Waffen-SS Belt Buckle -Assmann RZM 155-43 SS
Price: Sold
Description: Stamped steel construction, standard pattern, box buckle with a matte silver painted finish. The obverse of the buckle features a smooth outer field with a high relief, embossed central motif consisting of an SS style national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreath encompassing a static swastika. The swastika and wreath are in turn encompassed by a circular simulated twisted rope border with Gothic script motto, “Meine Ehre heißt Treue!”. The script is situated on a subtly textured background field and is encircled by the inner and an outer simulated twisted rope borders. The buckle retains +98% of its matte silver paint showing only the slightest use.. The reverse of the buckle is a mirror image of the obverse and has the brazed buckle catch, prong bar and prongs all intact. The reverse of the buckle is well marked with the very faint, just visible, impressed RZM logo and SS runes flanking the manufacturers contract code number and date “155/43” indicating manufacture by F.W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid in 1943.
Price: $650
Background: The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 under the auspices of the SA, SturmAbteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler (Shock Troops), and was redesignated SchutzStaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich “Beer-Hall” Putsch on November 9th 1925. As a subordinate unit to the SA, early SS personnel wore the standard SA style box belt buckle. It is believed that Adolf Hitler personally designed a new pattern box belt buckle specifically for wear by SS EM/NCO personnel with the manufacturing patent being originally granted to the Overhoff & Cie. firm in Lüdenscheid. This new style buckle was adopted for wear by EM/NCO personnel in late 1931 or early 1932. Generally the early buckles were produced in solid nickel/silver until sometime in 1936 when aluminum alloys replaced the nickel/silver versions. In 1940 the EM/NCO’s belt buckles began to be manufactured in steel replacing the aluminum alloy buckles.
