Zinc NSDAP Parteiabzeichen with a story M1/4?

[Saladin]

Hello All,
this little war weary badge has a bit of a story.

I am unsure to the maker could be M1/45 or perhaps M1/46?

[Saladin]

Well the badge came from a grouping that was discovered in an Austrian lake in the 1970s.

The group looked as though it had been put in a furnace post war as part of the denazification programme.

There were some individual badges, but a hunk of melted zinc.
I remember going down the route of recovering some of the more presentable badges, melted down some of the zinc to make a small ingot of 'nazi zink' (you never know when you may need it)

So this is what the badge looked like yesterday evening:

[Saladin]

I thought well it looks pretty much beyond redemption so what the heck.

I gave it a rub with one of my 'special brushes'

[harryamb2]

you did a nice job.

[Saladin]

Gave it a lick of paint..modern stuff unfortunately and infuriatingly not the original stuff that I had tins of in one of my sheds (no doubt discarded by my sweet loving wife in one of her clear outs of my man spaces!!!)

And left it overnight to dry.

This evening gave it a quick rub over..showing something vaguely similar to what it may have looked like originally. then a quick swipe with my magic chemical to age the zinc and tone it down....so from this to the badge in the first set of pictures.




I have left the back side but at least in my opinion made a badge fit for display for another few years?

Doug

[Greenhorn]

Doug

This is a fine piece and very collectable! It also has an interesting story but it's a rare number. Whether a 45 or 46 (looks like 45 to my eyes), doesn't matter, both are rare numbers. I recently found another rare number, at a flea market of all places, and didn't even haggle on the already reasonable price. Congrats on a great find!

If you have several.....you know who would be interested in one

Mark

[Saladin]

Hi Mark,
thank you for your input.
If I remember rightly I have left around 9 zinc party badges plus a small hoard of other pins.
When this group came up for sale from the schoolboy who had actually pulled them out of the lake I did a mini study in to the makers and hardware set ups:

Below are my original findings:
The story behind these badges or conglomeration of badges is: They were fished out of a lake in Austria during a school trip in the 1970s.
Sadly the finder was unable to remember the name of the lake or the town that it was near even after pouring over Google maps.
I am guessing that the badges were thrown into an incinerator or fire with the intention of destroying them before one of the Allied armies reached the position and then the fire scrapings chucked into the lake for disposal.
There was quite a large collection and I catalogued most of what I had originally as a research tool.
The collection consisted of Party badges, NS Frauenwerk badges, NS Frauenschaft badges, Small Party eagles, SA pins and RAD pins and badges.
In reference to the Party badges only:
Here are my findings.
Most of the badges were the original painted zinc types with the exception of one which was plated and was more than likely enamelled but this had splintered off.
Makers marks were:
M1/10, RZM Location at the top, Pin mounting: Round Horizontal, Pin type Small brass with circular plate.
M1/45, RZM Location TOP, Pin mounting 2 Peg riveted, Pin type circular with 2 holes to take the pegs Horizontal
M1/77 RZM Location Bottom, Pin Mount: Deep circle Horizontal Mount, Steel Round base Pin.
M1/93 RZM Location Top, Pin Mount Low circle long Horizontal bars,
M1/105 RZM TOP, Low Circle Deep Dished reverse, Pin Steel with Round Base plate.
M1/108 RZM TOP, Pin mount 4 Horizontal Lugs, Pin: Straight pressed in crimped lugs
M1/120 RZM Location TOP, Low Circle with Side Gaps, Buttonhole Mount in either steel or Brass
The total of separate badges was around the 50 odd mark the rarest of these with only one example was the M1/105 of which there was only one.

RZM Numbers by quantity:
M1/10 Qty 3, M1/45 Qty 9, M1/77 Qty 6, M1/93 Qty 3, M1/105 Qty 1, M1/108 Qty 3, M1/120 Qty 7 and finally indiscernible or indeterminate marks Qty 21

And has a conclusion I also listed the FS Badges:
The Frauenschaft badges were all marked with the RZM on the upper left angle and had makers marks: M1/102, M1/109 and M1/157

What I did find interesting in this collection was the amount of various manufacturers that were in the pile.
You would have thought if they were taken out of a party office or retail supplier they would have mainly been from one individual firm.

So I think I amswered my own question M45 or M46 and it appears that this is one of the M1/45ers

Anyway I think that the original pictures of this group will be long gone so if I find what are left I will pop the pictures of them here.

All the best
Doug

[Saladin]

So I found the little bundle of badges that were at least recoverable:

[Saladin]

And the stuff that wasn't recoverable

[Greenhorn]

Very cool, Doug! The student badges look in nice shape considering their life story.

Mark