GERMAN WWII SHIELD with SKULL and BONES, 1941-1945
German WWII shield with a skull and bones motif, dating from 1941-1945, and considered trench art. This is a very collectible item and part of our old collection of WWII trench art items. It is suitable for display in a historic museum or a private collection.
CONDITION: The item is in very good, used condition. For additional information, please refer to the pictures.
PROVENANCE: 1. From an old, large collection in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, 1958-2012; 2. eBay, USA, March 16, 2017, Lot 292047581660 (the winner will receive this information); 3. Our sale of this item adds another layer of provenance (please print this page). History of sale is very IMPORTANT for serious collection.
DIMENSIONS: 173 x 130 x 9 mm (6.81 x 5.12 x 0.35 inches).
ESTIMATED PRICE: $50 - $300 (significantly lower than today's market price).
HISTORY of SALES: A few years ago, trench art shields were sold on Live Auctioneers and eBay for $285 (7 years ago), $295 (8 years ago), $800 (6 years ago), and $1,500 (7 years ago) - please refer to the screenshots for details. Today, prices have significantly increased compared to those of 5-10 years ago.
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HISTORY: Totenkopf (i.e. skull, literally dead's head) is the German word for the skull and crossbones and death's head symbols. According to a writing by Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler the Totenkopf had the following meaning: The Skull is the reminder that you shall always be willing to put your self at stake for the life of the whole community. The Totenkopf was also used as the unit insignia of the Panzer forces of the German Heer (Army), and also by the Panzer units of the Luftwaffe, including those of the elite Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Goring. Both the 3rd SS Panzer Division of the Waffen-SS, and the World War II era Luftwaffe's 54th Bomber Wing Kampfgeschwader 54 were given the unit name "Totenkopf", and used a strikingly similar-looking graphic skull-crossbones insignia as the SS units of the same name. The 3rd SS Panzer Division also had skull patches on their uniform collars instead of the SS sieg rune.

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