A Royal Italian Army Ministry of War Apparel Division Prototype Sample Armband

(Regio Esercito Italiano): Armband fabricated from a thick brown cotton, obverse with a two-piece red and black embroidered chevron stitched in place in the centre, stamped in black ink with stenciled lettering "R. ESERCITO ITALIANO" (Regio Esercito Italiano = Royal Italian Army) above, 108 mm x 200 mm, its ends stitched together on the reverse, with a 98 mm x 130 mm thick card held in place via a string fed through the bottom edge of the armband, looped through a metal eyelet on the card and finished with a lead seal marked "OPIFICIO MILITARE V.E" on one side and "TORINO" on the other, the approval card printed in black ink, inscribed "OPIFICIO MILITARE VESTIARIO EQUIPAGGIAMENTO - TORINO" (Military Factory Clothing Equipment, Turin), with handwritten inscriptions designating the code "51/S", dated "8-1-1940" (January 8, 1940), inscribed "Torino" (Turin) with a faded "11 GEN 1940" (11 Gennario 1940 = January 11, 1940) date stamp at the lower left, inscribed "II Ten. Colonnello Commissario Direttore" (II Ten. Colonel Commissioner Director) with a name stamp and initials below at the lower right, plus a large MilitaryFactory Clothing Equipment, Turin approval stamp illustrating the Royal coat-of-arms in the centre in black ink between the two other stamps. Near mint.