By tradition, Texas Ranger badges are made from Mexican silver five peso coins (sergeant and lieutenant) and fifty peso gold coins (captains). The custom began more than 120 years ago when Mexican coins were recognized as a worldwide standard for purity of metal and true weight. The oldest authenticated Ranger badge, made in the 1880s, is on display at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco.

The Texas Rangers are an investigative and enforcement division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Stephen F. Austin founded the Texas Rangers in 1823 as a home guard to protect against Indian raids and pursue criminals. Over the next 179 years they have served as frontier lawmen, State Police officers and an elite investigative force. Since 1935 they have been a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.