Kriegsmarine Blockade Runners Badge

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

Okay, so I got ambitious... it's a long walk over here so decided to just do this one while I was here.

Have had this forever and a day... okay, code words for over twenty years!

Not perfect as far as the case goes but definitely original and I love her.

[Hauptmann]

Inside the case, including under the base, inside under the base and inside the lid:

Does anyone know what the number 845 signifies?

[Hauptmann]

And now for the stickpin:

[Hauptmann]

And last but not least, the badge itself:

Hope ya'll enjoy her as much as I've enjoyed showing her off.

Thanks for stopping by,

Dan

[Gordon Williamson]

Very nice early Schwerin piece Dan, and not so easy to find these days. Extra nice being in its original case with miniature.

[Hauptmann]

Very nice early Schwerin piece Dan, and not so easy to find these days. Extra nice being in its original case with miniature.

Hi Gordon,

Many thanks for your kind words! Even though the case is not in top notch shape I figure it worked out as I was easily able to show the innerds and figure that's always a good thing for folks to be able to see and if possible compare.

No idea what they run now... I think I paid $250 in the day... but I wanted her and I have no regrets.

I guess I really got hooked on these and the Aux. Cruiser badges once I saw the movies with John Wayne and Van Johnson playing Auxiliary Cruiser Captains, breaking out and doing their thing. I'm tempted to watch them again. Have to trudge down in the bunker tomorrow and pull out the tapes. Wish ya'll could come join me... great flicks.

Well, I fear the time has come to go zonk out... or at least watch a bit of TV before zonking out.

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing all my posts and especially reading those who have posted before I arrived. I still have a few more days off so hoping to continue and get a few more things posted. I'll try to do the new group photos of the wounds sometime today as well as taking my framed IAB set from Jack Angolia out and try to get some shots of it in natural light. It's a hard one to get shots of due to the glass but will be worth it if I can manage it.

Again thanks so much for having me as a member... and putting up with the fact that I think I got 90% of my stuff over "twenty years ago". Really... I've gotten a ton of stuff since then... honest! Just ask my wife!

I just can't get enough of all this stuff and hope I have tons more years of collecting in front of me. When I get my (please God) palace in the sky I do so hope there's room for the ultimate set of collectibles rooms plus a nice video room to boot. Not one for singing endlessly and sitting around on clouds all day.

Thanks again,

Dan

[Guest Darrell]

Very nice early Schwerin piece Dan, and not so easy to find these days. Extra nice being in its original case with miniature.

Ditto from me. Nice case. If you can find one of these with this much silvering left on th eagle, you have done well

[Gordon Williamson]

Dan,

I have never seen a photo of the large size miniature being worn by an identified off-duty KM sailor, but I have seen it being worn by Merchant Navy types. I have also had a couple of attributed groupings which came with the cased award, again both to Merchant Navy and both with the large size mini.

My feeling is that these cased "twin-sets" were intended for Merchant Navy recipients, and the cased Blockade Breaker on its own ( much rarer) is the Kriegsmarine pattern.

Here is the large mini being worn on civilian clothing by a Merchant Navy diver from a Soldbuch I used to own. (A Soldbuch was often issued to Merchant Navy types or civilians directly employed by the Navy.)

[Gordon Williamson]

And the full size worn on the Kriegsmarine uniform ( The individual seen here won the badge as a Merchant Navy officer before transferring to U-Boats as an ordinary seaman and winning his commission over again in the Kriegsmarine).

[TerryG]

I have this photo showing such a badge in wear. The photo is small so may not come out too well here..

Edited April 15, 2006 by TerryG

[TerryG]

An here is my set of awards....case is also not too good.

[Hauptmann]

Gentleman,

I'm overwhelmed... so much praise for my little girls! They and I are blushing!

And great to see them in actual wear... many many thanks for posting the pics. And love the last cased example! Terrific stuff.

These are just all around terrific badges. Wish I also had a 57 example to go with them. Perhaps someday.

Thanks so much!

Dan

[DavidM]

Hello Dan

A very nice, early set in great condition. It's not often you see them now with the silvering still on the eagles.

Here's mine, not in quite as good a condition as yours though.

[DavidM]

And an early production 57 version

Edited April 16, 2006 by DavidM

[Hauptmann]

And an early production 57 version

Hi David,

Not at all... in fact the case appears to be much nicer and the badges are not bad at all! Nice set indeed!

As is the 57! About what do those run nowadays? I'd love one but have a feeling they're out of my range just now. But perhaps someday... one can but hope!

Thanks for sharing these... they are extremely nice.

Dan

[DavidM]

Hello Dan

The 57 re-issue awards are, in the main, not to expense yet. But the price is rising, especially for the ones made out of left over wartime parts like the early RKs.

I got this blockade runner just before Christmas last year from a well known German dealer. Cost wise I would expect to pay around ?25 - ?40 GBP, approx $43 - $70 USD.

