Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 70:
Description
NSDAP 1939-Pattern Gemeinschaftsleiter/Ortsgruppenleiter Kragenspiegel Pair. NSDAP Political Leader collar tab pair (Kragenspiegel), 1939 fourth-pattern insignia, rank of Gemeinschaftsleiter as worn by an Ortsgruppenleiter, Ortsgruppe (local) administrative level. Offered here is a matched pair of brown velvet collar tabs bearing the gilded 1939-pattern national eagle over a single oak leaf with two acorns – the insignia denoting the rank of Gemeinschaftsleiter, the rank held by an Ortsgruppenleiter when serving as head of a local Party branch. No named wearer, unit designation, or accompanying paperwork is present with this lot, and no separate published biography or provenance record has been located; the tabs are catalogued strictly on the basis of pattern, construction, and insignia device. The NSDAP’s 1939 uniform reform replaced an older, more elaborate prewar insignia system with a standardized set of devices and piping colors keyed to administrative echelon, running from the Reich leadership down to the Ortsgruppe – the lowest formal tier of the Party, corresponding to a single town or neighborhood branch. The Ortsgruppenleiter was the Party’s most visible representative at the grassroots level, responsible for local administration, rationing and civilian registries, monitoring political reliability, and, as the war turned against Germany, organizing civil defense and eventually the Volkssturm home guard. Surviving tabs of this pattern stand as direct physical markers of that community-level chain of command. Each tab is built on a brown velvet field bordered in pale cord piping, catalogued as light blue rayon per period regulation though appearing quite pale/whitish in the accompanying photographs – bidders should examine the images closely to judge the piping shade for themselves. The die-stamped eagle and oak-leaf-and-acorn devices are executed in a gilded zinc or buntmetall alloy with a bright gold finish. The reverses show exposed buckram-mesh stiffener with the original flat mounting prongs bent over in standard fashion for attachment to the tunic collar; no RZM paper tags survive on either tab, consistent with a worn-in, maker-unattributed example. Condition is very good and consistent throughout the pair: the velvet ground is intact with only minor nap wear and light lint accumulation visible on the fronts, the gilded insignia retain a strong gold finish with light surface patina, and the piping remains firmly attached along both tabs. The reverses show some material loss and fraying near the lower edges, typical of an original, unrestored pair. No case, ribbon bar, or other insignia accompanies this lot. A well-preserved, original pair of 1939-pattern Ortsgruppenleiter Kragenspiegel – a solid, displayable example of NSDAP political rank insignia at the community level.
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