AUCTION 50: ANTIQUE MILITARIA, FALL 2024

A SCARCE GERMAN 1918 DER STAHLHELM MEMBER PIN, WEIMAR GERMANY

The auction will start in __ days and __ hours

Start price: $1,200

Estimated price: $1,500 - $1,800

Buyer's premium:

Inscribed 25.12.1918 (December 25, 1918). Maker marked.

A 1918 Der Stahlhelm member pin of Bund der Frontsoldaten (Steel Helmet, League of Frontline Soldiers), which was a paramilitary organization in post-World War I Germany. Founded in 1918, Der Stahlhelm was composed mainly of former soldiers and aligned itself with right-wing nationalist and conservative movements. By 1925, the organization had become one of the largest veteran associations in Germany, with a strong anti-democratic and pro-monarchy sentiment.

The pin features a stylized steel helmet (Stahlhelm) and is inscribed with the year of membership or other identifying symbols related to the organization. This pin was worn by members to show their affiliation with the group.

By the early 1930s, "Der Stahlhelm" had become increasingly aligned with Nazi ideology. After Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, the organization was incorporated into the Nazi Party’s paramilitary apparatus, and many of its members were absorbed into the SA (Sturmabteilung) or SS (Schutzstaffel).

D: 1 1/2 in., (35 mm.)

Condition: VF.