Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition original German WWII Heer Panzer EM/NCO Kragenspiegel, or collar tab, of the type worn on the black Panzer wrap uniform on the left collar. It features the distinctive black wool body, Rosa rose pink piping, internal buckram stiffener, and a zinc “Danziger” style Totenkopf, or Death’s Head, emblem retaining both of its attachment clips. The combination of the black field, pink branch piping, and traditional skull insignia gives this tab the unmistakable appearance associated with German armored troops.

The black Panzer wrap tunic was introduced in 1934 for Germany’s newly organized armored formations and remained in use throughout WWII with several modifications. Its collar tabs carried the distinctive Prussian inspired “Danziger” skull and crossbones emblem, a design that continued in use throughout the war with manufacturing variations.

This example is constructed from black wool over an internal buckram stiffener. The outer edge is finished with Rosa, or rose pink, piping. This was the Heer Waffenfarbe associated with the Panzertruppen and related motorized combat branches.

Mounted at the center is a zinc “Danziger” style Totenkopf insignia. The skull retains both of its original attachment clips on the reverse, an important detail for completeness. The zinc surface has oxidized with age and now displays a muted gray appearance.

Condition overall is very good, with light general wear and staining consistent with age and service use. The wool body remains well formed, and the rose pink piping is still clearly defined.

We do not see any obvious exterior stitch holes that would definitively indicate the tab was once sewn to a uniform. There is, however, a second looser row of stitching surrounding the tighter construction stitching, an interesting feature that may relate to assembly or past mounting, though its exact purpose cannot be confirmed.

For the Panzer uniform or Heer insignia collector, this is a very appealing original collar tab with all of the classic features collectors look for: black wool construction, Rosa branch piping, internal stiffener, and a complete zinc “Danziger” Totenkopf retaining both reverse clips. The light staining and oxidation are fully consistent with age and do little to detract from the strong visual character of the piece.

Use of the Totenkopf as a military emblem began under Frederick the Great, who formed a regiment of Hussar cavalry in the Prussian army commanded by Colonel von Ruesch, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch). It adopted a black uniform with a Totenkopf emblazoned on the front of its mirlitons and wore it on the field in the War of Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years' War. The Totenkopf remained a part of the uniform when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2 in 1808. The skull continued to be used by the Prussian and Brunswick armed forces until 1918, and some of the stormtroopers that led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used skull badges. Luftstreitkräfte fighter pilots Georg von Hantelmann and Kurt Adolf Monnington are just two of a number of Central Powers military pilots who used the Totenkopf as their personal aircraft insignia.