German Police Officer’s Buckle

Product Description: This German Police Officer’s buckle is a phenomenal, near mint example of one of the most visually striking of all Third Reich belt buckles. The design of this buckle features a bold, “fat” German national swastika emblem, surrounded by clusters of oak leaves and the motto “Gott Mit Uns”- God is with us. This buckle retains nearly all of its original, subdued gray finish on the obverse. This subdued finish is still protected by a coat of original lacquer; there is no indication that this buckle was actually worn. The front of this German Police Officer’s buckle shows only extremely minor handling marks and retains fantastic, crisp detail. The reverse of the buckle shows some attractive age toning and is neatly and clearly marked “ges. gesch.”, indicating a legally protected design, as well as a manufacturer logo of “OLC” in a diamond. This was the manufacturer logo used by the firm of Overhoff & Cie., in Ludenscheid. This buckle is complete with both keepers. The prong side, which is permanently affixed to the buckle, is a perfect match to the buckle itself, with an identical gray finish. The other keeper, which is a separate piece, has a finish that is similar, but not exactly the same. These officer rank Polizei buckles are much harder to find than the common enlisted types. In this condition, these are very rare.

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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