Some Rare Police Eagles

[W.Unland]

Hello,

I was lucky enough to fill a couple of HUGE holes in my collection of police eagles recently. These have eluded me since I started this insane quest to acquire all of the known variations, and I am happy to have finally found a few of them.

The first one is not particularly rare, but hard to find for sale at any price I could afford, a white summer officer's eagle. It has threads where the snap on clips were once sewn but have since been cut off.

[W.Unland]

The second is a Feuerwehr eagle with carmine swastika on green cotton. This type eagle can be seen on late war photos of volunteer firemen wearing overall type green one piece uniforms. Perhaps not particularly rare, but I have never encountered one before, and have only seen one on a dealer's site some years ago that I was too late for.

[W.Unland]

Next is the real treasure of the group, and an example of an eagle I never thought I would be able to acquire as I am only aware of two other examples in collections. The elusive late war black eagle for use by TENO personnel. This type of eagle is identical to those being wore in the amazing photographs shown in the following thread.

http://daggers.infopop.cc/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/165305...870092682#2870092682

[W.Unland]

And the last one for now is either trash or treasure, and I am certain to find disagreement on this one. The enlisted ranks Shupo green on summer white. Yes they were authorized for less than a year I believe in 1936, but nobody has ever found any period evidence of their actually being used.

I am of the opinion that some eagles must have been produced. If the uniform was authorized, the makers would produce insignia for it as they were in business to sell this stuff, and surely some style conscious NCO's bought themselves a white tunic during the authorized period if for no other reason than to be different than everyone else. The tunic would have been the same as the officer's, so they would only have to make this eagle to be able to sell the uniform to an NCO.

That said, there are good and bad points to this eagle. The materials are UV dead. The aging to the white cotton seems appropriate. The pattern is an unusual one that I have not encountered before, and have not seen used in any known reproductions that I have identified. BUT, the wreath is rather poorly formed. The eagle itself is good quality work, the wreath rather muddy.

Could be an early, ie; 1936 attempt at making an eagle before the wreath pattern was formalized, or could just be sloppy work. Again, no period photos or uniforms have turned up, but I am leaning toward this being OK, unless any of you out there have encountered this type and pattern before and know it to be bad.

The identifying characteristics seem to be slender body, thick legs, hooked beak, and a huge eye! Anyone seen him before????

Best regards,
Bill Unland

[W.Unland]

Now I need to find some REALLY tough ones:

General officer's
WSP Officer's
Panzer green on black
and
White on olive autobahn police

With the way prices are going, I'm afraid that even were I to find these I could never afford them. Oh well, it took me years to find a TENO, maybe I will get lucky. Anyone out there want to part with their examples????? <!--graemlin:-->

Regards,
Bill Unland

[Dave C.]

Nice haul Bill! Appears you hit the best of best this time! Really like that TeNO example and the officers' on white!! Wow!!!

[Johann Voss]

Beautiful Eagles!!! Absoulutly stunning.

[Bill H.]

Ah Bill, you rascal! You been holding out on us! Very cool eagles. I kinda like the green on white one but you have good observations on the wreath and other details. I'll have to look at some of the ones I have that are not done on wool to compare but if you compare the white one to the carmine on green twill fire eagle you posted you get a more warm and fuzzy feeling about the fire eagle. I certainly have never seen anybody selling the green on white before (because I'd have bought it if I'd seen it) but if we see them poping up here and there in the next few months we'll know.

I'd have taken the gamble on it. Far as I know you have the only one!

Thanks for sharing those choice eagles!

Don't forget the Harbor police eagle!

Best Regards, Bill Huber

[Tom Pearcy]

Outstanding eagles! The Fire Police and green eagle , Wow! I happen to have a Teno eagle in my collection. I did not realize they were so rare. I am curious what the value would be on one. Does anyone have a Traffic Police eagle(red on white)?

[DanCz]

Thank you for sharing such very seldom seen material.

I have a rather more modest collection of these very underated and maybe under-valued eagles - - altho I now also see serious prices hikes too !!!

Thank you again.

[gary9]

Hi Tom and Dan I would be interested in any police eagle that you might want to sell, if you have a duplicate or just want to part with any please let me know, you can see my eagles here. I would be very interested in your black eagle Tom if you wanted to part with it

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.net/foru...ad.php?t=60272

[Dave C.]

Hello Tom, By chance, is you TeNo example construced just like the one Bill U. posted or is it a bit different? I might as well put in my two cents, I mostly collect the orange, but if you have any intention of parting with the black, just let me know! I'm still looking for those and about any intersting example of polizei insignia!

[W.Unland]

Here is another. A very early "coke bottle" style Gendarmerie eagle. The mixed leaves on the wreath are characteristic of these early eagles before the format was formalized. The bottom leaves are angular, and those higher up on the wreath are rounded.

Very minimalist bird. Ugly head, but original

[W.Unland]

Here is his fire department cousin.