The other day I came across this small bust of Paul von Hindenburg, about ten centimeters high. It is made of metal, although I do not know which kind, and quite heavy. On its sides it stands "Arm. Batl. 34." and "2. Komp.". Obviously I know what they mean, however I do not know which army the battalion they are referring to. Is it the Reichswehr? The Wehrmacht? or the Imperial Army?
What could the origin of the bust be? A souvenir? A private craftsmanship? A counterfeit? Any suggestions? It seems like it has been a bit abused.
Hindenburg Bust
Re: Hindenburg Bust
low quality (thus highly suspect IMO).... but probably the unit markings are for WW 1 era (what is "Arm. Batl. 34".... what does the Arm. stand for?)... not Army....?
Poor quality, but who knows?
John G.
Poor quality, but who knows?
John G.
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Jackson Slate
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
Hi! I would say that "Arm." stands for "Army" oder in German "Armee", but I could of course be wrong. What I would like to find out, apart from the origin, is if the quality is due to maltreatment or the skill of the craftman. It is strange, that there are no other indications what so ever. In any case, this thread is a mere try.
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Mark in Cleveland, Tn.
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
KInd of looks like Pewter as the metal.
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Dwight Pruitt
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
Or almost Linotype metal....Mark in Cleveland, Tn. wrote:KInd of looks like Pewter as the metal.
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Mark in Cleveland, Tn.
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
D. Pruitt..Lead-possible.
Have searched several sites looking for this bust, or one as similiar as possible...no luck..You know this might be one side or just one..Bookend.(s)
what u think of that?
Have searched several sites looking for this bust, or one as similiar as possible...no luck..You know this might be one side or just one..Bookend.(s)
what u think of that?
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Dwight Pruitt
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
It's very odd- the unit designation doesn't seem to make much sense, but I'm hardly an authority on Imperial pieces. Also, it shows him without any neck decorations and he was awarded the Pour le Merite in late 1914.
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ChristopherPerrien
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Re: Hindenburg Bust
Only thing I can note, is there was a unit labelled in OOB's as the 34th Inf Reserve(a battalion sized unit) at the Battle of the Masurian Lakes/a.k.a.Tannenberg of 1914, in which Hindenburg was the German Army commander/victor. Perhaps this bust was given to this company of this unit as a reward/trophy or note of some action or their service/presence in that battle by Hindenburg or his staff. Maybe it is a war/pre-war (WWI) trophy for a good inspection/mobilization/contest or who knows.
The beat up condition and rather spartan look of this item , tends to make me think it is real , and is just some old beat up company relic of an old Imperial army unit. I have seen more than a few tacky old army relics/artifacts/awards similar to this, present in the dusty display cases of units I was with, or that I have seen of other units or of other armies long gone, in museums or closets or boxes of veteran junk.
Not a book-end IMO , as it is not flat in back or flat/plain sides.
Perhaps a search through German language/Imperial Army archives could find some mention of this unit. I have no idea how to do that, and my Deutsch is long un-used.
The beat up condition and rather spartan look of this item , tends to make me think it is real , and is just some old beat up company relic of an old Imperial army unit. I have seen more than a few tacky old army relics/artifacts/awards similar to this, present in the dusty display cases of units I was with, or that I have seen of other units or of other armies long gone, in museums or closets or boxes of veteran junk.
Not a book-end IMO , as it is not flat in back or flat/plain sides.
Perhaps a search through German language/Imperial Army archives could find some mention of this unit. I have no idea how to do that, and my Deutsch is long un-used.