The party badge was designed by Hitler himself arguing the very strong, and powerful appearance of the round badge with a red circle, white field and a mobile black swastika. The very first party badge prototype was made by hand by the Munich goldsmith Josef Fuess. In February 1920, he pinned the first badge on, then party leader, Anton Drexler’s lapel. In return he was told by Drexler that he had to fit in the word National-Sozialistische in the badge, since the party had just changed its name. From that point on, a myriad of makers would create badges from early 1920 up until the end of the war in 1945. Varying in size, quality and appearance. Listed below are some select specimens of the pre-RZM era badges, meaning badges that were produced before the Machtübernahme in 1933.
Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP) Period: February 1920 Size: Unknown Manufacturer: Josef Fuess, München Comments: No surviving examples known to collectors, and very likely none will surface either, since the prototypic nature of this badge. The badge is photographed in the Bundesarchiv. Cancelled due to the change of the party name, just about when the test badges was finished.
Materials: Transparent and opaque enamels on a messing planchet Period: October 1920 – c. 1921 Size: Not made public Manufacturer: Josef Fuess, München / sub-contractor Comments: This badge predates the Ges. Gesch era, and is instead marked D.R.G.M. for Deutsches Reichs-Gebrauchsmuster, a petty patent. This means it would be possible to date this badge to the year 1920. Without much doubt, this is the very first full-sized party badge made for the NSDAP. More about these badges can be read in this short article.
Materials: Transparent and opaque enamels on a messing planchet Period: October 1920 – c. 1921 Size: Not made public Manufacturer: Josef Fuess, München / sub-contractor Comments: Marked D.R.G.M. Almost identical to the badge above, though a different attachment.
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