Scowen

Robert,

When you have time & if you still have your badge, please post it here to save following the link.

Cheers

Don

rev

Thought I'd post another Deutsche Christen badge, this time the Glaubensbewegung form. This one is marked for W.Redo, Saarlois.

I'm sure others here have one as well, please post them.

Cheers

Don

Hi Bill.

From what I've seen Merten is the only named maker, I've also seen one with just Ges.Gesch.

Cheers
Don

Yes. If you look at the clasp end of the pin, you will see that mine utilises a double loop rather than the more usual curved over end.

Cheers

Don

Congratulations Robert!

Here's mine, I've had it for a while but never really been comfortable with it. I can't decide whether it's just a different die or worse....... I can't put my finger on it but it doesn't "feel" right. The pin type is different as well.

Cheers
Don

Yes Robert, it's stamped from 1938 through '44. If I remember I'll scan some next time I have the scanner fired up.

Cheers

Don

I also have a mitgliedsbuch.

Reverse

No problem Robert, in fact I didn't realise that I hadn't posted mine.

Cheers

Don

btt for Robert

Cheers

Don

How dare you tease us with such titbits of information..... Go find it now & don't come back until you have it

Seriously though, I hope you manage to track it down Stephen, I'd love to see it.

Cheers

Don

I've never seen one yet, but it doesn't mean they aren't out there in an old photo album somewhere......

Cheers

Don

Managed to pick up a couple of 1943 bronze badges this week.

The bronze are the hardest grades of the 1941-'44 badges to find. There seem to be plenty of the gold & gold with oakleaves, but silver & especially bronze are hard to locate. This is probably due to the fact that the shoot could be repeated to achieve a higher level if the participant wished to do so. Lower grade badges could be exchanged for free for a higher grade badge once the appropriate score required had been reached (bronze for silver, silver for gold etc). If however the participent wanted to keep an awarded lower grade badge & also receive the next grade up he/she would have to pay for any higher grade badges awarded. One badge was included free with cost of the Stammkarte/entry fee for that discipline.

Cheers

Don

And to give you an idea of the scale as Stephen did with his stickpin here it is with it's big brother....

Cheers

Don

Reverse

This little chap dropped through my letter box today. It's so tiny at just 15.5mm.....

Cheers

Don

reverse

To save people time, I've removed your the link & I've uploaded the images for you.

The award as I'm sure you know is often referred to as the "Order of the Dead" this is mainly due to the fact most of them were awarded posthumously.

Here is a list of know recipients:

Fritz Todt (posthumous), February 11, 1942

Reinhard Heydrich (posthumous), June 9, 1942

Adolf H?hnlein (posthumous), June 22, 1942

Viktor Lutze (posthumous), May 8, 1943

Adolf Wagner (posthumous), April 17, 1944

Artur Axmann, April 26, 1945

Josef B?rckel (committed suicide in November 1944), October 3, 1944

Rudolf Schmundt (posthumous), October 7, 1944

Konstantin Hierl, February 24, 1945

Karl Hanke (killed during an POW camp escape attempt, June 1945), April 12, 1945

Karl Holz (killed in action, or may have committed suicide, in April 1945), April 19, 1945

As you can see, a rare award. One was recently up for sale in this country for a figure of around ?30,000 if I remember correctly.

Cheers

Don

A very good question Joe, & not an easy one to answer

Let's start at the top.

First of all as far as I & others who collect them can tell, these have not yet been faked (probably due to the lack of interest in them). So there shouldn't be any real fears in starting a collection of them......

1938

Of the three badges that I've examined so far (the small 4cm bronze, & larger 5cm bronze & silvers) all are non magnetic.

1939:

The badges marked AG & Co München are magnetic, however the unmarked badges from a different, as yet unknown maker are non magnetic.

1940

All of the badges I've encountered so far are magnetic.

1941 -1944 badges with distictions or disciplines written on them (pistole etc):

Curiously, the standard 1941 badges (bronze, silver, gold) I've handled so far are not magnetic (full size), although the gold with oakleaves is magnetic...... However with the exception of the 1944's which I haven't collected yet, all the other years are magnetic (full size & mini).

Meisterschütze 1941 - 1944, both sizes:

These are a zinc based metal of varying quality & therefore non magnetic.

3 Year Gaumeisterschütze

These are strange beasts. The mini is non magnetic, however the full size has a magnetic centre (enamelled section) & a non magnetic wreath

The small shield shaped badges 1941-1944

These are magnetic

The small round lapel sized badges with Standesschützen Verbandes on with dates 1940-1941

The ones I have encountered so far are non magnetic.

So there you are, I said it wasn't easy......

Cheers

Don

Thank you Joe, I look forward to seeing you first piece!

Not new but un-posted here, these are the 3 year Gaumeistersch?tze mini & full size badges. Awarded only in 1943 & '44, these were given for attaining the grade & badge of Meistersch?tze 3 years in a row. Identical designs exist for 6 years & 9 years however, obviously these were never awarded due to the end of the regime...... This Piece was awarded to Josef Flotzinger of M?nchen who's cased set of Meistersch?tze can be seen on the previous pages.

Jani,

I look forward to seeing you collection of Tirol Badges.

Cheers

Don

Indeed a very nice find Robert.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Cheers

Don

It's a mine field

Keep up the good (but confusing ) work Peter.

Cheers

Don

Very interesting Eric. Looking forward to more.

Cheers

Don

Very intersting, thank you for the correction. For years the reference books have referred to this mark as being for St & L, but I have often wondered why it was only seen on one type of badge

Cheers

Don