https://heraldryproject.org/news/Curated recent research and news in heraldry with original historical context.enhttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#medieval-merchant-markshttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#medieval-merchant-marksWed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTResearch & scholarshipA study of merchant marks preserved in late-medieval financial documents examines how commercial symbols helped merchants maintain recognizable identities across Mediterranean trading networks. Of 738 recorded instances dated 1387–1435, the authors classified 72 as heraldic or heraldic-derived; most were not armorial. Merchant marks and coats of arms could borrow from one another without being the same system. The useful comparison is between their documented functions, not a claim that medieval merchants invented modern trademark law. Source: Medievalists.net (https://www.medievalists.net/2026/10/did-medieval-merchants-invent-corporate-branding/).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#chronicles-medieval-heraldryhttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#chronicles-medieval-heraldryTue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHeraldry in practiceThe developers of Chronicles: Medieval say they consulted the College of Arms and Lancaster Herald Adam Tuck while building the game's heraldic system. The reported research drew on rolls of arms, seals, tombs and other witnesses, with reconstructions where documentation was incomplete. This is a report on a game in development, not an independent audit of its historical accuracy. It offers a contemporary example of how evidence-based heraldic reconstruction can influence visual culture. Source: Simulation Daily (https://simulationdaily.com/news/chronicles-medieval-heraldry-system/).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#baranauskas-arms-from-sealshttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#baranauskas-arms-from-sealsSun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTExhibitions & material evidenceA reconstruction of the arms used by Antanas Baranauskas, nineteenth-century poet and bishop of Sejny (Augustów), is a focus of the international exhibition 'Tradicija, tapatybė ir menas' in Anykščiai. Heraldic artists Paulius Vaniuchinas and Žydrūnas Strumila worked from surviving armorial seals and impressions, with advice from historian Edmundas Antanas Rimša. At the October 17 opening, a local memorial museum presented two authentic episcopal seals and a document bearing Baranauskas's signature in Lithuanian. The historical seals are evidence of a device's actual use; the newly drawn achievement is a modern interpretation of that evidence. An impression may preserve identifying forms without establishing every original tincture or artistic detail. The display therefore makes an instructive case for studying sources before accepting a reconstruction as a complete historical record. Source: Genealogijos, heraldikos ir veksilologijos institutas (https://www.ghvi.lt/tarptautine-heraldikos-paroda-atidaryta-anyksciuose).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#castilian-heraldic-literature-bookhttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#castilian-heraldic-literature-bookWed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTBooks & scholarshipPedro Valverde Ogallar's Letras y armas de los nobles linajes examines Castilian heraldic literature from its beginnings to the later sixteenth century. The book considers neglected texts, the relationship between writers and readers, and methods for editing historical heraldic writing. The Regional Library of Madrid announced an October 8 presentation. This is news of a scholarly book and event, not a claim that a previously unknown armorial manuscript was discovered. Source: La Voz de Madrid (https://lavozmadrid.es/en/madrid-capital/madrid/presentation-of-the-book-letters-and-arms-of-noble-lineages-in-madrid).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#colorado-national-guard-insigniahttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#colorado-national-guard-insigniaWed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTInstitutions & insigniaAt a September 12 ceremony, the Colorado Army National Guard retired its long-used Circle C patch and began using a new insignia. The design invokes mining tools, mountain peaks, state colors and the fasces from Colorado's seal, connecting the unit's visual identity to regional history. Shoulder sleeve insignia is not automatically the same as a coat of arms. The story shows how institutional emblems select and reinterpret heraldic and civic devices for uniform use. Source: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (https://www.dvidshub.net/news/575713/colorado-army-national-guard-repatching-ceremony-brings-new-heraldry-organization).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#moldova-historic-flagshttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#moldova-historic-flagsFri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMTMuseums & material cultureCollector Petru Costin has assembled 45 replicas of historic Moldovan flags for a collection associated with the Customs Service Museum in Chișinău. The broadcaster reports that reconstructions include standards associated with Stephen the Great and Petru Rareș, developed with military historian Vitalie Ciobanu. A modern reconstruction can make an old design visible while remaining distinct from the historical artifact that documents it. The original witnesses and the reconstruction method matter as much as the finished banner. Source: Moldova 1 (https://moldova1.md/p/84571/moldova-s-historical-flags-revived-in-45-piece-replica-collection).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#brasov-county-flaghttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#brasov-county-flagFri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTCivic heraldryRomania's Brașov County received an officially approved flag following publication of a government decision in August. The blue field carries the county arms, which reference Brașov, Țara Făgărașului and Rupea, with a silver wavy band representing the Olt River. The county's flag demonstrates how a local authority combines older territorial devices in a contemporary civic emblem. Its reported adoption follows Romanian administrative practice, rather than the grant procedures of a British heraldic court. Source: B1TV (https://www.b1tv.ro/eveniment/judetul-brasov-are-propriul-steag-dupa-aprobarea-guvernului-1721523.html).https://heraldryproject.org/news/#yale-som-arms-historyhttps://heraldryproject.org/news/#yale-som-arms-historyFri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTInstitutional historiesYale School of Management's fiftieth-anniversary history recounts the hurried creation of the school's coat of arms in 1976. A conference table and eight chairs expressed its public-private mission; Yale library curator Harry Scammell supplied a formal blazon before the emblem was unveiled at convocation. The account usefully distinguishes a heraldic-looking illustration from a design expressed in blazon, and shows how a modern educational institution adopted armorial language for its own identity. Source: Yale School of Management (https://som.yale.edu/story/2026/secret-language-yale-soms-coat-arms).