UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum My Favorite SS rings!

I have translated a number of jewellery ads, technical articles and excerpts from the Nazi laws for Gaspare. All very interesting.

There were several articles and 'guidelines on the use of national symbols'. These attempted to define 'Kitsch'. National symbols were mainly the swastika but also depictions of Hitler and other Nazi leaders, and even the words, 'Heil Hitler'. Defining 'Kitsch' is of course difficult as it's a very subjective term. One man's trash is another man's treasure I guess.

Kitsch was viewed (by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry) as overly sentimental, clichéd, low quality, or 'cheap': e.g., ‘knick-knacks’, ‘travel souvenirs’. The display of national symbols on such items was, at best, strongly discouraged but, more usually, forbidden. This was because it degraded or was disrespectful to the 'National Revival', that is the rise of the Nazis and their assumption of power in 1933. Some other items, for example, flags and Christmas Cards and even SA and SS dolls were approved by the ministry, if they were well-made and in 'good taste'. This was reported in a 1933 article in the Frankfurter Zeitung.

Mikee is correct in that several items displaying National Symbols were indeed permitted to be sold from 1933 onwards... if permission had been obtained from Party Leadership or the local police authorities. A couple of period ads even state that they sell swastika rings with the approval of the local police authority.

With respect to the SS specifically, there were a couple of excerpts from the law stating - in no uncertain terms - that as of December 1934, 'SS rings no longer permitted'. This was at the order of the SS Leadership, forbidding the manufacture and wearing of rings with SS insignia. Violators would be punished under the Law against Acts of Treason against the State and Party and for the Protection of Party Uniforms (December 1934). There was a further order from October 1935 restating that the manufacture and wearing of rings with SS insignia was still forbidden. Obviously, none of this included the SS Ehrenring that was approved and awarded by Heinrich Himmler.

As noted previously, just because something was forbidden by law did not mean that it didn't occur anyway, even under such a fearsome administration as existed in Nazi Germany. If there's a buck to be made, many people will find a way.

One aspect of the Nazi Kitsch that seldom surfaces is the money factor.

A book I read many years ago suggested that a strong motive was that the Party wanted to cash in on people making money off their symbols. It also suggested that some of the items that were allowed to remain or were ignored as far as enforcement goes were those made by connected owners.

It also suggested that the RZM itself was established not only for uniform standards for party items but to keep the profits amongst the connected nazis.

Ya' think ??

G,

This isn't a article I posted and translated, it is the 1933 Law. These articles that you speak of. Are they clarifying the1933 Law or separate Laws.

Stephen,

I agree with your clarification, basically with what I have been stating. Also yes it can be very subjective due to the authorities being in different areas making decisions, but I think Article 6 helps out.

Mikee we can go round and round on this for many pages.....

I didn't want to reveal Stepnens name unless he choose to... I also had a number of articles translated from Odal before he died..

SS posted in 33 about rings.. Guess some weren't paying attention or monies at the time. . - The SS again posted in 1934 and 35,,,SS rings" no longer permitted". Also as mentioned before IF some were made and sold in Axis or Allied countries it would and could skirt their law..
- * From a couple of Stephens translations:
Violators would be punished under the Law against Acts of Treason against the State and Party and for the Protection of Party Uniforms (December 1934). There was a further order from October 1935 restating that the manufacture and wearing of rings with SS insignia was still forbidden. Obviously, none of this included the SS Ehrenring that was approved and awarded by Heinrich Himmler.

- As for the rest,,,just reading your numbered points about , - Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda office, the Minister of interior,, appeal paperwork or court,, fines,, dealing with the German police, etc. etc. etc. Most of the retailers who lost a few dozen 'messing' rings it just wasn't worth it to go thru all that.
From my old penpal,those that lost a large amount of silver would sometimes go thru all the paperwork , paying etc. to get back their silver items. and,,,even with all the appeals , fines etc. didn't guarantee you'd get anything back..

My search function hasn't worked since day one here :confused... - * There is a topic posted here recently,,, 'How strict Was the Law'... In it explained the German Police took everything in a raid except the Skull rings as they were worn by Hussars and before...

- So,,some say the laws was made to be broken.... In the end the 3rd Reich was very corrupt and IF you paid, [read bribed] you could get away with anything,,at least for a while.......

