Cased Blockade Breaker Set

Product Description: This Cased Blockade Breaker Set is a very desirable example. The large, pin back badge is in outstanding, near mint condition. It is made of zinc. The finish is nearly perfect, with beautiful original luster to the silver finish on the eagle, and only the slightest traces of wear. The reverse of the badge is flat and smooth, and is well marked, with the name of the designer of the award (Otto Placzek) as well as the maker marking of Schwerin in Berlin, a premiere maker of Kriegsmarine awards. The hardware on the large badge is intact, functional, and textbook for this maker, with a block hinge, wide pin, and sheet metal catch. The small stick pin version of this badge also has excellent finish, and is nicely detailed. The stick pin on the back has been broken off. Both of these badges are housed in their original case of issue, which is extremely well preserved. The outside of the case is covered with a blue fabric material, which retains virtually all of the original surface, as well as bright original color. There never was any wording on the top of the lid. The hinges and push button closure on the lid are intact and functional, with slight age patination. The case is pristine, inside and out, with a silk lining in the lid and a velvet insert for the badges. This Cased Blockade Breaker Set is in a very strong excellent condition overall. If not for the missing stick pin on the small badge, it would be near factory mint.

Historical Description: The Blockade Breaker Badge (Abzeichen für Blockadebrecher) was instituted by Adolf Hitler, on April 1, 1941. It was awarded to crews of German ships that were in other countries, at the outbreak of WWII, and who managed to get through the Allied blockade and return home. The badges were made of Buntmetall or zinc. They were designed by Otto Placzek and feature a German ship (the Bremen) with a national eagle and swastika emblem as the masthead, traveling at high speed through a chain that makes up the edge of the badge. In addition to the full-size badge, there was also a smaller version intended for wear on civilian clothes by members of the Merchant Marine. To earn the badge, seamen had to be part of the crew of a German vessel that successfully eluded the blockade, or to have been on a ship destroyed by enemy action, or in other cases of special merit. This badge was issued in limited numbers and is scarce today.

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