The sign/plaque you show here is, strictly speaking, not a military item,
but the sign of a customs office. "Reichsfinanzverwaltung -
Zollgrenzschutz" translates as "National Finance Administration -
Customs Border Guards".
QUOTE:
"Reichsfinanzverwaltung" means "National Finance Administration". This
was the term for the entirety of all national finance authorities,
with the Reichsfinanzministerium (National Ministry of Finance) at the
top. On the middle level, there were the Landesfinanzämter (State
Finance Offices), and the bottom level consisted of the ordinary tax
and revenue offices (Finanzämter).
The Reichsfinanzministerium as leading institution of the
Reichsfinanzverwaltung was in charge of all institutions and
organizations responsible for national financial issues. Thus, the
customs were also part of the Reichsfinanzverwaltung.
"Zollgrenzschutz" means "Customs Border Guards". In Germany, the
Zollgrenzschutz used to be a police-like armed force of customs
officers whose main task was patrolling the national borders to
prevent smuggling. Under the name Zollgrenzschutz, the force was
established in 1937 (but it already existed before: from 1919-1937 it
was named Zollgrenzdienst). The 1937 organization reform did not only
bring the Zollgrenzschutz its new name, but also military structures
and uniforms.
During the war years, the Zollgrenzschutz was enlarged in order to
control the borders of countries occupied by Germany. For those
services, combat units were formed because in many occupied areas
partisans were active. In 1944, the Zollgrenzschutz was taken from the
Reichsfinanzministerium's responsibility and made part of the SS. Now,
the Zollgrenzschutz units were used as regular combat forces.
On 2 May 1945, the Zollgrenzschutz came under the
Reichsfinanzministerium's responsibility again, 6 days before Germany
surrendered.
END QUOTE.
I would imagine that the sign is original as it seems a rather obscure and little desired thing for fakers to bother about, but it's an interesting piece of 3rd Reich history all the same.
Sources:
Zollgrenzschutz: Geschichte und Organisation des Zollgrenzschutzes,
1919-1945 (History of the Zollgrenzschutz, in German).
Wikipedia.
Regards, Ned.
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
The sign/plaque you show here is, strictly speaking, not a military item,
but the sign of a customs office.
by big ned
I would imagine that the sign is original as it seems a rather obscure and little desired thing for fakers to bother about, but it's an interesting piece of 3rd Reich history all the same.
Sorry, Ned, but this is actually a sleeve badge for the Zollgrenzschutz (to be sewn to a brassard), not the sign of a customs office and, yes, these are faked.
Here is some (German-language) information about these badges, including photographs of real and fake ones:
If the information on that site is correct - which states that originals were always made of brass and that the badge number should never be legible on the reverse side - the one above would appear to be a fake.
Thankyou for the clarification Andreas, I know what I must now do........
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
Aluminum plaque, Reichsfinanzverwaltung - Zoll Grenschutz
by big ned
Sorry, Ned, but this is actually a sleeve badge for the Zollgrenzschutz (to be sewn to a brassard), not the sign of a customs office and, yes, these are faked.
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