Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII National Socialist State Veterans’ Association, or NSRKB, Type I standard bearer gorget fitted with a 50-year service emblem and its complete original chain. Constructed from non-magnetic aluminum alloy with brass fittings, it measures approximately 6 1/2" wide by 4 1/4" high and retains its enameled organizational insignia, black felt reverse backing, suspension hardware, and 27" chain.

Gorgets originated as protective throat armor and later survived as ceremonial insignia identifying military, police, and organizational duties. During the Third Reich period, they were used by a wide range of uniformed organizations to identify specific functions, including standard bearers.

This example was intended for an NSRKB standard bearer and would have been worn during parades, commemorative ceremonies, veterans’ gatherings, and other official functions. Carrying an organizational standard was considered an important ceremonial responsibility.

The gorget is formed in a broad curved pattern resembling that used for German military police gorgets rather than the more pronounced heart-shaped form seen on some other standard bearer examples. The silver colored aluminum alloy body is decorated with a large applied brass device showing detailed Imperial German military standards together with later veterans’ organization flags. At the center is a separately applied enameled NSRKB emblem depicting the Kyffhäuser Monument above a mobile swas.

This emblem is associated with the Type I version of the gorget. The later Type II form used a different central insignia consisting of a red shield with a mobile swas positioned within an Iron Cross. The white, black, and translucent red enamel remains in very good condition. Fine age checking is visible within the enamel, while the surrounding brass borders have developed an attractive, even patina. Positioned above the main insignia is a small circular gold colored enamel badge denoting 50 years of service within German veterans’ organizations. This long-service distinction is sometimes described by collectors as a Golden Jubilee emblem.

The gorget is complete with its original chain, which measures approximately 27" long and shows no visible evidence of having been shortened. The chain alternates between Iron Cross shaped links and links bearing mobile swas emblems. Light wear and finish loss are present on the gilded surfaces of the chain, but all links remain present.

The chain is secured on the wearer’s left rear by a bent sheet metal loop. The opposite side is fitted with a bent aluminum sheet metal hook.

The hook is neatly marked:

3

This numeral has been observed on other examples and is generally regarded as a production, assembly, or manufacturer’s code, though its exact meaning has not been established. The reverse retains its original black felt style backing. The felt shows age-related wear and minor moth damage but remains securely attached to the metal body.

Overall condition is very good. The aluminum body remains sound, the brass fittings retain attractive patina, the central enamel is well preserved, and the complete chain and reverse backing remain present.

With its Type I Kyffhäuser emblem, applied 50-year service badge, complete alternating-link chain, non-magnetic aluminum and brass construction, original black felt backing, and marked suspension hook, this is an especially attractive NSRKB standard bearer gorget. The enamel age checking, chain finish wear, felt wear, minor moth damage, and uncertain meaning of the numeral 3 are fully disclosed. It would display particularly well in an NSRKB, German veterans’ organization, standard bearer insignia, ceremonial gorget, Kyffhäuser, or advanced WWII political collection.

The Kyffhäuserbund (English: Kyffhäuser League) is an umbrella organization for war veterans' and reservists' associations in Germany, founded in 1900 to unify the various veteran's groups in Germany. It owes its name to the Kyffhäuser Monument (German: Kyffhäuserdenkmal), a memorial built on the summit of the 473 m high Kyffhäuser mountain near Bad Frankenhausen, in the state of Thuringia in central Germany. It was not a political affiliated organization, and was open to all German war veterans.

When the National Socialist party came into party however, as with all national organizations, the group was absorbed under the NSDAP umbrella. In the name of Gleichschaltung (Co-Ordination or NSDAPfication), the Kyffhäuserbund was after the NSDAP takeover of power in 1933. Five years later, its name was altered to NS-Reichskriegerbund ‘Kyffhäuser’ e.V. (National Socialist Reich Warriors Association ‘Kyffhäuser‘ - RSRKB), becoming the sole and exclusive organization representing the Veterans´ interests in the Third Reich. The organization would then be disbanded in March of 1943 and its members would be drafted into Volksturm service in 1945, as the fall of WWII Germany approached.

The emblem of the group, which previously was a white shield showing the Kyffhäuser Monument over the National Tri-Color, was changed to having the NSDAP Swas (hook cross) flag on the bottom. Another emblem used had an Iron Cross with the Kyffhäuser monument in a circle in the center, which was then replaced with the NSDAP Swas.