Dr. Fritz Todt 2nd Class

[Anzel]

This is from gottleib's site;

In 1938 he was named leader of Organization Todt, a para-military building organization, which constructed the West Wall and other military fortifications. He also was a principal in the organization of the Four Year Plan for German economic self-sufficiency, Minister of Armaments and Munitions, and General Inspector of Water and Energy. On 8.February 1942 he died after leaving the Wolfschanze, Hitler's Rastenburg Headquarters, in an aircraft accident. To honor his memory, Hitler instituted the Dr. Fritz Todt Prize on 12.November 1943, as an award to industrial personnel who had made a significant contribution to the war effort. The award came in three classes, gold, silver, and steel, depending on the value of the work for the war effort. In addition to the award itself, a monetary benefit was also given to the recipients.

[Anzel]

To think it is in one of those nondescript packages in the mail right now. Can't wait to get it!

[matthew]

Attachment 590259

Does anyone have one of these in their collection? Please step forward.
!

Here's one in steel grade.
Cheers
Matt

[Walkwolf]

I thought that the 'Steel grade' of this badge is supposed
to be black ? - similar to wound badge grading.

Each and every one of these I have ever seen
- whether fake or original - were silver
in colour.........

[Anzel]

Attachment 590259

Here's one in steel grade.
Cheers
Matt

Matthew,
Thank you for stepping forward. Great display of Dr. Fritz Todt badge and other scarce ones!

[matthew]

Difference between steel and silver grade is that steel was silvered zinc artificially patinated and silver being silver washed with whitish frosting added- much like the piece that started this thread.
Zinc being rather poor choice of metal for medal production is known to eat away at not only silver wash or frosting (or both) but also patinated silver wash as well as gold plating. Some collectors like to call it 'gilding' which is of course false.
Best way to tell the grade of this particular award if no finish is left is by the hardware- much like CCC- they mostly hold the finish rather well

[matthew]

I thought that the 'Steel grade' of this badge is supposed
to be black ? - similar to wound badge grading.

Each and every one of these I have ever seen
- whether fake or original - were silver
in colour.........

You must of course think of the black Juli 44 wound badge. Yes, it patinated silver that gives it the characteristic 'muted' appearance.
The only finish that is visible on the regular black wound badge is black paint which is not present on any of the Fritz Todt Preis unless of course custom refinished by an eager collector.
Sadly the "black" appearance of this award is due to its base metal and seen more and more as those pins age.
There is another version as awarded that is made out of aluminum alloy which helps keep the finish intact somewhat. One that has still eluded my collecting needs.
Cheers
Matt

[Walkwolf]

In having a look on-line, I see there are tonal differences
between the two grades - but it would be difficult with
age and wear to tell these two grades apart.

Is it also not true that all badges were numbered ?
It must be that the majority that I have seen
were fakes.........

[matthew]

Is it also not true that all badges were numbered ?
It must be that the majority that I have seen
were fakes.........

To date the only authentic numbered badges are of the presented and awarded variety. Contrary to some collectors beliefs they are not engraved but have the numbers punched on the verso. It shows the award number as well as the date of the award ceremony. So far only first and second model of Todt Preis has been found as marked on the reverse. Of note is the fact that no presentation award of the gold grade has been found to date.
As with most other awards Todt Preis has been reproduced post war by not only Rudolf Souval but also others seeking to add excitement to our hobby. Be vary of any exhibiting black swastika and pay close attention to the hardware in general and it's base plates in particular. Any awards exhibiting any other than Dr Fritz Todt inscription on the front should also be closely viewed for minute details as they are exceedingly rare awards. Not to say that the third model as shown and discussed here is a common award either but compared to the first two it could be found relatively easy.

[Wagriff]

There are 2 small points about this fairly expensive badge that are abit disquieting. First, the beveled catch hook. Of all the badges one looks at, I haven't seen another catch like this one. Second, and more frustrating, is the "1" on the pin. The vast majority of the 2nd class Silvers that are seen are totally non-maker marked, and to see this one raises a few caution flags, in my opinion. Everything else about this piece rings true, but for these 2 probably insignificant differences, I would think no more about it. But, having said that, these badges are Quite scarce and are in many cases well over $1000 in price, so it would pay to be extra cautious with this one, as they have made Many replicas and outright fakes of these and have done so for a Very long time now. Until I could find another such example with this maker mark and beveled catch hook, I would have to err on caution's side and hold back on it.