Der Stahlhelm Veteran’s Buckle 1920’s

Product Description: This Der Stahlhelm Veteran’s Buckle is a very rarely encountered variant. Most of the buckles used by this organization have with the wording “Front Heil” above the helmet in the wreath, or sometimes “Der Stahlhelm” in the helmet. This is a cleanly designed style with no wording, that is 100 percent original. The body of the buckle is made of brass. The brass shows an old, uncleaned patina throughout. The front of the buckle is adorned with a separately applied roundel that depicts a German steel helmet surrounded by a wreath. This roundel had a silver finish, which is mostly worn away, with traces remaining in the recesses. The bare brass on the roundel shows typical age toning and patina. This buckle shows a lot of evident wear, with the raised hollow helmet emblem dented in. The reverse of this buckle is flat and smooth, and is unmarked, as is typical. It appears to show traces of what may have been a gold finish to the brass. The original solder joints for the roundel are intact and untouched. The roller bar and prongs assembly is made of steel that shows patina to the surface. This Der Stahlhelm Veteran’s Buckle is a hard buckle type to find. The condition of this one rates as very good.

Historical Description: The belt buckle was an important part of the regalia worn by all uniformed military, civil, political, and paramilitary organizations during the Third Reich. The belt (“Koppel”) was part of the uniform and would always be worn while on duty. The belt buckle (“Koppelschloss”) was generally specific to each organization, with many organizations having separate belt buckles for officers and for enlisted personnel, sometimes with different colors and finishes to further denote specific purposes. The buckles were adorned with various mottos and designs specific to the organizations for which they were intended. Many designs used the German national eagle emblem, in a variety of forms. Belt buckles were worn with uniforms ranging from finely tailored officer parade uniforms, to the issue uniforms of enlisted soldiers in combat. Generally speaking, most German belt buckles of the Third Reich were made with two prongs on the reverse, to allow the buckle to be worn and adjusted on a belt. The buckle had a catch that would mate with a hook on the belt, when worn. The earliest Third Reich buckles were often made of brass, or nickel silver. Later, aluminum became very common, and was used on private purchase as well as enlisted buckles of the German military, with or without a painted or plated finish. After WWII began, most enlisted military buckles were steel. Nazi belt buckles were popular souvenirs for Allied troops who served in Europe. Some types were made by the millions and remain quite common today. Others were made in limited numbers and are very rare.

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