Identification Needed

[rbno]

I need some help from the members of the Forum to identify this piece. It seems to be the top portion of a larger desk piece. At its widest point, it is about 11 1/16” wide (282mm) and 8 1/16” (205mm) to the top of the eagle’s head. The eagle is flat, slightly less than 1/8” thick (2 1/2mm). The NSDAP box is formed by a piece of black celluloid sandwiched between two plates.

I have come up with two possibilities: 1. It was originally much taller and a small flag was suspended from the braided wire rope. 2. It was a little taller and a nameplate was suspended from the braided wire rope.

The square tubing seems to be plated brass or tomback, and looks to have been carefully sawed off and deburred.

Hopefully someone can identify it, and maybe even post a picture of one in use or in a catalog.

Any information you can provide will be appreciated.

Alen

[der-hase-fee]

Maybe part of a Stammtisch sign.

[echoe]

table piece

you might try the flags and banners guys

[Br. James]

I agree with echoe: "you might try the flags and banners guys"

For myself, I've never seen anything like this previously. It appears to be an early NSDAP piece and was originally larger, apparently with some means of standing on its own that has since been removed.

Very interesting...

Br. James

[sjl]

Maybe the top of an early local party office notice board?

[JoeW]

Are you certain the two eye screws, to which the braided rope is attached, are original to the piece. In the photo, the eye screws appear rusted and not plated like the rest of the piece. Such an arrangement seems out of place to me.

[Erich B.]

Certainly nicely made, whatever it was for.
Erich

[rbno]

I wish to thank everyone for their comments. I will re-post in the Flags forum.

der-hase-fee: My knowledge of the German language leaves much to be desired. “Stammtisch” seems to translate as to “regular table”. I do not know what this is. I would appreciate it if you could you elaborate. Possibly a photograph?

Br. James: You are quite correct. It is definitely part of a larger item, probably stand alone. I hope to find out what, with an eye towards probably adding pieces to better display it. Just guessing, it could have had tubing stretching down to a marble base with a flag suspended from the wire rope. If this proves to be correct, I would make a wood base plate with dowel pins of the correct length going to the existing rectangular tubing and add a period flag.

Sji: Interesting suggestion, but since the eagle and NSDAP box are both 2 sided, it would have to be a 2 sided bulletin board.

JoeW: I see what you mean. But when I examined it closer, I found the screw eyes seemed to be soldered (welded?) to the lower balls, and they extend through the 2 horizontal bars and the short pieces of tubing to screw into the upper balls. It’s also been there for a LONG time. (I believe before 1945.)

Alen

[JoeW]

I need some help from the members of the Forum to identify this piece...........................................

I have come up with two possibilities: 1. It was originally much taller and a small flag was suspended from the braided wire rope. 2. It was a little taller and a nameplate was suspended from the braided wire rope.
Alen

I wish to thank everyone for their comments. I will re-post in the Flags forum............................................. ..........................

JoeW: I see what you mean. But when I examined it closer, I found the screw eyes seemed to be soldered (welded?) to the lower balls, and they extend through the 2 horizontal bars and the short pieces of tubing to screw into the upper balls. It’s also been there for a LONG time. (I believe before 1945.)
Alen

I presume you mean the braided whire has been there a very long time....before 1945. Or just afterwards when installed by the vet. The attachment knots are rather crude and attaching flags to it makes no sense.

But, perhaps the two screw eyes served to hold a name plate as your thought in your first post, or a larger directory sign, which might be visible from front and back when the creation was full size. A sign or name plate with hooks would be a more logical use of the screw eyes than the braided wire.

[rbno]

JoeW: Good point. A sign (or??) attached with hooks or eyes does make sense.

On the other hand, I just looked closer at the "wire rope", and it isn't exactly wire rope in the normal sense. It is made like silver collar piping. The "rope" is made up of 3 cords twisted together. The individual strands making up the 3 cords are individually wrapped with tarnished (German?) silver. I agree the knots are a little odd, but on the other hand, not something a veteran might readily have on hand.

BTW, I meant the eyes the rope is tied to, but the rope looks to have been there for a long time also.


The mystery deepens.

Alen

[Erich B.]

A "Stammtisch" is a reserved table--usually at a tavern, beer hall, or bar so the 'regulars' who come in every week or more often have their place reserved. A usually somewhat fancy stand with a small cloth or metal flag with the particulars of the group--veteran's group, singing club, shooting club, etc. --printed, painted, or embroidered on it. I haven't been to Germany in a long time, but I used to see the stands often.
Erich

[JoeW]

I'm just saying, the use of such metallic braided "cording" is not unusual. Metallic "rope" was used to hang the cross-piece with schellenbaum flag on my police schellenbaum. My observation is that the tie of the ends and general configuration of this cording is half-a**ed and not up to period snuff. I can see a vet cutting the cord from something else and tying it to the metal for some other reason: to carry it or hang something.

[rbno]

JoeW: You are indeed correct. Just tying a knot in it does seem a bit half-a**ed. Given the design of the rest of the piece, one might expect the cord to be passed through the eye and a loop formed by crimping a metallic fitting around, or some sort of a metallic fitting attached to the end of the cord. Working in Germany during the mid to late 1930's must have been an innovative designer's dream!

Al Davidson

[JoeW]

Final thoughts: Steel (rusted) screw eyes soldered to the tombac/brass assembly appears to be a post-war addition to me. An after-thought. One would think original construction would have incorporated the screw eyes as part of the attachment assembly through the lower ball to the upper ball. I would venture to a hobby or hardware store looking for some square brass tubbing to perhaps provide some height and think about a base. Why not.

[rbno]

xx

But when I examined it closer, I found the screw eyes seemed to be soldered (welded?) to the lower balls, and they extend through the 2 horizontal bars and the short pieces of tubing to screw into the upper balls.

That is indeed how it is constructed. The eye bolts are about 2 1/4" long and seem to hold the box together, but I have not disassembled it to verify nothing else holds it together.

Alen