The East German national crest or coat of arms was created in 1959. In 1961, this hat badge was introduced to replace those with the red, yellow and black painted bullseye rings and shields. It was designed for all enlisted ranks of the many services that used it. This badge was used by all of the armed forces except the Air Force and the Navy. The Volkspolizei, Border Guard, Customs Service, the Prison Service and the STASI all used it too! Officers continued to use bullion hat badges during this time.
The first thing one notices with this one is that the badge is a two-piece affair with a separate center. The center features a nickeled badge with hard-fired enamel in the center. The aluminum wreath is virtually identical to those produced during the Third Reich period. It is of heavy, solid construction and has a high, full relief to it.
Always looking to reduce manufacturing steps and to save materials, the East Germans practiced "economizing" during the entire life of the regime.Compare this badge with the last badge of this style used in the country.In the photos, you can see the 1961 badge on top of the last style. Not only is the last style flatter and thinner, but it is about 40% lighter than this 1961 version. It also features one piece construction with a painted center.
Few collectors have ever seen this old pattern as it was in use for just a short time. In 1962 it was replaced with a thinner badge with a separate national crest. I will include the last style badge for FREE so you can make the comparison yourself when you receive them. No serious DDR collection is complete without this significant variant.
These are nicely USED and all have their mounting prongs present.
Sorry, I do not ship outside of the United States or Puerto Rico. These are well-packed in baggies to protect them during shipping. You get tracked FREE shipping via U.S. Ground Advantage shipping.
Please check out my other listings for other interesting and historic items that I find out there. Thanks for looking and let's do some business.
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