larsb001 Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Hello, just wanted to show a recent purchase which I believe is a Navy support badge of excellent workmanship, 22 mm. Maker marked under the needle, but unreadable to me. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Very nice, may we see a picture of the reverse please? I've never seen one of these without a name of a KDF ship across the bottom of the wheel! Cheers Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsb001 Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 Hello Don, sorry for the late reply. Here's the reverse as requested. Do you have any info about the use of these? Cheers, Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Hello Don, sorry for the late reply. Here's the reverse as requested. Do you have any info about the use of these? Cheers, Lars Hi Lars, Thank you for posting the reverse. It's a damn shame that the maker mark can't be read, I've often wondered who made them. I can't really provide much information about them. I've only seen KdF versions with the names of either "MS Wilhelm Gustloff" or "ES Robert Ley" on the lower part of the wheel. They can be found with various designs of flag on them (I'll post three of mine), until now I have not seen one with a maker mark or without a name on the front. As to their use, according to JR Cone in his booklet "One People, One Reich", these were Crew members badges for the Yachts presented to Hitler, the "Eva", "Geli Raubel" & "Robert Ley". However there is no reference as to where he obtained this info & we now know that there are many mistakes in the book. Angolia shows a couple of examples in his book "Labour Organisations of the Third Reich" & also lists them as crew members badges, but makes no other reference to them. Personally my own feeling is that they were souvenir pins sold to the tourists on the KdF Cruise ships, but that is purely a theory. Here's the first of mine a Gustloff with Party Flag. Cheers Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Here a Gustloff with DAF flag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Finally a Robert Ley with KdF flag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsb001 Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Good morning Don. It was really interesting to see your 3 variants, beautiful pieces. I don't really collect 3 Reich, but I pick up the different organization pins and related items like these when I see them at reasonnable prices. When looking at your 2 different Gustloff I assume your therory about souvenir pins sold to the tourists on the KdF Cruise ships makes sense. They are obviously made by the same company so when I get the time I'll try to play a little with a camera to try to get the maker. Cheers, Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCz Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Thank you Don for sharing some seldom seen (an wonderful) material with us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsb001 Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Hello Don, just found this picture in my archive. It appeared on a local internet auction appr. a year ago and I kept the pic. The quality cannot be better as this is the original picture. Just for your amusement! Wonder how many different there is? Regards, Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Thank you Dan, it's a pleasure. Lars, Thank you for posting this last picture. The colour of the white worries me as it look "too white" if you know what I mean, also the quality of the enamel doesn't look as good as the others. However, this could just be down to the poor quality of the image... Cheers Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURGERHAUS Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Better here I suppose. Very light in hand. Unmarked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Very nice Robert. Thanks for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosenberg Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 These are really beautiful!Sadly never got the chance to find one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURGERHAUS Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 My thought is souvenir at least the one I have. It is incredibly light weight unlike say your average membership badge. No one can really know for sure. Maybe someday they will pop-up in an obscure catalogue. Come to think of it, I have a few KdF magazines loaded with ads for diferent trips, etc. Perhaps there are souvenir ads? Not a better thing to do on A saturday night. I will just have to fib on Monday when someone invariably asks me what I did over the weekend!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamhoffman Posted May 29, 2017 Share Posted May 29, 2017 Hi I am new to this forum, and would like to introduce myself. I am a collector of ship wheel enamel pin badges, and have noticed on this site a few mentions of a badge for the ship Wilhelm Gustloff and Robert Leys. Would any one know where I could purchase one or more of these items for my collection. Your help would be appreciated Regards Bill Hoffman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldstream Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Keep an eye on this website Sally Bosleys Badge Shop, they get all sorts of Shipping related items, hopefully one will turn up there, Simonhttp://sallybosleysbadgeshop.com/shop.