no stupid questions.....just curious rookies :)

[wolfgang7]

i just found this site and WOW i never thought i'd find a great site like this to help me with my new hobby......lots of great info here!

you guys have some awesome collections....can't wait for the weekend flea markets

anyway, i just noticed a thread or two while browsing...in which people showed a pic of what they just found...asking "is this a tinnie?"

now i know this is a rediculously basic question...but there's no real beginner's guide here to explain it that i can find so i'm forced to ask...what makes a tinnie a tinnie?



(also, not just what makes it a tinnie.....but a quick history would be awesome too.....what were they made/used for....quick interesting facts about them....etc)

thanks!

[Greg]

Hi Andy, and welcome!

Here's some basic tinnie info. "Tinnies" is the collector term for an immense variety of small badges intended to be worn on military uniforms, or even more commonly on civilian clothes. They are also called day badges or propaganda badges because they were often sold to finance official meetings, rallies or events. For instance, for less than one Reichsmark someone attending one of the large annual Reichsparteitag (Reich Party Day) celebrations in Nürnberg could have a patriotic badge to wear, and the Nazi Party gained revenue. Or someone who contributed to the annual Winter Relief drive could receive a small badge for their contribution. The badges were not unique to the Third Reich; similar badges have been used in a number of European countries, and could even be compared to campaign and other political badges in the United States. Third Reich "tinnies" were not necessarily made of tin (in fact, few were) or even of metal. Plastic, pressed paper and ceramic were sometimes used. Collecting Third Reich tinnies is popular because the badges are relatively plentiful and inexpensive, are often attractive, and represent specific events or periods of history.

Where's your favorite flea market; in other words where are you stationed?

Best,
Greg

US Army Büdingen 1980-1983
Heidelberg 1993-1995
Hanau 1995-1997
Grafenwöhr 1997-2000

[wolfgang7]

that's a perfect explanation.....thanks! i figured it was along those lines, but i was looking for specifics which i definitely got

i'm stationed at ramstein air base, near kaiserslautern....this is my second tour here and goes until 2010....i was first here from 99-02

i never went to flea markets over here until just recently, but my wife and i just caught the bug BIG time and are definitely hooked. we just go to the local ones on the weekend say for example in store parking lots like the real store...etc.

it's kind of frustrating though, because there's always signs posted up advertising a flea market, and then we go and it's not there. happens quite a bit actually....perhaps we're not going early enough, as i work night shift and they usually start closing up a half an hour after we get there, so i suppose we're gonna have to start making it a point to getting there earlier.

what an addictive hobby i've gotten myself into! it's all i can think about lately is getting to the next flea market lol.....and the great thing is it's cheap (for the most part)...so i'm not really breaking the bank; most of the time anyway.

-andy

[kenneth wolfe]

flea market help

I just left Landstuhl about a month ago and know the area well. So here's some flea markets I know about. Every Saturday in Bad Durkheim, the first Saturday of the month there's one in Homberg, and usually the second Sunday of the month there is a very large militaria show in a small town called Flohenheim. The show in flohenheim is all militaria and alot. So since you probably do not know how to get to flohenheim here are some directions. Take 6 toward frankfurt then take 63 in kaiserslautern toward mainz, then get off at the exit for 61 heading toward koln then it will be the next exit. Make a left off the autobahn drive until you see the sign for flohenheim, it will be on your left, take the first left (it's a 160 degree) then make your first right and you will see a hall on the left and there you are. There are more flea markets in a german paper called the wochenblatt. You can pick it up on sunday in any gas station in kaiserslautern. When you get it look under Flohmarkt and you will see a listing for all the flea markets in the Phalz. Hope this helps with your collecting. Let me know if you need some trustworthy dealers to do business with.

ken