Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive framed German WWII 40-Year Gold Faithful Service Decoration, or goldenes Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen, displayed alongside its named award certificate to Oberwachtmeister Friedrich Wilhelm Riesterer of Villingen, dated 27 July 1939. The certificate specifically records recognition for 40 years of faithful service, corresponding with the gold First Class decoration mounted beside it in a 45 ½ cm x 45 ½ cm frame (18” x 18”).

The decoration is the familiar cross award with a gold-tone finish, oak-leaf wreath, and black enameled swas. at the center. It is suspended from its cornflower-blue ribbon and has been professionally mounted beside the document. The standard reverse of this class bears the inscription Für treue Dienste, or “For Faithful Service,” although the reverse of this particular example cannot be inspected while it remains framed. Period regulations established the gold First Class for 40 years of qualifying public service, while the silver Second Class recognized 25 years.

The certificate reads:

Im Namen
des
Deutschen Volkes

verleihe ich
dem Oberwachtmeister
Friedrich Wilhelm R i e s t e r e r
in Villingen

als Anerkennung für 40jährige treue Dienste
das
goldene
Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen.

Berlin, den 27. Juli 1939

Der Führer und Reichskanzler

At the lower left is the large blind-embossed state seal incorporating the national eagle and swas. device. A blue signature appears beneath the official title at lower right. The document remains behind glass, and from the photographs alone we would not characterize the signature as personally handwritten rather than a period facsimile or other official signature form.

It translates to: “In the name of the German people, I award Oberwachtmeister Friedrich Wilhelm Riesterer in Villingen, in recognition of 40 years of faithful service, the Gold Faithful Service Decoration. Berlin, 27 July 1939. The Führer and Reich Chancellor.”

We have intentionally retained the title Oberwachtmeister in the translation. The term was used as a rank or official grade in more than one German uniformed service, and the certificate itself does not identify Riesterer's particular department. It would therefore be speculative to assign him specifically to the police, military, or another service solely from this document.

The decoration presents very well, retaining an attractive aged gold finish, strong blue coloration to the ribbon, and apparently intact black enamel to the central emblem. Expected toning and age-related surface wear are visible to the metal.

The certificate remains highly legible and displays pleasing period age. There is overall toning and a few small spots, including a more noticeable brown spot near the lower left. The blind-embossed seal remains quite well defined, and the recipient's name, rank, location, award, and date are all clearly readable.

Both pieces are housed in a later professionally prepared display frame with layered cream and metallic-tone matting, a recessed opening for the decoration, and a dark decorative frame with gilt-colored beaded inner trim. The framing provides an especially effective presentation while protecting the original material.

The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen was instituted on 30 January 1938 as a state decoration recognizing long periods of faithful employment. Under the regulations, officials, employees, and workers in public service could qualify after 25 or 40 years, with the 40-year award represented by the gold First Class seen here. The decoration was worn from a cornflower-blue ribbon. Contemporary regulations also created separate long-service systems for certain organizations, including the police, making it important not to infer Riesterer's exact branch merely from his Oberwachtmeister title.

The design of the 40-year decoration consisted of a gilt cross with a central oak-leaf wreath surrounding a black enameled swas., while the reverse carried the inscription FÜR TREUE DIENSTE, meaning “For Faithful Service.”

Of particular interest is the date on Riesterer's certificate, 27 July 1939. This places the award during the relatively brief period between the decoration's establishment in January 1938 and the beginning of the European war in September 1939. The wording of this certificate is also a particularly formal version, beginning Im Namen des Deutschen Volkes verleihe ich rather than the alternative administrative wording encountered on some other surviving Faithful Service certificates.