Description
Product Description:This Mint Cased OM Pilot Badge is nearly perfect in every sense. It is rare to find another in such perfect condition. This extremely desirable and high-quality early award is made of die-struck tombak. All of the original finish to both the wreath and the eagle are intact. The wreath boasts a gorgeous high silver electroplated finish, with perfect burnishing to the highlights. The eagle retains all of the original factory darkening. All of the crisp and fine detail is intact, with no wear. The reverse of this badge shows only the slightest hint of age toning, and is textbook in every regard. The attachment pin is functional, and there are no repairs or damage. It’s marked behind the eagle with “OM” indicating manufacture by a yet still unknown maker. This fantastic badge is housed in a beautiful well made case that is correct for this maker. The exterior of the case shows only extremely slight wear and toning. The lid is embossed in gold leaf with the award designation “Luftwaffenflugzeugführerabzeichen.” The hinge and push button are in perfect working order. Inside, the badge is handsomely displayed on a deluxe blue plush velvet insert. The lid lining and hinge cover are intact with no issues. This Mint Cased OM Pilot Badge would likely be nearly impossible to ever upgrade. It’s a supremely choice example.
Historical Description: The Luftwaffe Pilot Badge was instituted by head of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring on August 12, 1935. It was among the earliest qualification badges introduced in the German Wehrmacht and was worn by all qualified pilots in the German Luftwaffe (Airforce). The design of the badge featured a large, swooping eagle clutching a large German national swastika emblem, surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel leaves. The badge was normally presented in a blue hinged case, but later in the war was issued in paper packets and boxes. It was worn on the upper left uniform pocket. A cloth version was also authorized for field use. In the nearly ten years from the introduction of this badge to the end of WWII, the manufacturers of these awards made many subtle changes to the features of the designs. Some companies, like Juncker, Assmann, and Deumer, had early first pattern badges which looked completely different from their later produced pieces. Pilot badges were made of aluminum, nickel silver, plated Tombak, and zinc. The eagle was always a separate piece, riveted to the wreath, with different manufacturers using different rivet designs. As the war progressed, and dies wore out, many makers produced badges with subtle changes. All these changes, over time, opened up a large spectrum of variation collecting for Luftwaffe badge collectors. Early variations of this badge can appear much like that of jewelry. The quality and craftsmanship for these military awards can arguably be the finest produced by any military in history. This is part of the allure for many collectors.
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