Salesman sample board

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Jack,

I would leave it as is, its an important piece of history and a clue as to what was around in the first few years after the war IMO.

Tom

[Mike H]

...

I used to have something like this -- but it consisted of Luftwaffe hardware. Buttons, hat insignia, and so on. They are really pretty cool. I am not sure these are just "salesman" sample boards but could be company file samples as well.

One dealer friend told me that 40 years ago, they would take these boards apart -- he cut up many of them with scissors -- to sell off the insignia separately as collectors weren't interested in the cardboard mounts. They were just looking for one particular thing.

It reminds me of another friend's story about how collectors and dealers used to strip Waffenrocks for the eagles, collar tabs, and cuff tabs. They didn't want to bother storing a whole uniform.

This sort of destruction of historical artifacts after the war and done by dealers and collectors is one of those things you hope is fading away, though poor handling and conservation remain a problem in the hobby and makes me very carefully take care of the pieces I have that are in very nice condition.

Mike

[Box_Rebellion]

Karsten -

I'm awarding you the "helpful collector clasp" in GOLD! We are all more knowledgeable thanks to your efforts here.

Jack

[Bruce Simcox]

Hi Jack......

......Interesting board. About what I would do with it.....I'll keep to myself.

This sort of destruction of historical artifacts after the war and done by dealers and collectors is one of those things you hope is fading away,

Hi Mike, I think the destructive behavior you mention is passe, now that the collection of Nazi items is so much more popular these days. But, 30-50 years ago there wasn't as much interest in 'preserving historical TR artifacts' because there was so much of it around, and cheaply available. In 1966 I bought a German Infantry Officer Visor for $12. For cryin' out loud, just look at U.S. of A. WWII surplus prices, at present, for example.

[Dennis GT]

I was told once that the cardboard is a place-mat form the Deumer cafeeiria. Most of the awards are Deumer all but the CCC? That is what I was told. Put together for sale to GIs.

Dennis

[Bob Hritz]

I was told once that the cardboard is a place-mat form the Deumer cafeeiria. Most of the awards are Deumer all but the CCC? That is what I was told. Put together for sale to GIs.

Dennis

That is correct. Sold as souvenirs by factory employees in Ludenschied. Nothing to do with slesman samples or company samples.

Bob Hritz

[Tony T-S]

That makes the set up an historical item in itself, a bit like a Souval RK, at least the medals have providence.

[Thomas Durante]

I was told once that the cardboard is a place-mat form the Deumer cafeeiria. Most of the awards are Deumer all but the CCC? That is what I was told. Put together for sale to GIs.

Dennis

Hi Dennis,

I have heard the same. I agree that the awards on that board look like Deumer, but the CCC looks to be a Gablonz-made piece (either AGMuK or JFS clasp). I guess that would make sense since Deumer is not a known maker of the CCC. What it is doing on a Deumer board is a mystery.

There is a mixture of makers found on the S&L souvenier boards as well (which have been found with Meybauer, Assmann and FLL badges on them). So it would appear that as time went on and as the leftovers from one company ran out, leftover stocks from other companies were used to suppliment and make complete boards.

It would be great to know exactly when this board (and the other boards we know of) were picked up. This helps us determine what was available at the end of the war and could very well be an indication of what was produced during the war by each maker.

Tom

[Steve Mezey]

Board

I have had three of these boards over the years and as Tom and others have stated they were mostly Deumer medals on them with the CCC being different. There is usually a mixture of badges but almost all the ones I have seen have a Krim and Narvik shield as well as a EKII and KVK 1 without swords. Some have Todt medals on them and Silesian Eagles. The one I did keep intact even has a little piece of paper with it that tells what all the badges on the board are according to there numbers on the board. Cool I thought.
Cheers
Steve

[Leroy]

It would be great to know exactly when this board (and the other boards we know of) were picked up. This helps us determine what was available at the end of the war and could very well be an indication of what was produced during the war by each maker.

Tom is exactly right: these boards give us great insight into what was leftover at the end of the war. Lüdenscheid, although really a fairly small town, was home to numerous important makers. Employees at one company knew, or had family ties to, employees at others, and so seeing random pieces from more than one company on a board would not be at all surprising. Pieces from "out of town" makers may have been samples or stocks
held for comparison or some other purpose by any of the Lüdenscheid companies. (In the immediate postwar period, travel by German civilians was somewhat limited, and it's unlikely that there were regular "forays' to distant locations just to get pieces for these boards.) I have been told that these folks actually developed a sort of "standardization" when putting together boards for sale or barter, to make each board contain similar items, with some board "types" being more "attractive" than others (and so having a higher barter or sales "price"). No one really knows how much was leftover, but in Lüdenscheid (which escaped any significant damage at all from the war), the quantities must have been huge. Even into the early 60's, manufacturers there had leftover pieces and parts.

[Box_Rebellion]

This is very informative -- thank you!!

[Bruce Simcox]

Hey......

......Check out the following link, and have a look. Not quite the same, but definitely related. Enjoy!

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=583661

[ravrick]

Hi,
I recently bought a Bronze CCC (AGMuK) and a 12 year RAD, the guy had put a silver Drivers award on E bay, when i asked what other medals or badges he had this is the picture he sent me... by the way these came from a UK private source bought back to England by a british soldier...
Rick