Mint Cased BSW Pilot Badge

Product Description: This mint cased BSW Pilot Badge is an outstanding and very beautiful set, that would likely be impossible to upgrade. The badge is a top quality, early production piece, made of nickel silver. The eagle retains all of its original factory darkening, with sharp, crisp details. The wreath retains all of its high quality silver electroplating, with minimal age toning. All of the high relief burnishing on the wreath is intact, with an eye-catching, mirror-like shine. The reverse of badge is unfinished, as is typical for this maker. The maker name “Brüder Schneider A.G. Wien” is fully spelled out behind the eagle. The hardware is textbook for BSW, with a typical “question mark” style round wire catch. This gem of a badge is housed in an original case. The case is correct for this badge, and features only minimal wear to the exterior. The embossed lettering on top of the lid identifies the award as a Pilot badge. The pushbutton and hinge are fully functional, and there is no fading. Inside, this case features a deluxe, high quality early lining, that shows no damage. This cased BSW Pilot Badge is exquisite, and rates near mint overall.

Historical Description:The Luftwaffe Pilot Badge was instituted by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring on August 12, 1935. It was among the earliest badges introduced in the German Wehrmacht and was worn by all qualified pilots in the German Air Force, similar to the “wings” worn by some other armies. The design of the badge featured a large, swooping eagle clutching the German national swastika emblem, surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel leaves. The badge was normally presented in a blue hinged case. It was worn on the upper left uniform pocket, and a cloth version was also authorized for field use. In the nearly ten years from the introduction of this badge, to the end of WWII, the manufacturers of these awards made many changes in the features of the designs. Some companies, like Juncker, Assmann, and Deumer, had early first pattern badges which looked completely different from later pieces by the same manufacturers. Pilot badges were made of aluminum, nickel silver, plated Tombak, and zinc. The eagle was always a separate piece, riveted to the wreath, with different manufacturers using different rivet designs. As the war progressed, and dies wore out, many makers produced badges with subtle changes. All of these changes, over time, opened up a large spectrum of variation collecting for Luftwaffe badge collectors.

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