This eagle is the tombak variety (with a gilt wash), which was worn by both water police and traffic police on the full dress shako. The ordinary police wore the same device in a matte aluminium finish. All traffic and water police insignia is relatively scarce. The water police duties involved patroling canals, rivers and ports.

The badge, for which this pin is the miniature, was instituted on 1 June 1940. It was originally intended as the engineers' assault badge, but was quickly redesignated to include members of the artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft units and battlefield medics who served with the infantry and armour in an auxilliary role during an assault.

This was the basic wound badge for the first wound in combat. It was later upgraded by the silver and gold badges for subsequent wounds. It is of pressed steel with 98% of its original blackened finish, a little worn on the arms of the swastika, but otherwise in good shape.

The badge, for which this pin is the miniature, was instituted on 1 June 1940 for the crews of armoured vehicles other than tanks, ie self-propelled gunners, Panzer Grenadiers, anti-tank units, medics and support units within the Panzer division. This badge is 1.5cm high (excluding the pin itself).

Instituted 14 July 1942 primarily as a gallantry award for Ostvolk units - eg Baltic and Russian troops serving with the German army. It was also awarded after October 1942 to German troops serving with these units, provided they already had an Iron Cross, ist or 2nd class.

This badge was worn as an entry pass and identification by dockyard workers, in this case the Deutschwerker Yards at Kiel. This yard would have primarily been responsible for U- and E-boat construction at this point. It is maker marked Hoffstatter Bonn on the reverse.

This was worn on the white summer tunic in tropical areas to enable easy washing of the tunic without disfiguring the eagle. Typically Mediterranean submarine officer crew can be seen wearing it in contemporary illustrations.

This die struck, mild steel badge was sold as an NSDAP fund raiser at the 1935 Dresden Party meeting commemorating ten years of political activity in Saxony. The pin is broken, but the badge retains most of it's original 'antique silver' finish.

This is the 'contributing members' pin awarded to financial supporters of the SS. The translation of the German is: 'Thanks of the SS for loyalty // help in the time of struggle'. It is nicely stamped with RZM and some issue numbers on the reverse, as well as 'GES.GESCH.' (for patent pending).

One of the rarer Third Reich lapel pins, these were given to the civilians who operated as air wardens in Danzig (the present day port of Gdansk in Poland, which, in the 1930s, was a free port and an autonomous entity surrounded by Polish soil). They have the emblem of Danzig at the base of the badge on the white circlet.