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Leather Belts and who would have used them
Hi all, 1st post.
Didn't even know this site existed, which is saying a lot considering I'm an unabashed internet addict… but I digress already ;-{)
I picked this up at a yard sale a couple years ago (a habit I'm slowly breaking, but I had a little time to kill), there was odd bits and pieces of military there, WWII US Navy uniforms (which the seller said he wouldn't sell as he was trying to reunite them to the original owner's family through the internet), some 1st Gulf war stuff Iraqi issue which is unusual to find actually, and then this belt I hardly looked at as I was in a hurry to get out of there.
I figured it was US maybe, although the pebbled pattern looked quite familiar, but still always thought it was some uninteresting US item. Until I went to research German belts in anticipation of receiving a pebbled holster I finally picked up for a Hi Power, and the thought of finding a belt to go along with it popped into my head.
I was looking at belts, not much to be found actually, especially on eBay… Went upstairs to retrieve this old thing and have another look at it. I had never noticed any actual markings not it, or at least hadn't remembered anything memorable.
The only thing really visible was Croupon 256 on the leather behind the buckle, researched that, amazingly enough came up with some WWII German stuff, then went to take pictures of it to post here and only then did I find the RZM behind the buckle!
Quite a wide belt as you can see in the last pic. Something similar I'd found for sale ($225) at a militaria shop was only 1 7/8" wide. There are few markings on this one, most undecipherable, the most obvious is the 33 visible towards the end of the belt. Also, the belt is quite long, fits me perfectly (36" waist) exactly where it was worn, at the third set of holes in.
Just wondering, what is this exactly?
A political party leader's belt, not field officer? What is the 45 on the other side of the buckle, the date? What might it be worth?
I'm pretty stoked to have it really, and the whole time thought it was nothing special at all.
Last edited by Ben Evans; 12-08-2013 at 10:16 PM.
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01-15-2013 11:54 PM
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
Can you post real close pics of the stamping on the buckle?
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
Not Political as these were brown I believe.........
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
by
octavian
Can you post real close pics of the stamping on the buckle?
3rd pic down isn't close enough?
by
Walkwolf
Not Political as these were brown I believe.........
I see there was a lot of brown, except maybe for some SS uniforms? This site here ( I had no idea this many buckles existed, Germans...) has a couple black examples, as early SS general or NSDAP (?).
German Military Buckles
The buckle (nearly identical) is listed under NSDAP buckles, although I don't know what they mean here by "German General Officer", do they mean for a General?
Last edited by Doppelgänger; 01-16-2013 at 04:09 AM.
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
Appears to be a German officers belt and buckle.
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
And some more info, color doesn't apply of course but other info seems relevant, making this an early example?;
"Early Political Leader/Officer's Belt
with Open-Claw Buckle
The broad officer's belt with an open claw buckle was originally worn by all political and military personnel during the post WWI "Weimar Reichswehr" period. Following a few minor modifications, this early design was officially authorized by the Third Reich in May of 1934 for wear by all Political and military personnel. Due to increasing demands and a shortage of leather when war broke out in 1939, the size of the belt was reduced to 50mm. The color also changed so they're more commonly seen in a dark brown, making this belt somewhat rare and very desirable.
This is an early (pre war) 60mm wide belt in a light Havana-brown leather which was favored by pre war Luftwaffe personnel. It measures 43 inches (109cm) in length with 5 sets of holes to accommodate a 35 to 40 inch (90cm to 101cm) waist. The silvered pebbled buckle, which indicates wear by Field or General Grade Officer's ranks, measures 50mm x 7.5mm with a 22mm gap between the claws. Despite typical wear and tear, this beauty is in beautiful condition considering it's age...and a rare find indeed!"
From this website;
Third Reich Depot, military collectables, World War II, Nazi Germany
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
[QUOTE=kilomikesierra1960;774387]
German Military Buckles
Just a word of warning be very careful if you ever buy from this site, it is full of fakes, a lot of the rouges gallery comes from that site lol
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
Just going through some notes it could also be NSDAP
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Re: Wow, what have I found here?
Wouldn't an RZM mark always denote non-military (not including the waffen ss) issue chaps, but political groups (SA, WSS or Allgemeine perhaps)? I'm stepping outside of my area of expertise here a little though.
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