Kriegsmarine Crests

[PODO01]

I Just Got These Two Beautiful Ship Crests. One I Know Is The Gneisenau, The Other I Think Is The Cruiser Leipzig. If Anyone Can Identify The Other Please Let Me Know.

Regards,
Tom

[PODO01]

Pic 2

[CollectRussia]

The eagle with king's head is the coat of arms of Nurnberg.

Dave

[PODO01]

Hi Dave,

Thanks For The Information- It Must Be For The Kreuzer Nurnberg.

Regards,
Tom

[CollectRussia]

correct

[PODO01]

THANKS AGAIN DAVE FOR THE INFO AND THE PIC

TOM

[Gary B]

Dear Tom,

Wehre would these crests that you pictured be used/for what purpose?

Thx in advance.

Gary B

[John R.]

These were worn on coat lapels by veterans of those ships in question and they were also (I think) sold in the ships store as gifts.

You must remember, that these crests were made after the war also for reunions, all sorts of reasons. So I would not say they were made as "fakes" but for the sailors who served on the ships.

Therefore, you must be very careful in dating the crests as it can be extremely difficult. I am sure over on the insignia forum there are members here that can help in this regard.

I cannot, but I do know they were also made post war.

What is your take on them Dave and also thanks for the nice crest photos provided above.

John

[PODO01]

Hi John,

These That I Pictured Cannot Be Worn. These Are More Like The Adolf Hitler Hanging Plaques. They Are Very Heavy Hand Painted Pieces.if Anybody Has Any More Info Much Appreciated Or Other Types To Show.

Regards,
Tom

[John R.]

My mistake!!! Yikes, my eyes must be getting bad. You are right of course, these are wall plaques. In most navies in the world, they are used as gifts to other ships--the other ship puts it up in the wardroom usually.

They can also be hung in officers' clubs and also used as gifts to dignitaries, like mayors in foreign ports.

The ship's plaque is normally the main form of "gift" used by a ship.

I wonder if the cities used these plaques as gifts, not only the ships. I do not know. Naturally, there is no such city as Graf Spee or Scharnhorst, so probably these are only ships' plaques.

John

[Gary B]

Thanks, John.

Gary B

[CollectRussia]

I collect KM Wappen, I've gotten several directly from veterans and I prize them. Tom's plaques look like standard pre WW2 examples to me, but the matching gray paint on the back is unusual, and I'd expect a few chips to original paint. They should be heavy cast metal, definitely not cast from a resin or plaster.

These were very popular PX type items, gifts for the folks back home, and are relatively common. Naturally, the larger & longer lived the vessel or unit, the more common the plaque. As for being city souvenirs, I think not, as the numbers in circulation correspond to this equation, and not city size. The Bundesmarine, veteran reunion and fake examples I've seen all lack quality.

Sometimes these can be dated according to ship names which ceased to exist after a certain date or changes in the Wappen design. Tom's is post WWI. Here is the crest of the Imperial Light Cruiser SMS Nurnberg.

Dave

[John R.]

And from today. Something about the Imperial Breasts, I mean Crests, I like better. John

[PODO01]

Hi Dave,

Good Info. Yes It Is Heavy Metal. The Backing Is Actually More Like A Light Bluish Color. The Front Has Some Minor Chips On The Edges Where You Can See The Metal. This Makes A Great Display For Kriegsmarine Collectors Such As Myself.

Regards,
Tom