It's strange that you have such trouble with the GDC search function Gaspare. It is straightforward to use and I have always found what I am looking for. Accordingly, here is the 'How strict was the law' topic that you posted last November:

https://forum.germandaggers.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=359880#Post359880

Here is my translation of your article from the Watchmakers Art. It's not perfect but pretty good.

"Skull rings seized in Hanover." We read in the "Urhmacher Kunst".. Uniformed police officers suddenly arrived at Hanover's jewelry stores and confiscated the silver skull rings. The reason for the confiscation was that it was a violation of the law on national symbols because the rings were similar to SS skulls. The skull rings have nothing to do with the party and state symbols. They were mainly recruited by the soldiers of the German army in the last 50 years. There are steps involved in releasing the rings.

This article states nothing about "everything being taken and leaving the skull rings alone". As stated in the article they did confiscate the silver skull rings and states nothing in this article that the reason for the seizure had to do with the rings being closely resembling SS Honor rings. It was about the skulls..Fact, approval was given to some makers to sell skull rings.

Would like to see these other articles before I reply. Best!

Mikee,,, , for the members I was paraphrasing...

There was a raid -" Roughly it says: A jewelry shop in Hanover a Suprise raid was conducted to confiscate 'illegal' items".. Thats all that matters.. The skulls were in the end exempt because they have been worn for many years before.. "violation of the law on national symbols" is not just Skull rings......

Mikeee I have been collecting rings, tooling for them, the various trade guild booklets etc since 1976.. Also over the years I have paid some individuals to go thru archives etc. Some send me pieces I can use expressly for my project and not for print for anywhere else..

Thankfully with Shephen's help he's probably done a dozen translations for me... Odal had done dozens for me too! If your interested in the rest, you have to wait or start researching and paying yourself....

I will show the original dated article and then his translation... For now concerning SS rings.. They warned against them early and reiterated again,,no SS rings to be sold.. Thats it,,end of story.

Meanwhile,, it would be great to see some other SS rings from members or from photos files...... Thanks , G.

my fixed ss ring, the ring was found crumpled, i decided to return it to its original state

sorry fingers not mine )))

Evgeniy,, Thats a nice ring,,,and your restoration came out great !!

- Did you drill the holes? was that to keep what enamel in there when you re rounded it? I am sure we would all love to hear your method of restoring it!!

these dents are notches, made with some sharp object, I didn't do it, the ring was found like this, with these dots, obviously they wanted to write initials, but nothing came of it, at least I can't make out this gibberish.
The ring was slightly annealed to relieve the stress in the metal and make it easier to form into a circle, that's all.
Yes, I took a risk, a crack could have appeared, but I decided to take a risk

E,

You did an amazing job. Best!

I’m truly not trying to go “round and round”. All I want to do is post these laws so the members can read them, that’s all. If you can prove that all skull rings were exempt by the higher authority across all districts, great. If you can prove that the SS banned the manufacture and sell of SS rings from 1933, making SS rings made prior to 1933 and not after, great. If the SS banned them then that would scare any maker lol imo. I really don’t care either way. Just show proof with all that is being stated. And just because we have collected for a very long time doesn’t mean we stop learning or we are better then anyone else. You were all over the place with the translation of the article posted but at least we now know what it states and what it doesn't. Best!



“ Law for the Protection of National Symbols”

§ 1. It is forbidden to use the symbols of German history, the German state, and the national uprising in Germany publicly in a way that is likely to harm the sense of dignity of these symbols.

§ 2. The higher administrative authority of the place of manufacture shall decide whether an object has been put into circulation contrary to the provision of § 1. In this case, objects of this kind shall be subject to confiscation without compensation.

§ 3. The police authorities may seize the object even before the decision of the higher administrative authority if, at their discretion, a violation of the prohibition of § 1 has occurred. In such cases, they shall immediately notify the administrative authority responsible for the decision.

§ 4. The parties concerned may lodge an appeal against the decision of the higher administrative authority with the supreme local authority within 2 weeks. The appeal shall not have a suspensive effect. The Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda and the respective state government superior to the higher administrative authority may also appeal the decision of the supreme state authority through a representative of the public interest appointed by them within the period specified in subsection 1. Until the decision becomes final, the confiscation ordered by the higher administrative authority shall be deemed to be a seizure.

§ 5. Compensation shall not be granted for the effects of a seizure even if a final decision is made that there has been no violation of the prohibition in § 1.

§ 6. In cases of doubt, the deciding authorities shall hear an expert who combines artistic understanding with a sense of national responsibility.

