What is This?

[JasonA]

Hey guys,

I'm a Luftwaffe collector, and this couldn't be further from my focus. But my dad was given this small piece years back, which he had forgotten about until recently, when he gave it to me.

My advance apologies for the poor photo quality. I took a bunch of photos with our vastly outdated camera. The text on the pin reads:

Obverse
Left side = 1939
Bottom = REICHSPARTEITAG

Reverse (top to bottom)
RZM logo
M9/195
FRANZ SCHMIDT
GABLONZ A.N.

Thanks so much for your assistance!

Jason

[RonR]

A tinnie to commemorate the 1939 Party Congress or Convention.

1939 – The 11th Party Congress was given the name "Rally of Peace" .

It was meant to reiterate the German desire for peace, both to the German population and to other countries.

It was cancelled on short notice, as one day before the planned date on September 1, Germany began its offensive against Poland which ignighted World War Two.


Quite common in spite of the circumstance..........


.................

[JasonA]

Thank you, Ron, for the detail. It looks like there were at least two different makers of this badge, given our examples here.

Cheers

Jason

[Greg]

Jason,

Yours looks like a nice example; sometimes they are all silver finish ike yours, and some have dark finish like Ron's. I have seen one Cupal example of the 1939 badge.

There were a number of makers of the latter years Reichsparteitag badges (even though as Ron said Reichsparteitag 1939 wasn't held). Off the top of my head, I've seen these additional makers of the 1939 badges:
Brehmer, Markneukirchen
Steinhauer & Lück
Wiedmann, Frankfurt
Werner Redo, Saarlautern
Brüder Schneider, Wien

and lots more, I'm sure.


Best,
Greg

[Br. James]

I've always thought that is was ironic that the "Party Congress of Peace" was canceled at the very last minute...because of WAR! And since it was canceled at the very last minute, all of the arrangements and public relations gimmicks were already created and in place. This included invitations and tickets to each day's several events -- by the many thousands -- as well as every kind of post card and badge anyone could imagine. At ten days of events, this was to be the longest and most extravagant NSDAP Congress yet attempted -- the next longest was that of 1938, which ran for eight days -- and the broadest selection of color as well as b/w post cards yet created for a RPT were already printed and waiting to be trimmed to size. In short, everything that needed to be ordered and/or created for a huge Party Congress was already done and waiting to be sold or given away.

Br. James

[Greg]

Hi Br. James,

I've always speculated that even though the Reichsparteitag itself was cancelled at the last minute, Hitler and his cronies knew well in advance that they wouldn't be having it because they had a more pressing engagement planned!

At least the manufacturers/vendors of all that paraphernalia got paid (or at least we have to hope they did), but think of all the revenue lost by the Brötchen ladies and Schnell Imbiss owners who didn't get to set up on the backside of the Zeppelinhaupttribüne because there was no event!

Best,
Greg

[JasonA]

I've always speculated that even though the Reichsparteitag itself was cancelled at the last minute, Hitler and his cronies knew well in advance that they wouldn't be having it because they had a more pressing engagement planned!

Hi Greg,

No doubt you are correct in your assessment! The Third Reich was a true marketing machine, a model (for better, and certainly for worse) of what is possible when it comes to marketing. Truly a fascinating case study on multiple levels, but especially within this slice of TR life, and to those with a penchant for, or career in, marketing and advertising.

And by the way, Greg, thanks so much for contributing to this thread with your feedback on the tinnie!

Best regards,

Jason