Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original German WWII Era NSDAP Enameled Golden Party Badge (Goldenes Parteiabzeichen), as issued to longtime continuous party members with membership numbers under 100,000 in 1933. The back has the following manufacturer information:
GES. GESCH.
DESCHLER & SOHN
MÜNCHEN.9
6891
The “GES. GESCH.” is short for Gesetzlich Geschützt (Protected By Law), indicating that the pin was a trademarked design. Deschler & Sohn of Munich looks to be the firm that made the majority of these pins, and they made them with both vertical pinback and horizontal “safety pin” style attachments. This example was awarded to party member 6891, whom we have not been able to identify.
The NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), was originally founded in Munich as the DAP, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (German Worker’s Party), on January 5TH 1919. When Adolf AH joined the DAP in the autumn of 1919 he was to reform what was basically a debating society into an active political party. Appointed as the first chairman of the party on July 29TH 1921 AH was to restructure it along para-military lines in a hierarchy of four levels of government.
This example is a classic example of the Golden membership badge, awarded to only around 24,000 people total. It is overall 30.5mm (1.25in.) in diameter, inset with a 24mm (0.945in) die struck alloy NSDAP membership badge with multi-colored enamel work. The badge features a translucent red, circular outer border with embossed golden script, NATIONAL-SOZIALSTISCHE-D.A.P.. This encompasses a white enamel field with canted black enamel Swas (swas). Condition of the membership badge is very good to excellent, with minimal wear, and lots of the original gold finish present. The enamel has minimal wear, and the award simply looks great.
Very rare and ready to display!
More on the NSDAP Golden Party Membership Badge:
The Golden Party Badge (Goldenes Parteiabzeichen) was instituted by Adolf AH on October 13TH 1933 to reward those NSDAP members who had served the party continuously from February 27TH 1925, and held a party membership number of 100,000, or below. The originally bestowal of the badges was on November 9TH 1933, and further regulations dictated that AH held the right to render the award to personnel who had provided exemplary service to the NSDAP or Greater Germany. These secondary awards were bestowed annually on January 30TH and differ slightly from the original badges.
The difference in the original issue badges and the secondary issue was that the original issues had the members NSDAP party number engraved on the reverse while the secondary, January 30TH issued badges had AH’s initials and the exact date of the award engraved to the reverse. The badge was awarded in two sizes with a small, 1″, (25mm), diameter badge for wear on civilian clothing and a larger, 1 1/4″, (30.5mm), badge for wear on political or military uniforms.
The introductory regulations stated that the recipient must have continuous, unbroken service with the party and on leaving the party the badge could no longer be worn. The regulations also stipulated that on the death of the recipient the family may keep the badge as a memento. Of Note: Due to the “continuous” service clause in the award criteria, anyone who’s service time had been interrupted were ineligible for award of the badge. As a result of this criteria it is estimated that only about 24,000 badges were awarded out of the possible 100,000.