enamel badges from the 1970s onwards in a timed classic football sale. Budds ran the Scottish sporting memorabilia auction at Trades Hall of Glasgow on 21 May 2025.
Auctions suit rare pieces and bulk lots. They are a poor fit for a single common badge.
Checks before buying
- A clear photo of the reverse showing the maker mark
- The fitting described as original
- Postage, which can exceed the badge (the 13.93 pound Dundee United sale carried 15 pounds international tracked shipping)
- Official or unofficial status, using the licensing rules covered earlier
Scottish Football Badges FAQ
How do you clean a vintage enamel badge?
Warm water, mild dish soap and a soft cloth or soft-bristled toothbrush will do it, followed by air drying. Skip vinegar and all-purpose cleaners.
Alum & Ink advises against polishing soft enamel and warns that rough polishing strips plating, so test on a small area first.
How should enamel badges be stored?
Store them separately, because loose badges scratch each other. Pin makers recommend a microfibre wrap or protective backing cards, with the pin backs kept secure so the post does not bend.
What does the writing on the Rangers badge say?
Rangers use two crests. The lion rampant crest carries the motto Ready beside a football, with the words Rangers Football Club around it.
The scroll crest on the strips shows the overlapping letters RFC, and the Scotsman reported it unchanged when the club refreshed the lion crest.
Why do older Celtic badges say Coy. Ltd?
Coy. is short for Company. Badges from before the mid-1990s read The Celtic Football & Athletic Coy. Ltd, and the wording became The Celtic Football Club once the club became a public limited company (The Celtic Wiki).
That wording gives collectors a quick dating clue.
Are non-league Scottish badges worth collecting?
Yes, if the collection is built around a region or a league, because non-league badges cost less. A Linton Hotspur FC non-league pin badge was listed at 2.50 pounds on eBay.
Starting a Collection of Scottish Football Badges
A first collection works best with a narrow focus, one club for example, or one era, built from common pieces.
Low-cost badges let a beginner learn to read a reverse and judge a fitting before real money rides on the answer. Dated fixture and honours badges can wait until the maker marks start to make sense.
Narrowing the focus costs something. A single-club collection is easy to identify, though it follows that club's redesign dates. Go by maker instead, Coffer for example, and you cover many clubs but only the years that maker supplied.