Original Item. Only One Available. This is an iconic piece of World War I German ephemera, and only the second of its kind we have offered, a Machine Gunners badge (Maschinengewehr Abzeichen). These are heavily reproduced and it can be difficult to discern a real one, but this one is 100% correct with the back bearing a maker’s marking. These were generally 3 pieces including the machine gun plate, the felt middle piece, and a metal or cardboard backing plate for the front plate’s prongs to be inserted into. This example is complete.

This example is correctly vaulted, and measures approximately 3 x 2”. The back plate of the badge is heavily oxidized, but the maker marking can still be discerned:

FALKENBURG & RICHTER
COBLENZ

Falkenburg & Richter examples are those most often found in the United States, as since the U.S. Army of Occupation was headquartered in Coblenz, it became the prime location for souvenir hunting, and these badges were often brought back by U.S. soldiers, with that likely being the case for this example. There is some mothing in the felt piece, but overall it’s a real looker of a badge.

This is one of the most sought after WWI German badges, and it has become increasingly difficult to find an authentic example. They don’t get any better than this. Comes ready for further research and display!

Hand-picked German soldiers were formed into elite machine gun units that were trained in precision firing of the heavy guns from strategic battlefield locations. Members of the MG-Scharfschuetzen (machine gun sharpshooters) who mastered these techniques were awarded a proficiency badge, first authorized in January 1916. The badges were produced in either an embroidered cloth version or a metal one with cloth backing.