Fire Service Buckle

Product Description: This is an appealing buckle of a very scarce Fire Service Buckle for the Rheinland, likely dating from the interwar period. It is made of a brass alloy that has a lovely, dark bronze finish that is almost completely intact, with some minor age toning.. The front of this Fire Service Buckle bears a laurel wreath surrounding a pebbled roundel, as is typical for German buckles of this type; the pebbled roundel is adorned with a Rheinland crest. This buckle retains nearly all of the original detail, and shows only light wear overall. The reverse of the buckle is intact and complete, with fittings that would enable it to be worn on an officer type belt, all with the same matching deep bronze finish and age patination. There is no manufacturer marking. These regional fire service buckles were not made in huge quantities, making them difficult to find today; this is an attractive example in excellent overall condition.

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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