Need help IDing an SS badge.

[AnnaCatherine]

Hello, I've just joined today to ask if anyone can assist me in ID'ing a small SS badge that my mother was given back in the fifties. I thank anyone who can help me indentify what it is. I have attached a photo. Any questions, please ask. I can send you a photo of the reverse if need be. I'll try to attach here if I can. Again, thank you so much.

Anna-Catherine

Charlotte, NC

Edited November 24, 2005 by AnnaCatherine

[Scowen]

Welcome to the forum Anna-Catherine.

What you have there is a membership badge of the SS/FM (F?rderndes Mitglied, or sponsoring member in English).

The FM Organization was formed in 1929 & composed of civilians who gave monetary aid to the SS, which had been authorized by Hitler to seek additional financial help. The FM Members donated monthly amounts which started from as little at RM 1,00. A membership book which was numbered to an FM badge was also issued along with the badge. The badge came in broach form (as you have here) or with a stickpin & should be numbered & maker marked to the reverse.

From what I see so far, it looks like you have a nice original, but please do post a picture of the reverse, so as to be sure. In the meantime, here is a link that shows both the membership pin & honour pin from this organisation http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=474 .

Cheers

Don

[AnnaCatherine]

Don, thank you so much. I am attaching a photo of the reverse for you. Is there a way to find out who it was given to? Does this list still exist? I take it these were quite common then, correct?

Anna-Catherine

Edited November 25, 2005 by AnnaCatherine

[Scowen]

Thank you for posting the additional image, as I expected, a very nice original!

Unfortunately, I do not know of any lists of members, I imagine that they may well exist somewhere in the Berlin archives & just haven't been researched yet.

I imagine that these pins & broaches may indeed have been quite common during the period of the Reich, although it is rare to see them being worn in photographs. Today they are scarce, probably due to them being disposed of because the fear of being caught with anything SS related at the end of the war. Incidentally, it may interest you to know that the broach form is rarer than the stickpin for some reason.

I thought you might like to see some images from a dues book. The first is just the cover showing the symbol.

Cheers

Don

[Scowen]

The first page showing the name of the organisation & it's link with the SchutzStaffeln (SS).

[Scowen]

I won't show all the pages as most are just official rules etc. However this page shows the name of the owner, the shaded area to the top right is the members number & the shaded area to the bottom is the amount to be paid monthy. In this case RM 5.

[Scowen]

The final page worth showing. Here are his monthly contribution stamps, these pages showing his payments from 1933 to 1940.

I hope this has given you some answers & a little history behind your lovely broach. Please do not hesitate to ask any further questions.

Cheers

Don

[AnnaCatherine]

Don, you've gone above and beyond. Thank you so much. One question, does this little gem have any monetary value? Should I insure it or just keep it from little hands? LOL

Anna-Catherine

[Robin Lumsden]

A-C.

The badge would sell for around ?200 in the UK, so I suppose that's around $350.

Yours is a nice example.

[Scowen]

Although I agree with Robin's assessment re value, I think if you are going to insure it I would aim higher. One of these is currently on sale from a dealer in Europe for 400 Euros which is around $470 US & I doubt that it will remain on sale for long.

Cheers

Don

[AnnaCatherine]

Robin,

Thank you so much. That's very helpful.

Anna-Catherine

[AnnaCatherine]

Don,

Again thank you. Any idea if it's possible to even find this document or "list" in the Berlin Archives? Is it possible at all to search these archives. I can imagine they might be closed to the public. I have no clue. I think I want to know who it was given to just to add to the provenance.

Anna-Catherine

[Scowen]

Yes the Berlin Documents Centre is open to the public for research.

However, before you try them you could try your National Archives and Records Administration, as they have microfilmed copies of a lot of the German records. Here is the web address that pertains to the captured German documents http://www.archives.gov/research/captured-german-records/ I have found them helpful in the past when I was hunting the service record of an SS NCO who's helmet I now own, so I know how you feel about finding so more info. I forget the name of the chap who helped me (I'll see if I have it written down somewhere) but he certainly knew his stuff.

If they haven't any info then you will have to try Berlin. Let me have a look around my junk to see if I still have the guy's name, I remember he was also a Don......

Cheers

Don

[AnnaCatherine]

Don,

Interesting website. I've been to the actual archives hundreds of times. I do genealogy and used to live in DC and worked 2 blocks from the archives. I'll have to make some phone calls to friends in DC and ask them to do some footwork for me. (They're used to that! LOL)

Anna-Catherine

[Guest Darrell]

And here is a stickpin cousin ... a BL version

[Scowen]

That's good news Anna-Catherine so you the system to start with, I too have spent many a long hour in dusty archives on family history (but in the UK). I have found the name of the chap who helped me, I will PM you his name so as not to publish it for all to abuse. The last thing he will want (if he is still there) is a load of people going directly to him

To prevent any confusion here, I just thought I'd add that the pin Darrell posted is for the Dutch version of the organisation. In this case the BL stands for "Begunstigende Leden" translated roughly as favouring members.

Cheers

Don

[Guest Darrell]

To prevent any confusion here, I just thought I'd add that the pin Darrell posted is for the Dutch version of the organisation. In this case the BL stands for "Begunstigende Leden" translated roughly as favouring members.

Cheers

Don

Something my uncle brought home from liberating Holland et. al.

[Scowen]

And very nice it is too

Cheers

Don

[AnnaCatherine]

Don, I got the message, thank you. I will be asking a friend who is off work the week between X-mas and New Years to see what she can find out. She's a German national but lives in DC. So, I'll let you know if she finds anything.

Anna-Catherine