1931 Der Stahlhelm Membership Badge

Product Description: This is a nice example of the 1931 Der Stahlhelm Membership Badge (Der Stahlhelm Diensteintrittsabzeichen mit Jahreszahl 1931). These membership pins were emblazoned with the year that the wearer joined the Stahlhelm organization. The obverse of this silver badge shows some evident wear and typical age toning and patination. The glossy black enamel is perfect, with no chips, though there is some patina built up on the surface. The recessed lettering and Iron Cross on the helmet emblem retain all of the black paint. The reverse of this 1931 Der Stahlhelm Membership Badge has a typical toned look, and has a textbook hardware setup, with a banjo pin and soldered hinge and catch plate. The pin is still functional, and there are no signs of repair. This scarce piece is well marked, with “Ges. Gesch.” indicating a legally protected design, and “.935” which is a silver content marking. It also has the stylized “STH” manufacturer logo of the firm of Stahlhof Magdeburg. This is a desirable membership badge, in excellent condition.

Historical Description: “Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten” was a paramilitary organization of WWI veterans, in the time of the Weimar Republic. It was founded in December of 1918 by reserve officer Franz Seldte, in Magdeburg. It was opposed to the Weimar political system, and though it was officially a non-party organization, after 1929 it served as an armed branch of the Deutschnationalen Volkspartei political party. Officers and men of the Stahlhelm served as a personnel reserve for the Reichswehr. By 1933, there were 1,500,000 members of the Stahlhelm. In 1934, the Stahlhelm became an official Nazi organization, and was renamed, with large parts transferring to the SA; the last Stahlhelm units were disbanded in 1935, and WWI veterans transferred to the Nazi sanctioned veterans organization. Stahlhelm members wore a wide variety of regalia including special uniforms and insignia that denoted their rank, role and specific group membership. As with all of the interwar paramilitary organizations, they had their own specific uniforms, belt buckles and headgear. Items pertaining to the Stahlhelm are collected today for their historical importance.

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