§ 7. Legally binding decisions according to §§ 2, 4 shall have effect for the entire territory of the Reich.

§ 8. Police orders may be issued for the implementation of § 1 in cases where the infringement consists in the singing and playing of certain songs or in other acts than the placing on the market of objects.

§ 9. Any person who, contrary to a decision under § 2 or § 4, intentionally or negligently puts objects into circulation shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one hundred and fifty Reichsmarks or by imprisonment. Any person who intentionally or negligently contravenes police regulations issued on the basis of § 8 shall likewise be punished.

§ 10. Existing provisions concerning symbols or emblems of the German Reich and the German states shall remain unaffected.

§11. The legal and administrative regulations necessary for the implementation of this law shall be issued by the Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, in agreement with the Reich Minister of the Interior, in so far as regulations concerning symbols and emblems of the German Reich are concerned. He may issue guidelines for the application of this law. The state governments shall determine which authorities are to be regarded as supreme state authorities, higher administrative authorities, and police authorities within the meaning of this law.

20 May 1933

As number 11 states above: They may issue guidelines. Here they are:

“ Directives for the Management of the law for the Protection of National Symbols”


§ 1. If the object itself constitutes the symbol, then its use and propagation are admissible only if it is a product of the plastic or applied arts, for example paintings and plaques of leading personalities, swastikas on brooches or chains, or SA figures.

§ 2. If the symbol is represented on the object or in connection with it, its use is admissible only if the object itself or its meaning has an inner relation to the symbol, for example a swastika on a banner. The use of the symbol is particularly objectionable if employed for the purpose of decorating the object or increasing its selling power, for example the use of the swastika or the German colors on toy balls, money boxes, paper, cufflinks, packaging for chocolates or tobacco. The use of symbols for advertising purposes is forbidden in any circumstances.

§ 3. In all cases of numbers 1 and 2 the use of symbols is inadmissible if the execution is of inferior quality or with distorted ornamentation, for example artistically inferior portraits on luminous swastikas.

§ 4. Through remission of the police regulations (article 8 of the Law), the use of symbols in singing and playing songs and in the publication of works of literature is inadmissible if the artistic style or performance are inferior or result in circumstances not in keeping with the symbol, for example the playing of national hymns in medleys or traditional army marches played for dancing.

§ 5. The party insignia permitted by the NSDAP as well as pictures of the Fuhrer in the form of busts and badges may not be used without the agreement of the heads of the NSDAP (The General Secretaries of the Reich, Brown House, Munich). If at the time of decision, permission or ban is before the party heads, it must await this decision and abide by it.

19 May 1933

"Law Against Insidious Attacks on the State and Party and for the Protection of Party Uniforms"

§1
1. Anyone who intentionally makes or disseminates an untrue or grossly distorted statement of fact which is likely to seriously damage the well-being of the Reich or the reputation of the Reich Government or that of the National Socialist German Workers' Party or its branches shall, unless a more severe penalty is threatened in other provisions, be punished with imprisonment of up to two years and, if he makes or disseminates the statement publicly, with imprisonment of not less than three months.

2. Anyone who commits the act with gross negligence shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three months or with a fine.

3. If the act is directed exclusively against the reputation of the NSDAP or its branches, it shall only be prosecuted with the consent of the Führer's deputy or the body designated by him.

§2
1.Anyone who publicly makes hateful, inflammatory or statements about leading figures of the state or the NSDAP, about their orders or the institutions they have created, which are likely to undermine the people's trust in the political leadership, shall be punished with imprisonment.

2.Private malicious statements are equivalent to public statements if the perpetrator expects or must expect that the statement will become public knowledge.

3.The offence shall only be prosecuted on the orders of the Reich Minister of Justice; if the offence is directed against a leading figure of the NSDAP, the Reich Minister of Justice shall issue the order in agreement with the Deputy Führer.

4.The Reich Minister of Justice shall determine the circle of leading figures within the meaning of paragraph 1 in agreement with the Deputy Führer.

§ 3
1. Anyone who wears or carries a uniform or badge of the NSDAP or its branches when committing or threatening to commit a criminal act without being entitled to do so as a member of the NSDAP or its branches shall be punished with hard labor, or in less serious cases with imprisonment for not less than six months.

