Preowned, authentic, single WWII Imperial Japanese Army 1st Lieutenant collar tab shows clear signs of age. The gold bullion border and the middle rank stripe are heavily tarnished and the red wool base shows minor wear along the edge. However, this specific rank insignia is stepped in the history of World War II:The Type 98 uniform (Imperial year 2598, hence Type 98)insignia on view, designate the army due to the red background. The gold bullion braid running through the centre signifies the officer is a company grade officer. What grade of officer is dependent on the number of stars. This item has two silver stars pinpointing the specific rank of first Lieutenant. However, if it was three stars, which is possible, this would indicate the rank of Captain. We will assume it is a 2 star piece and priced accordingly for fair to good condition. Either way, this style of colour tab was worn by frontline officers throughout the major campaigns of the Pacific war, including the invasion of Southeast Asia, the defence of the Pacific Islands, and the China Burma Indian theatre, until it was superseded in 1943.The reverse of the tab features an original wartime olive drab cotton backing cloth, and loose cross hatch stitching being precisely how these insignia were constructed in Japanese factories during the type 98 era (1938 to 1943).