Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an original Imperial German WWI leather enlisted belt converted into what collectors commonly call a “hate belt” or souvenir belt. It retains its Prussian Gott Mit Uns belt buckle and carries 21 attached buttons and insignia representing several military and civilian organizations. Most of the attached pieces are German uniform buttons, while at least two American insignia were added during or after WWII.

Souvenir belts of this type were assembled by soldiers from captured, traded, recovered, or otherwise acquired buttons and insignia. German military belts were particularly suitable for this purpose because their broad leather bodies provided ample space for displaying small souvenirs.

The dramatic term hate belt reflects later collector terminology and the long-standing claim that each attached button represented an enemy soldier killed or captured by the owner.

There is generally no way to establish that interpretation from the belts themselves. Many surviving examples contain a mixture of Allied, Central Powers, civilian, and later-added insignia, indicating that they were assembled as personal souvenir collections rather than systematic records of combat.

This example is in good overall condition but is missing a few of the buttons. Additionally, much of the original rope used to connect them all is missing and was replaced by fishing line.

The belt features 21 attached items, including 18 German uniform buttons, one WWII added DI for the 168th Quartermaster Battalion, a Wyoming National Guard DI badge, and a German Berlin Strassenhahn button. The German buttons include several Prussian crown buttons, different eagle buttons, one blank button, and one stylized button.

There are some pieces missing as shown due to wear from age, but the belt is a good overall example which was originally put together during the period with some pieces added later.

The surviving Prussian buckle, leather belt, German buttons, later American insignia, missing attachments, and replacement fishing line document several stages in the object’s history. It appears to have originated as a WWI souvenir belt and was later modified with additional pieces, including U.S. WWII-era insignia. It is an instructive example of how battlefield souvenirs were collected, altered, and preserved across generations.