2. Anyone who commits the act with the intention of causing riots or causing fear or terror among the population, or causing foreign policy difficulties for the German Reich shall be punished with hard labor for not less than three years or with life imprisonment. In particularly serious cases the death penalty may be imposed.

3. A German may be prosecuted under these provisions even if he committed the act abroad.

§ 4
1. Anyone who, for personal gain or with the intention of achieving a political goal, presents himself as a member of the NSDAP or its branches without being one, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year and a fine or with one of these penalties.

2. The offence shall only be prosecuted with the consent of the Führer's deputy or the authority designated by him.

§ 5
1. Anyone who commercially manufactures, keeps in stock, offers for sale or otherwise puts into circulation official party uniforms, uniform parts, fabrics, flags or badges of the NSDAP, its divisions or its affiliated associations without the permission of the Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP shall be punished with imprisonment of up to two years. The Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP shall determine which uniform parts and fabrics require permission in agreement with the Reich Minister of Economics by means of a notice to be published in the Reich Law Gazette.

2. Anyone who is in possession of official party uniforms and badges without being authorized to do so as a member of the NSDAP, its divisions or its affiliated associations or for any other reason shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year and, if he wears these items, with imprisonment of not less than one month.

3. Uniforms, uniform parts and badges which are confusingly similar or equivalent to official party uniforms, uniform parts and badges.

4. In addition to the punishment, the confiscation of uniforms, uniform parts, fabrics, flags or badges to which the criminal offence relates shall be imposed. If no specific person can be prosecuted or convicted, confiscation shall be imposed independently if the other conditions for this are met.

5. The confiscated items shall be transferred to the Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP or to the office designated by him for disposal.

6. The prosecution of the offence and the independent confiscation, paragraph 4, sentence 2 shall only take place with the consent of the Führer's deputy or the office designated by him.

§ 6
1.For the purposes of these regulations, anyone who has obtained membership fraudulently shall not be considered a member of the NSDAP, its divisions or its affiliated associations.

§ 7
1.The Deputy Führer shall, in agreement with the Reich Ministers of Justice and the Interior, issue the regulations necessary for the implementation and supplementation of Sections 1 through 6.

§ 8
1.The provisions of this Act, with the exception of Section 5 paragraph 1, shall apply mutatis mutandis to the Reich Air Defense League, the German Airmail Association, the Voluntary Labor Service and the Technical Emergency Aid.

2.The regulations required to implement and supplement this provision shall be issued by the Reich Minister of Justice, in agreement with the Reich Minister of Aviation as it regards to the Reich Air Defense League and the German Airmail Association, and in agreement with the Reich Minister of the Interior as it regards to the Voluntary Labor Service and the Technical Emergency Aid.

§ 9
1. Section 5 paragraph 1, comes into force on February 1, 1935. The other provisions of this law come into force on the day after promulgation; at the same time, the Ordinance for the Defense against Insidious Attacks against the Government of the National Uprising of March 21, 1933 (Reich Law Gazette I, p. 135) and Article 4 of the Law on the Reich Aviation Administration of December 15, 1933 (Reich Law Gazette I, p. 1077) cease to apply.


20 December 1934.

Mike, this is roughly what I was trying to convey, that there can't be a total ban on the release of rings with the SS and SA party symbols.
There are too many rings and they are well preserved for all of them to have been released before 1933.
G. is interpreting the situation with the law too radically and incorrectly...

Hey E,

I agree with you, SS and SA rings were made after 1933 put for how long. I'm always ready to learn more. I'm sure G will post his project soon.

I'm am on a bit of a road trip at the moment..... As far as SS rings I think Stephen did a great job translating both ring laws perfectly as I can not post them..

Yes there could be a SS / SA ring after the law I explained. From another country,or,,from over stock allowed to sell until stock vacated..There was also a lot of corruption, bribes, payoffs etc. But that wasn't for long.. Do me a BIG favor,,find a advert from wartime and I don't need to do a project!

How bout this guys,,,, you guys show us,,, a German SS / SA ring advertisement after 1935..

From my simplistic perspective, there seems to be two main issues here:

i). The law regarding the use of Nazi ‘national symbols’.
As discussed already in this thread, and as described in the laws translated above by Mikee, the use of national symbols, in particular the swastika and images of Hitler and Nazi leaders, on manufactured objects was strictly controlled by the state. This was to ensure proper ‘respect for the dignity' of these symbols. If they were used, it had to be in ‘good taste’. Permission from the authorities was required in order to use such symbols. If such permission was not obtained, any such objects could be, and were, confiscated.

