Infanterie Sturmabzeichen fabrication mold

[Willietaria]

Hi there,

Found this very heavy Infanterie Sturmabzeichen fabrication mold. Is denazified.
What do you guys think? Original? Special? Is it for hollow Infanterie Sturmabzeichens? Maker? ...

Thanks in advance!
Willem

[Watchdog]

Hi Willem,

That is an intriguing item.

What you call a "fabrication mold" would in English be generically called a "die" but I do not think that this is a die at all.

Look at the relief particularly in the lower levels of the profile. At first glance it looks worn but the wear would be on the high points not the low so it seems that the level of definition has always been like this. The relief detail in a die has to be very sharply defined in order to produce good detail in the strike. This looks to me like a rough casting, possibly intended as a paperweight or something. The material doesn't look right either. Bear in mind that a die would be made of hardened steel to cope with the stresses of industrial stamping. It also looks to be a separate piece to the obviously heavy circular plate which does look like steel. Can you tell what the material is?
It would also be useful to know anything you can tell about the provenance.

As I say it is an intriguing piece but I am sure it isn't a die.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Mark

[Danmark]

Look a bit like a lead "strike" - an impression taken from the coining die to see if there are any flaws. Looking at a die in reverse, the eyes play tricks and one can sometimes not see the issues. Our company ( years ago now ) made medallions for a sporting association and we did this soft metal strike to see if the die was OK. But as watchdog says, it is very lightly struck so could be just a rough strike to indicate what the die was ( when it was sitting on the rack with other dies identically shaped - as there is a top & a bottom and they are usually closed up) This was then fitted to the shelf or die to show what the tooling was for. Someone could have glued it to the larger base to make again as he says, a paperweight....?

[Willietaria]

The Abzeichen is not glued. It is cut out of the iron...
There are 2 pieces. The iron centre, and the iron round. Together like 5-7 kg.

[Danmark]

Then it is very odd.....we may never know what it's purpose was.

[Watchdog]

Then it is very odd.....we may never know what it's purpose was.

I agree, either way though it isn't a die for producing awards. I don't think it can be an embossing tool either because that would require it to be a reverse image.

A design process mock up perhaps? Or just an interesting curio?

Regards

Mark

[Willietaria]

Why did they make it so heavy if it isn't used for stamping? (Just thinking along)
The Abzeichen has been cut out of the massive iron core. A difficult/impossible job to do.


Willem

[rbminis]

IMO, it is not a die.
It is too rough, the detail of the workmanship, (although some of it is good), the rest would not be left with all of those file and grinding marks. Also, there is no way of aligning this when inserted into the stamping press, which would be necessary.
Ralph.

[Watchdog]

IMO, it is not a die.
It is too rough, the detail of the workmanship, (although some of it is good), the rest would not be left with all of those file and grinding marks. Also, there is no way of aligning this when inserted into the stamping press, which would be necessary.
Ralph.

And at the risk of stating the obvious it is not engraved but as I said earlier it is cast. The space where the eagle and swastika should be does not exhibit tool marks as would be expected if it was a "de-nazified" piece. Also, I am not convinced that the badge itself is rendered in steel even if the rest of the piec is.
Whatever, this is still not a die.

Regards

Mark

[Willietaria]

The place where the eagle belongs does show tool marks, and is carved deeper than the Abzeichen itself. I'm sure there was an eagle. But I still don't know what it is.