Gau München Erinnerungsabzeichen--Opinions?

[J. M. C.]

This is where my badge (post #18) originally came from. When I removed the badge there was every indication that it had been in there a long time.

[tgn]

Perhaps I'm mistaken here, but I assume that the badge in question was SOLD, not given away free to anyone wanting one...or more. As we have seen in many such discussions, the NSDAP on any level -- and here I assume that this event and its badge were sponsored by Adolf Wagner's Gau München-Oberbayern -- and therefore income and cash flow were always major considerations. For Deschler & Son to get a contract to produce a badge that was intended to be sold to all and sundry at the event, there was the company's reputation to consider, as well as the look of the piece being sold. An unattractive or shoddily-produced badge would not have sold well, and this badge was obviously designed to be an attention-getter. The mere presence of the powerful motto of the National Socialist Revolution -- "Und Ihr Habt Dock Gesiegt” -- and yet you have conquered -- would seemingly demand a rendering that would speak well for the Party as well as for Gau München-Oberbayern. And then there was the possibility of getting other contracts in the future to consider...

Br. James

These are not shoddily made badges at all and I highly doubt the Germans buying these really cared how the maker's mark on the back looked. In fact, I doubt they cared there was one at all.

As long as the front looked right and the the pin worked, that is all that really mattered.

[David North]

I take on board everything that has been earlier said, although I am still struggling a tad with the notion that reverse detail (or rather lack of reverse detail) was perhaps academic to the manufacturer. We are doing a great disservice to the humble event badge and more often than not, obverse and reverse detail may be found displaying staggeringly high quality. This is my opinion as someone who actively seeks and collects SA meeting/event badges. Toward the badge in question, just for one moment forget that strange little mark or symbol, as I think it may be distracting. We are talking about here a festival badge that received national prominence by an article in the VB, that commemorated an extremely important NSDAP anniversary and was produced by a company with a reputation for excellence.

I find it hard to believe that Deschler would have allowed the release for high profile public consumption, the badge in question and where the reverse detail is and in my opinion, below par when compared to say other much less significant event badges, manufactured by unknown or obscure concerns.

A reverse photo merge is interesting and I must empathise, in my opinion, shows:-

1.
A madly different rendition of the name/city. One is crisp and no nonsense against one which is soft, lacking in detail and actually having letters in parts, almost missing. A different ampersand of course and also, the positioning/length of the overall script is quite different. One appears to myself to be naturally and confidently in place, against the counterpart which is almost rambling.

2.
Compare the concentric rims. One set appears to be even and well finished against the others as perhaps uneven, slightly crude in parts, irregular and almost raw edged.

Regards,

David

[Richard]

If this is supposed to be an O, this is a fairly poor execution and not very consistant. Though some do resemble an O, ETNs in post 15 looks as if it has multiple strikings or engravings producing an image of multiple O's overlapping one another. This is an early, pre-war badge. Even tinnies that are late war zink disasters don't have reverse marks or maker's names executed this poorly. The mark bears little resemblence to any intentional symbol or letter that I can ascertain. In a badge made to commemmorate what the Nazis saw as their most major historical point, it would seem that quality would be of utmost importantance, especially at a time when there were no shortages of material or time to produce badges.

If this is a genuine mark, there must have been a purpose of either identifying the manufacturer (which makes no sense since the badge is aleady marked Deschler) or of some type of manufacturing code. Though this is more prominant than can be accounted for by a die flaw, it is still a cryptic and rambling engraving with an unknown purpose.

Though no one can state these badges are not genuine, the mark is still a mystery as to why it would exist and what it should represent.
Richard V

[J. M. C.]

One more thing to add to the mix, my badge was marked "DESCHLER U SOHN MUNCHEN" not "DESCHLER & SOHN MUNCHEN".

[Stan]

Here's the one in my collection which is identical to David North's in a previous thread except for the fact that the cut out for the pin is different.

I really think that its a case of different batches being made.

Stan

[Craig Gottlieb]

I am not aware that reproductions of this tinnie even exist? I covered the subject of this piece in my latest book (on Gau Badges), including the information that was broken earlier last year on the true-identity of this badge). I focused on Gau history and a discussion of what the badge is, and didn't include a lot of detail in the discussion (with respect to the badges themselves) because although variations do exist, I was not concerned about reproductions of this badge (and because it's not a Gau badge). Should I be concerned about reproductions of this badge now?

[Jon Fish]

Craig, I think we should be concerned about reproductions of any and all badges! When is the book due for release?