So, there were Swastika rings and other jewellery produced after the 1933 law was propagated. I have seen a couple of period ads for swastika rings that state they were approved by the local police authorities.

ii). The law regarding the use of SS insignia.
As noted above, a ruling from the SS leadership in 1934 and again in 1935, stated categorically that ‘the manufacture and wearing of rings with affixed or inlaid SS insignia set or inlaid is prohibited’. That is, using SS runes on rings was forbidden (by the SS) from 1934.

As noted by Mikee, that would likely have been enough to deter most sensible people from disobedience. Who would risk the wrath of the SS?

However, in my opinion, this does not necessarily mean that no SS rings were produced after 1934. I think it more likely that any SS rings produced after this date were probably made ‘under the radar’ (i.e., illegally) and certainly means that they were not advertised to the public. I don’t believe that ads for SS rings after 1934 existed. More likely, they were ordered and purchased privately. Some may have been made outside Germany. Thus, such rings will be significantly more rare now than SS rings produced before 1934.

Stephen,

I lean more toward your argument. What doesn't make sense to me is the statement, "SS rings made in other countries were exempt". Maybe G has found that law? I have not seen any law that suggests that, doesn't mean it doesn't exists.

Why ban SS rings in your own country but allow individuals to purchase and wear from another country? The SS ruling is still going to apply to these auslander SS rings IMO. Best!

you know I had a whole big post written out. Deleted it. Concerning this topic,,,my translator wrote that not once but 2 times the leadership of the SS didn't want SS rings made/sold....... What was done in other countries I think was out of the reach of the German police.

Have a happy holiday guys...........

Mikee,

Both the manufacture and the wearing of SS rings was forbidden by the SS leadership after 1934. It would have been a brave soul who continued to wear such a ring, regardless of where it came from, but there were probably a few such brave (or stupid) souls (probably among the SS).

Stephen

Stephen,

I absolutely agree lol.


G, Why delete it? Lets see it, come on now.

Mikee,, this is a topic on showing your SS rings.. See many doing that except E. and myself...

IF you want to start a topic on the law find one you like,,translate it and post away.. I'm on vaca in the mountains!

Stephen,
Have you seen any ads that were approved for sale for SS/SA rings in 1933 or 1934? Best!

G,
No problem, I'll just wait on your project. Have a great vacation! Best!

Hi Mikee,
I have seen a few ads for SS, SA, HJ and other Nazi rings. There‘s an ad or two posted here on the forum, such as the one below. It’s from a 1933 jewellery catalogue. As we're discussing, prior to 1933, police or Party approval wasn’t necessary for the advertising, sale and wearing of any rings depicting ‘National Symbols’.

Also noted above, however, SS rings were forbidden by orders from SS Leadership in 1934 and 1935. Consequently, only an idiot would have advertised SS rings after then. I translated both of these SS orders for Gaspare; they will be included in his book. Some ring ads will also be in the book.

Cheers,
Stephen

P.s. there’s a few ring ads in this old post:
https://forum.germandaggers.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=310675&Board=38

Stephen,

I absolutely agree and thank you for the great information. After 20 May1933, these catalogs would have an approval mentioned in them on the pages with the swastika,SS and SA symbols.Is this the case with your catalog shown above ie date and approval? I have quite a few of them, the problem I have with most of them is no actual date, so I know for sure I can date them past 20 May 1933, but past 1934 is a question. But I understand why they wouldn't due to the SS rulings. Best!

Ok enough of the law, enjoy the rings! Here are some I have previously owned to contribute.

Very nice indeed. Thanks for posting.

hdmarley,

Woah! What was the stand used for? Best!

It’s a custom ring display that collector Skipper Greenwade made. Here is a link :

http://www.skippergreenwade.com/index.html

Nice rings Dustin! Yes, glad to see visuals. Ron

Many thanks my friend !

You are welcome. Always glad to see a quality well presented display.

Here's my ring stand , personally made years ago from walnut, genuine ring / reproduction box can be inserted into hole

Nothing fancy like a stand but just a clear container with coin in bottom.

Ron ! “ nothing fancy “??? Your telling a big one now

Tanker, Collector


Very nice display!

Impressive displays!

Alright!!! Now we talking!! SS rings,, honor rings,, no problem,,,, show them all!!

Hey, can you tell us the name of the magazine? Thank you