Spanish Civil War / Blue Division Volunteer Collection

[Aldo]

To respond to your question about the Civil War medals, apart from the ribbon there is no difference. I have heard the same thing regarding the colour, however it is just accepted the medals without the brass catch are just earlier production. The same manufacture made the same medal up until about 1958-59. It is estimated they made around 20 million of these medals, hence why you can still get them in their original box with the original wax paper. When these where cheap a few years back i bough up 5 or 6 and they are still sitting in their boxes like they where in the 50s.
Attachment 1102739

Morris

Thank you Morris. Do you mean the actual clasp on the back when you refer to the brass catch or the whole brass plate like your medal in the picture ?

[MAP]

Pretty impressive. Missed this the first time around.

One note regarding the "Condor Legion" wound badge stick pin. These were really just early wound badges and were issued for a short period until the '39 version came out. There is no way to tie it to the Condor Legion (without provenance) as they were also awarded to non Legion soldiers very early in the war. But the "Condor Legion" name has stuck...

[KMMorris]

I saved this from WAF years ago but this is what i was meaning.
However it is very easy to replace the clasp on these medals which makes them very hard to date

[Aldo]

Thank you, visual comparisons like this really help. Cheers, Al

[Aldo]

Pretty impressive. Missed this the first time around.

One note regarding the "Condor Legion" wound badge stick pin. These were really just early wound badges and were issued for a short period until the '39 version came out. There is no way to tie it to the Condor Legion (without provenance) as they were also awarded to non Legion soldiers very early in the war. But the "Condor Legion" name has stuck...

Thank you, the early wound badge is not unlike the early Luftwaffe drop tail stickpin which is frequently referred to as "Condor Legion" on almost every website I see them on.

[Aldo]

I received several pins in the mail today but I want to discuss the Blue Division Lapel pin. As soon as I opened the package and looked at the pin I knew that something was off, but having only see one other example that I own I had to make a side by side comparison. The dimension and shape of the badge on the left that I just got are different form the one I own on the right. The new one is smaller, has less detailing, and has cruder enamel than the other one. It also has raised surfaces on the letters, arrows and cross whereas the other one has a smooth finish. I chalked it up to differences in manufacturers, different time period, etc. After all the Spanish were not as meticulous as the Germans in regulating conformity when it came to military badges and such. The pin is quite small and actually looks great to the naked eye, at least my 55 yr old tired eyes, it's the close up photography that exposes the flaws.

But then I put on magnifying glasses to look for markings and saw what was so glaringly obvious and yet I missed it when I bought it. The swastika is backwards I can't imagine any scenario where an original badge would have the swastika backwards, unless it was made by Buddhist Monks, so I have to assume it's fake. It didn't cost much and it's a lesson learned I suppose. All comments and opinions welcome.

[Aldo]

Next is this nicely detailed Franco supporter pin. Almost all Spanish items on websites seem to be touted as Civil War period but many are post war and 50's and 60's era. This pin is no different, sold as a Civil War pin I nonetheless bought it thinking it was such a nice piece depicting the leader of Spain who led the Nationalists to victory. Based on the profile image depicting an older Franco, I assume it's late 1940's or 1950's at best. Maker marked Lorioli Fratelli, Milano , 121, Any Thoughts ?

Cheers, Al.

[MAP]

Thank you, the early wound badge is not unlike the early Luftwaffe drop tail stickpin which is frequently referred to as "Condor Legion" on almost every website I see them on.

LoL...yes. Collectors and most dealers call it the "Condor Legion". More sexy. And, yes some were issued to Condor vets. But the truth is that they were not made specifically for the Condor legion and were issued to all soldiers prior to the introduction of the '39 model.

[Aldo]

Up next is this ornate lapel pin which I have identified as a Falange Youth Honor badge based on the corresponding full size medal I saw for sale on a website. This neat little pin features the Swan emblem of (Sindicato Español Universitario = SEU) synonymous with the Falange movement. The yoke and arrows are barely visible above the swan and the banner reads "Honor" & "Gratitud" the same as in English Honor & Gratitude.

The pictures below are the full sized medal and miniature medal that this pins pertains to. These unfortunately I do not own, just pictures I downloaded for comparison.

[Aldo]

Here is a small eagle pin associated with the Falange party that I haven't identified. A four pointed star with laurels clutched in the talons of an eagle. The Falange arrow and yoke symbol in the center are over a five link chain. At first glance I thought it was Olympic related but realized the circles are in a row and not staggered. If anyone knows what this is or has seen a similar image, please let me know. Thanks, Al.