German militaria at C&T
Two private collections of German militaria were included in the recent sale at C&T Auctions so let’s start with some WWI items. First up, a German See Battalion field grey shoulder strap, scarce example of the enlisted ranks shoulder strap with embroidered crown over crossed anchors and ‘III' below. It sold for £189.60 (includes Buyer’s Premium of 26.4%). Next, an Imperial German Prussian belt buckle for an enlisted man. This 1895 pattern belt buckle was the standard model worn in the early part of WWI. Made from brass with a nickel silver centre, having Imperial Crown and motto ‘GOTT MIT UNS’. Complete with fittings to the reverse. Also came with the original brown leather tab. It sold for £94.80.
An iconic helmet design next with a WWI Wurttemberg M-15 Pickelhaube. This is a fine example of a leather-bodied Pickelhaube with grey metal M-15 other ranks
Wurttemberg helmet plate in undamaged condition. Grey metal front trim, rear spine, circular spike base with domed rivets and grey metal spike. Generally a good untouched example that sold for £1,137.60.
Moving on to WWII and a fine looking Third Reich SA dress dagger with engraved inscriptions to the scabbard by
Friedrich Plucker Jr. This was a fine example of an RZM pattern SA dress dagger with its brown wooden handle having eagle and enamel SA device. Plated fittings to the grip and the scabbard. Top mounts of the scabbard are engraved to both sides, with ‘Fuhrer win folgen Dir’, other side with ‘K Weger Schar 12’. Blade remains in near mint condition with all the darkening finish to the standard motto ‘Alles fur Deutschland’. Shot past the estimate of £800 to sell for £3,160.
There were plenty of Wound Badges, but it was the black ones that got the bids, with silver and gold examples going unsold. So, here’s a black one by Wilhelm Hobachter, Wien (32). A fine example of the 1939 pattern with the original pin and catch fixing to the reverse. It sold for £88.48. There were also a lot of tunic medal ribbon bars, with only the most interesting picking up bids. Quite a few sold in the £20-£30 range but for a Waffen-SS ribbon bar that price reached £126.40.
Some nice badges next, though again, some examples were quite cheap or didn’t sell. One that did was a dramatic Luftwaffe Observers Qualification Badge by GWL which featured an aluminium central eagle. C&T noted it was not a variation it had encountered before. The price was £505.60.
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