Gold Party Badge, Wilhelm Brückner

[CPB]

This GPB belonging to inner circle member Wilhelm Brückner is of interest to me, but I am by no means an expert on these.

I have already spoken with one expert on the forum about this badge, and would like to open it up to others.

Does anyone have any concerns about this badge?

Is the lack of party number on the reverse because Brückner was not one of the first 100,000 into the party and, therefore, this was a 'special' badge made for him and others like him.

Thanks

Chris

[Wim Vangossum]

It's a good small Deschler, that's a fact.

Regards Wim

[Erich B.]

It looks like the center disc was reattached at some point.
Erich

[sjl]

Definitely a genuine badge. Custom attachment and engraving, privately done, so hard to judge when and by who, but no reason to doubt it.


This photo below shows the Deschler factory installed buttonhole tab hardware, so this looks like it might have started life as a regular pin-back, or had no pin as a completely custom piece from the factory sent out for engraving and a buttonhole attachment. I'd love to see if there are any markings hidden by the big buttonholer.

[Br. James]

As all of our colleagues here have stated, I agree that this is an original small Deschler GPB. What's unusual is that this piece was privately engraved with the name of Wilhelm Brückner, Hitler's Chief Personal Adjutant, and it has a buttonhole stud attached in place of a safety pin. Brückner was the commander of "SA Regiment München" at the time of the Beerhall Putsch and presumably a very early member of the DAP or the NSDAP, but he departed from political life in 1924 and did not join the reconstituted NSDAP until September of 1930, at which time he received Membership Number 298623. Brückner did become part of Hitler's inner circle and on January 30, 1938 (according to the Patzwall list) he received the Honorary AH GPB.

Indeed an unusual piece!

Br. James

[CPB]

Thanks everyone.

SJL, yes, I think the GPB was custom-made/customised by the Godet firm of Berlin, the same firm that made his medal bar shown here. The GPB itself comes in a 'Godet' box [also shown here].

BR James...thank you, as ever. I am wondering: why did some people receive the special 'AH' gold party badge, whereas others (like Bruckner) receive 'just' the regular kind?

Thanks

Chris

[der-hase-fee]

Very unique piece, could have been made to match the medal bar. But who knows ?


Barry Turk sold the grouping to Ulric, who is not taking it apart.

[Nische]

Is it possible to see a photo from the side? Not one of the experts, just a curious collector.

[TooDeep]

very cool to see the mitgliedsbuch with the whole collection

[sjl]

Hi Chris,

This is the "special" Gold Party Badge - the "Honor Badge".

GPBs came in two types, numbered and "AH" dated honor badges. Numbered ones were for the first 100,000 NSDAP members with uninterrupted membership (about 22,000 qualified).

The Honor version was awarded to only about 900 people. Brückner received the Honor GPB. It was for special service to the NSDAP.

You can read about both types at my Gold Party Badge website: http://pages.interlog.com/~sjl/GPB/

S.

Thanks everyone.

SJL, yes, I think the GPB was custom-made/customised by the Godet firm of Berlin, the same firm that made his medal bar shown here. The GPB itself comes in a 'Godet' box [also shown here].

BR James...thank you, as ever. I am wondering: why did some people receive the special 'AH' gold party badge, whereas others (like Bruckner) receive 'just' the regular kind?

Thanks

Chris

[sjl]

Found an angled shot from a previous sale. I don't see the "A.H." of an honor badge, but you can see the vent hole. Looks like it was sent out for engraving completely custom.

[CPB]

Thanks Stephen. What would be the most likely/logical reason for the ‘A.H.’ not being present?

[Br. James]

"I am wondering: why did some people receive the special 'AH' gold party badge, whereas others (like Bruckner) receive 'just' the regular kind?"

Hi Chris,

Stephen has covered this question perfectly, as always, and his website continues to be the 'go-to spot' for information on the GPB of either kind.

Whether or not the prestigeous Berlin jeweler of Godet & Son actually provided Brückner with the engraving and possibly even the stud attachment will probably never be known for certain, though the presence of the box is quite classy, but it's possible that Brückner sent this badge to Godet for custom work, which they certainly could have handled. And as the AH Honorary GPB was awarded as a matched set, and as Brückner would have wanted to wear his GPB on his SA uniform tunic, he may have sent the large badge to Godet for similar work, as well...?

As to why the engraving on this badge is different from the way it would have been presented to Brückner by Hitler originally -- not only was "A.H." omitted, but "Wilhelm Brückner" was added to the badge's reverse, once the original inscription was removed -- this may be the way Brückner instructed the jeweler to do it.

Br. James

[CPB]

Thank you, BR James.

To speculate, I wonder if Bruckner had the ‘AH’ removed after his dismissal from the ‘inner circle’ in 1940 - and had Godet create the new fastening at the same time.

[der-hase-fee]

Replacement badge ?