Most likely this pin belonged to my Grandpa Pete Kownacki, though it was mixed in with items from the other side of the family.  So… Anyway, the story goes that Pete would pick up seasonal work with the Post Office while he was attending grad school at Loyola.  This would have been in the 1930s.  I recently found this bit out about him, which could also explain why I now have this old metal postal badge in my possession.  The coloring of this pin is really bizarre and must be some form of water damage.  

I can easily see how something like this ends up lasting longer than the owner.  Think about it… How many random things do you have in the back of a dresser drawer that just sit there?  Of course nothing is written down about the significance of them, or why it is you even own a particular item.  Decades later it gets passed down to some future ancestor that will have absolutely no clue as to where it came from.  Think about that one next time you fill up your life with stuff.