RAD General Brocade Buckle Ultra Rare

Product Description: This RAD General Brocade Buckle Ultra Rare is an extremely tough to find buckle, that we are pleased to be able to offer. It’s made of aluminum, and was intended to be worn by a General rank officer of the Reichsarbeitsdienst, the German labor organization during the Third Reich. This is an extremely high quality buckle, as one would expect for a piece intended for such a high rank. The front of this gorgeous buckle retains virtually all of the original fire gilt golden finish, with a very light patina and a couple of small areas of slight age discoloration. It features a RAD shovel and swastika organizational emblem on a textured circular field, surrounded by ears of wheat. The detail on this buckle is crisp and pristine, with no sign of actual wear. The reverse of this RAD General Brocade Buckle Ultra Rare is also extremely well-preserved, with very light patination to the original finish, and lots of shine. It is well marked, with the “OLC” in a diamond manufacturer logo used by the firm of Overhoff & Cie. in Lüdenscheid. It’s dated “36” and also marked “ges. gesch.” indicating a legally protected design. The fitting that would have affixed this to a brocade belt is present- it would have been sewn to the belt, so no prong assembly was needed. This rare and very desirable buckle is loaded with eye appeal, and could be the centerpiece of a buckle collection.

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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