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RZM and GES. GESCH only on Parteiabzeichen
This hobby is an army of angry acronyms, copied & pasted work from others, claims supported by assumption only, and clouded by evidence, or period proof, in the form of a story.
If that suffices for you, then so be it, not all of us are after solid facts. In fact, a fact often takes the joy out of collecting once it`s realized that the discussed item is not original.
All fair and well, if it is just one item, but sometimes a shared fact is misinterpreted and inevitably taints other, possibly good items. After spending a good few hours yesterday reading older posts on this and other forums, pertaining to Parteiabzeichen marked only with the RZM logo and the abbreviation GES. GESCH. it`s very clear that this is one such case. With the - dare i say it - "general consensus" being that any Parteiabzeichen showing only RZM and GES.GESCH. is automatically a fake.
The culprit here is Nicholas Morigi - and he possibly doesn't even know it The all too common Morigi-reproductions from the late 60`s-early 70`s that show these reverse markings, the fantasy DEUTSCHLAND ERWACHE 1933 badges, the ADOLF HITLER 1933 badges, as well as reproductions of the Parteiabzeichen, the D.V.G badge, the HEIM INS REICH badge, the ARBEITER-JUGEND badge - the list goes on unfortunately - all share the same reverse dies, sporting a distinct RZM logo and GES.GESCH. void of any markers numbers/marks.
By now we all know where these badges come from, and we all know that they dont belong in the Third Reich period. I covered a few of the more common ones in the Party Badge book on pages 229-234 and made mention to them and their markings in other chapters. What i didn't do though, was state that any Parteiabzeichen (or badge) that bears only the RZM logo and the abbreviation GES.GESCH. is automatically a fake because of this. And i didn't do this for a very good reason - because it is just not true.
The typical Morigi reproduction Parteiabzeichen, found in abundance and marked only with RZM GES.GESCH. ↓↓↓↓
From the same series of Morigi reproductions, using the same reverse dies and instantly recognizable obverse features, the fantasy DEUTSCHLAND ERWACHE 1933 and ADOLF HITLER 1933 badges. The attachments used by the actual forger of these vary, but the initial design stays the same. Other forgers naturally jumped on the bandwagon over the years and produced similar fantasy and fakes, with similar reverse markings. Morigi also combines the warped RZM logo with makers numbers such as M1/128 and M1/129. ↓↓↓↓
What "was allowed" during the Third Reich, and "what was actually made" is not always in keeping with the regulations as many collectors will attest to. The RZM announcements pertaining to how small official Party items were supposed to be marked, are rather well documented, and thanks to a black sheep have recently been elaborated on in a book dedicated to clearing the air, promoting free thinking and evaluating small badges on other merits; using history, common sense and a better understanding of what errors occurred and why.
There are collectors who possibly have a Parteiabzeichen that shows only the RZM logo and the abbreviation GES.GESCH. that they automatically have placed into the fake drawer due to the stigma attached to these markings. If so, this thread would be the place to show them. Show me yours and i`ll show you mine Guaranteed to be an interesting thread.
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12-22-2013 11:13 AM
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A very informative post !!
Thank you
Nick
"In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen men fight so hard." - SS Obergruppenfuhrer Wilhelm Bittrich - Arnhem
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...the stigma
Like a good wine, it will get better with time. It may even turn into a sticky - it may, become so important, that when you login to the WRF, this is the first post that you will see.. "Admin wants you to read this post first before you progress ...direct link..."
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Thanks for another great thread Jo, you are a wealth of knowledge!
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Yes mate, i am. (is that his head, swelling up?) The black sheep is a good sheep, and as long as you dont find those little black pellets in your wellington boots, you`ll be fine.
But lets get one thing straight, this thread is only about clearing up a stigma, it is not about exposing anyone who has said before that "these are fantasy markings" I left this door open in my book, simply because although i had seen one badge marked like this before, that i considered genuine, i did not have the badge, and could not inspect it. In my book i also steer well clear of the "I have seen... but did not picture" way of showing or debating items, so i didn't even want to mention it. I also had no high hopes of ever seeing another - and in all reality i could also not even prove that the badge i saw was indeed genuine. But, recently the same badge that i saw long ago, has now made it`s way into my woolly hooves. So now, i am sure, and soon you will be too.
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The learning curve never stops! Thread is now stuck.
Cheers, Ade.
Had good advice? Saved money? Why not become a Gold Club Member, just hit the green "Join WRF Club" tab at the top of the page and help support the forum!
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never say never...
by
Adrian Stevenson
Thread is now stuck.
Cheers Ade.
First a little info on the obverse. At 8 o`clock, above the letters N & A, the badge has been over polished. I covered this manufacturing error in the Oddities Chapter, and on page 333 showed a similar over polished HEIM INS REICH sympathy badge. With small-ish images it may well appear that the badge is just damaged, maybe scraped on the ground when a Red kicked an SA mans head in down the pub in 1933. But a detailed look, as well as an understanding of the finishing procedure involved with enameled badges, shows us that it was indeed over polished, and not damage.
A detailed look, is not simply a good photograph, but a composite of micro-images taken under high magnification. In layman's terms, it means nothing other than a scan of the area in question, taken at approximately 15`000 dpi. These kind of images can only be achieved with a microscope - and lots of spare time. They are conclusive though, and show not only exactly what happened, but naturally show the micro-patina that was explained in great detail in the book as well. The following composite shows the over-polishing error, as well as the micro patina.
The next micro-composite is of the RZM logo, and shows us that the badge is made from the correct base material, also showing the correct micro patina that we really need to find on original badges like this.
Naturally when you see the obverse and reverse together, it becomes clear that this badge is a hands down original, but micro-images are always handy, especially with such a controversially marked item like this.
The RZM & GES.GESCH ONLY marked Original Parteiabzeichen
Yes the early RZM announcements are crystal clear about how small badges were to be marked, and there could be many reasons as to why this particular badge has no makers code. Nonetheless, as the images show, it did happen - well at least once
The fair play part. Recently i had a mail from a collector who asked me if i "switched images" in my book, i.e. showed a particular obverse together with a totally different reverse. I know that this has been done forever in Third Reich reference books, and make reference to this in the last chapter as well. The answer is simply that i cant have, as most of the badges in my book have been sold already, so if i did make up my own funny composites, it would surely be picked up on by collectors who have the actual badges. And as far as this strangly marked badge being a possible "black sheep composite" well, it`s also for sale, so the answer would have to be - No
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Again a very interesting thread!...I'm glad it has become "sticky"..
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Wow, great badge Jo! This just made liars out of many people In this hobby, one thing is certain....never use the word "never"!
There have been some great Party badges appearing lately.
Great work Jo!
Mark
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig. CE
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Last edited by Jo Rivett; 12-22-2013 at 08:51 PM.
Reason: spellINK
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