Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice original German WWII HJ Mützenabzeichen, or cap badge, accompanied by an original named HJ Quittungsmarkenkarte, or receipt stamp card, from Bann Bielefeld 158. Together, the two pieces make an appealing small grouping associated with a younger member of the HJ organization.

The card identifies the owner as being in the Deutsches Jungvolk in der HJ, the junior branch for boys approximately 10 to 14 years of age. The card measures approximately 3 1/4 x 4 7/8 inches and remains in very good condition, showing only the expected staining and age toning from long storage.

The badge itself is a very nice enamel HJ cap insignia manufactured by Frank & Reif of Stuttgart and marked with the RZM contractor code:

M1/102

It is constructed from a die-stamped nickel alloy base with a silvered finish and white, black, and translucent red enamel. The rhomboid obverse carries the familiar HJ national youth emblem, consisting of a black mobile swastika over a central silvered diamond, surrounded by alternating white and translucent red pebbled enamel quadrants and a narrow silvered border.

The reverse is fitted with a horizontally soldered bent flat-wire attachment clasp and is marked:

M1/102

and:

((RZM))

The badge measures approximately 25 mm high by 13 mm wide.

The reverse retains much of its original plating and remains partly bright. The obverse has lost more of its silvered finish and has developed a distinct mustard-toned patina around the borders. The enamel remains fully present, although cracks are visible in most of the individual quadrants. In the red sections, these cracks have allowed some oxidation to develop beneath the translucent enamel, giving the surface additional age character.

The RZM, or Reichszeugmeisterei, was responsible for regulating the production and quality of insignia, uniforms, equipment, and other items manufactured for the NSDAP and its affiliated organizations. By the mid-1930s, approved manufacturers were assigned standardized RZM codes. In this case, the M1 prefix identifies the category for metal badges, while 102 is the contractor number associated with Frank & Reif of Stuttgart.

The HJ had its origins in the early 1920s, when the NSDAP began organizing youth groups intended to bring younger Germans into the movement. These early organizations went through several reorganizations before the HJ was formally established as the party’s principal youth organization in the mid-1920s.

By 1930, the HJ had grown substantially and included boys aged 14 and older, while younger boys between approximately 10 and 14 were organized separately in the Deutsches Jungvolk. Girls were organized in parallel through the BDM.

Following the NSDAP rise to power in 1933, youth organizations outside party control were progressively absorbed or dissolved, and the HJ system expanded dramatically under Reich Youth Leader Baldur von Schirach. Membership, uniforms, badges, and administrative records became increasingly standardized, which is reflected in pieces such as this RZM-marked badge and the surviving receipt stamp card.

The combination of a named Jungvolk card and a correctly marked Frank & Reif cap badge makes this a very appealing small HJ grouping, especially with the card still retaining its local Bann Bielefeld 158 association.