The official, "unofficial", Party badge thread.

[sandgroper]

Thanks Mark, I was pleased to get a hold of this one, it's unique, that's for sure!

[slados28]

Great badges posted here guys, keep it up!

[sandgroper]

Here's a nice transitional RZM 39, made by Robert Beck. This badge was made between 1933 and the middle of 1935. It is in good condition with undamaged enamel and a great general age toning on both sides. The RZM marking is interesting, a single circle, the M being incorporated into it, and all three letters being slightly out of alignment with each other, particularly the "M" which is way off.

[slados28]

Looks like a very nice badge... loverly clear enamel over well defined stippling! Peculiar crooked M and lettering alignment in the RZM symbol indeed... mine, which is another transitional variation, does not show these any of these "oddities". But, yeah... nice pick up, I like this maker!

[StuG III]

Another great badge. Jo does seem to find them ;-)

Tom

[slados28]

Inspired by sandgroper's latest contribution above I decided to re-post and take new photos of my transitional variant from this maker (didn't turn out all that much better but an improvement over the earlier posted ones at least... too impatient at the moment to fiddle with settings, Mark ):

Transitional RZM 39 by Robert Beck




Except for a repaired pin and the pinplate lifting somewhat this is a nice badge. Clean obverse, nicely designed and really neat looking reverse markings--- a quality maker imo!

[Jo Rivett]

Becks were completely destroyed in the February `45 allied bombings of Pforzheim that wiped out 80% of the town (and its inhabitants) But they opened up shop again after the war, and are still going strong to this day. I dont believe that they actually "made" and of these badges from start to finish, ever. If anything they made the rohlinge at best. They were, and still are, a Halbfabrikaten hersteller. (Producer of half finished items for other makers) (Then again, so was Ferdinand Wagner whos markings we find on identical badges to those marked RZM 39 - so we will never know)

Just to give you an idea of the scale of things, here are a few images i took of the outside of their premises a few years ago. It might look "shabby" but is normal, and back in the day, there were a few companies in this town, who although on paper it may seem that they were "huge", were in fact nothing more than a private residence, with 1-2 people working in the basement. Pretty much the same as some "Militaria Dealer specialists" today, operating behind grand names and websites, when in fact all they are, are some kid with a shoe box full of stuff under his bed. (that he picks up at his local fleamarket)

[slados28]

Interesting info! It's certainly easy to automatically assume that this and that maker produced their own badges from start to finish. The "Halbfabrikate" mention on that plaque is very telling indeed, especially in light of the info you just provided... fascinating!

[Jo Rivett]

Here is another Halbfabrikaten hersteller, Ferdinand Wagner, just "up the road" from Becks, and a stones throw away from about 15 other makers in the same town. As far back as 1900 it is mentioned1 that they started producing "halbfabrikate" for the industry.

1Mentioned in the book by Paul Weber "Ferdinand Wagner 1849-1954"

[Greenhorn]

Very nice Transitional badges from an interesting maker. Davo, one of the more interesting RZM marks around, for sure!

Jo, thanks for sharing your pics of these historic companies. I wonder if they have any examples of Party badges sitting in the vaults?

Mark