Just out of interest for you, here's a link to my other 57 awards which may (or may not !) interest you.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=7134

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=7178

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=7382

[Hauptmann]

I got this blockade runner just before Christmas last year from a well known German dealer. Cost wise I would expect to pay around ?25 - ?40 GBP, approx $43 - $70 USD.

Just out of interest for you, here's a link to my other 57 awards which may (or may not !) interest you.

Hi David,

Oh definitely... actually after I saw them here I realized I'd seen them back when I started to make my first posts on there. Terrific collection! You are indeed a lucky, lucky man!

I'm surprised they're not going for more... like the German Crosses... Good Grief!!!! Got mine for about $25-30 and now they've gone through the roof... cased or not! If only I'd listened to my heart instead of all the nay sayers as in those days you couldn't give them away... and I had the wherewithall to have gotten up a huge stockpile. Now... neither is the case... no cheap supply and no seemingly endless funds. Of course had I don't that then my funds would be much more endless on this end.

The Auxilliary Cruiser and Destroyer badge are also extremely fetching! Wouldn't mind having those or the Blockade Breaker! Well, any of them really but especially those. I do hope I run into a few at good prices before they're all gone.

At times it's so tempting to sell off more of my remaining TR for the rediculous prices they're going for... buy up any and all of the 57's I can find cheap (saving some aside for my friends of course! ) and in just a few more years they'll be where TR is now! It's amazing! And they don't have the bad connotations with people that TR tends to have. Which is a definite plus.

Well, if I decide to do that rest assured I'll set some aside for you, Grant and a few others.

Thanks so much for sharing! I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing them and hope alot more start popping on before too long.

Thanks!

Dan

[DavidM]

Hello Dan

Thanks for the kind comments. My current 'mission' is to try to locate the really early versions of the 57 awards before the prices sky rocket - which I feel they will as more and more TR collectors are begining to look at these. Mind you, in my opinion, a collection of TR awards isn't complete without the corresponding 57 version as they are offical 'replacement' awards. As I mentioned before, some of them are already commanding fairly high, but not yet excessive prices.

What we really need is for someone to publish a book just on the 57 version awards.

[TerryG]

Hello Dan

What we really need is for someone to publish a book just on the 57 version awards.

I think someone at the WAF did issue a small book with what I assume were details of his own '57 award collection....cannot recall who that was now...

[Hauptmann]

Hi David,

Oh Amen to that! That would be fantastic! And I'd want one of the first copies. And I'm sure it will happen before too long.

And that logic is exactly what went through my mind back in the day. But then everyone including Jack Angolia who I really look up to in the extreme, said they were junk and would never amount to anything much. Not those exact words but that was the gist of what everyone was saying.

So I didn't mess with it much. The pieces I posted being all I picked up. And yet back then you could get the KC's even for like $30-$50 each... cased!!!!

But I can't blame anyone else as I was the idiot who followed the "advice". Oh how I wish I hadn't. I loved those even back then and that was exactly my feeling... I knew how every single time one area got "bought out" and dried up then the heard would move to the next grassy plain. Sure enough... happened with bayonets. Couldn't give most of em away in the day. Now even the common as dirt junk is demanding high prices. Alot of helmets were junk and now they're riding high. With the 57's it's a natural. TR collectors, many of whom are simply fed up with all the bother and frustration with repops as well as, in some cases, the negative connotations would have to go somewhere... why not the next best thing to what they love? They already had the knowledge so it was a natural progression... and I feel that's exactly what's happened. Just wish I'd listened to my inner voices and went for it.

Well, still a bit of time to get a piece here and a piece there.

So if you happen to run into any extras at a really good price (remember, I'm poor most of the time... very limited collecting budget... but it just makes me try harder! LOL!) give me a nudge... and I'll of course do the same. We 57's gotta stick together!

Thanks,

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Hi Terry,

Hey, would be interesting to see if nothing else. Perhaps all the 57's should pool their resources and do one. Lord knows there are tons and tons and tons on TR but nothing yet on 57 to speak of... least not that I've seen.

Just a thought...

Dan

[Guest Rick Research]

What? No AWARD documents?

And me with the book on the fate of every German WW2 merchant vessel?

[TerryG]

This was a good buy....

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...ad.php?t=153175

[Hauptmann]

What? No AWARD documents?

And me with the book on the fate of every German WW2 merchant vessel?

Hi Rick,

I'm sorry... wish I had them for you to research... believe me I do!!!! Rest assured if I get some you'll be the first to know.

Thanks,

Dan

[Hauptmann]

This was a good buy....

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...ad.php?t=153175

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the heads up! Hope someone here can take advantage of this but a bit too rich for my blood right now. But I'm sure an excellent price, at least by the other comments that were made.

Thanks,

Dan