GERMANY – VDA “Germans Overseas” Donation Badge, 1939
kr 300.00
In stock
Description
GERMANY – VDA “Germans Overseas” Donation Badge, 1939
(Deutsche in Übersee / Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland)
Issued for the “Tag des Deutschen Volkstums” street collection held on 24–25 June 1939, this wearable donation badge was distributed by the Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland (VDA) in support of the Winterhilfswerk. Such badges were given to contributors as visible receipts for their donations and were intended to be worn temporarily on clothing. Although often grouped with medals by collectors, it is more accurately described as a fundraising or street-collection badge rather than an official military decoration.
The VDA originated as an organization supporting German-language schools, kindergartens, libraries and cultural institutions among German-speaking communities outside Germany. Renamed the Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland in 1933, it subsequently became closely associated with the nationalist and racial propaganda of the National Socialist state, promoting the ideological concept of a worldwide ethnic-German community.
The badge features a stylized map of the world with the inscription “Deutsche in Übersee,” meaning “Germans Overseas.” At the bottom is the VDA emblem, consisting of a stylized cornflower above the letters “VDA,” with surviving gold-painted highlights. The globe design emphasized the presence of German-speaking communities beyond Europe and the VDA’s claimed cultural connection between those communities and Germany.
Although commonly described commercially as porcelain, specialist cataloguing identifies this particular type as opaque white pressed glass with cold-painted blue and gold decoration. It is circular and convex, normally measuring approximately 26–27 mm in diameter, with a drilled suspension hole at the top. The dark cord allowed the badge to be worn around a button, attached to clothing or displayed after the collection. The manufacturer is presently unidentified.
This badge is an interesting surviving example of the fundraising culture and political symbolism of Germany immediately before the outbreak of the Second World War. It documents both the charitable collection system of the Winterhilfswerk and the VDA’s role in promoting National Socialist ideas concerning ethnic Germans living outside the borders of the Reich.
Condition: Very Fine; badge intact with no obvious major chips visible; blue map, inscription and VDA emblem remain clear; partial wear and loss to the original gold-painted details; minor surface marks consistent with age and handling; suspension hole intact; dark cord present with fading and fraying from age.