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamhoffman Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adlerhorst Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Hi guys ! I only have 5 of them but what I can say is that the one is the marine flag and Kiel at the bottom is original. The Name of the town KIEl is written by hand with enemal paint which is today to expensive to do. I also have one with KIEL with the party flag instead of the marine flag. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsb001 Posted December 18, 2017 Author Share Posted December 18, 2017 This may be slightly off topic, but the producer of these badges have been discussed. This one, for a Swedish company, is so close in design and appearance that I would say it most likely the same produce. It's not mine, I have taken the picture from a auction site, and do not have a photo of the reverse, but it's described a beeing marked Sporrong and Co, a well known Stockholm based producer of badges and such. Just a thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamhoffman Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 On 24/11/2009 at 08:06, Scowen said: Hi Lars, Thank you for posting the reverse. It's a damn shame that the maker mark can't be read, I've often wondered who made them. I can't really provide much information about them. I've only seen KdF versions with the names of either "MS Wilhelm Gustloff" or "ES Robert Ley" on the lower part of the wheel. They can be found with various designs of flag on them (I'll post three of mine), until now I have not seen one with a maker mark or without a name on the front. As to their use, according to JR Cone in his booklet "One People, One Reich", these were Crew members badges for the Yachts presented to Hitler, the "Eva", "Geli Raubel" & "Robert Ley". However there is no reference as to where he obtained this info & we now know that there are many mistakes in the book. Angolia shows a couple of examples in his book "Labour Organisations of the Third Reich" & also lists them as crew members badges, but makes no other reference to them. Personally my own feeling is that they were souvenir pins sold to the tourists on the KdF Cruise ships, but that is purely a theory. Here's the first of mine a Gustloff with Party Flag. Cheers Don On 29/05/2017 at 15:58, williamhoffman said: Hi I am new to this forum, and would like to introduce myself. I am a collector of ship wheel enamel pin badges, and have noticed on this site a few mentions of a badge for the ship Wilhelm Gustloff and Robert Leys. Would any one know where I could purchase one or more of these items for my collection. Your help would be appreciated Regards Bill Hoffman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSWilhelmGustloff Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) Morning all, Every so often, I check back here to see if anyone is posting these for sale. As Mr. Hoffman does, I am also seeking out Wilhelm Gustloff and Robert Ley pins, tallies, etc for the online museum collection. The KdF version of the Robert Ley pin is one I am still missing. To answer another questions I saw, these ship specific ones were sold onboard the Gustloff and Ley in their gift shops before WWII broke out. In regards to makers marks however, I went to look at the backs of my pins and I have one with the HAPAG flag and HAPAG underneath it. The back is marked - GES, GESCH. A quick search found this: Ges. Gesch as an abbreviation of Gesetzlich Geschutzt, some several other markings or stamps can verify a piece as being of German origin. If anyone was interested, my souvenir collection for the Gustloff is linked below. Regards, Eddie https://www.wilhelmgustloffmuseum.com/souvenirs.html Edited May 12, 2020 by MSWilhelmGustloff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsb001 Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) Eddie, I have just visited your museum site - very impressive! Edited May 12, 2020 by larsb001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Macleod Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 8 hours ago, MSWilhelmGustloff said: In regards to makers marks however, I went to look at the backs of my pins and I have one with the HAPAG flag and HAPAG underneath it. The back is marked - GES, GESCH. A quick search found this: Ges. Gesch as an abbreviation of Gesetzlich Geschutzt, some several other markings or stamps can verify a piece as being of German origin. Admittedly my knowledge on the subject is not where it should be but are we really sure that Hamburg America Line was the maker of aforementioned pins? Seems like a lot of work for a shipping enterprise vs ordering the pins from established pin/medal/award maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSWilhelmGustloff Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I don't think it necessarily means that Hamburg America Line made them, I think it just means they were made in Germany - at least that's what I took from it. The markings are on the pin clasp and not the back of the ship wheel itself. I just found it interesting that after many said they could not find markings on the backs of these, I had one that was clearly stamped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scowen Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Hi Eddie, Thank you for the link to your museum, a fabulous collecion indeed.... So many items that I have never seen. Thanks again Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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