DESCRIPTION: This is a silver medallion by the master medalist Karl-x-Goetz.. Goetz was born in Augsburg, Germany. He studied art in that city under master Johannes Dominal and continued his education in Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin until 1897, after spending 2 years in The Netherlands, and Paris for 5 more years. He finally settled in Munich where he spent the rest of his life. He extended his sculpting and medalist abilities in the creation of pattern coins for the German Kaiserreich and the Welmar Republic in the 1930s and 1940s. He produced many medallions for the National Socialist government under Hitler. He won many awards and prizes throughout his career. An entire history of Germany through all it tribulations and glory can be perceived in the fine medals of Karl Goetz. This medallion of Reichsmarschall Hermann Wilhelm Göring is possibly one of Goetz’s best. Göring is seen in his Jäger hat with the date ‘1935’ and the words Reichs Jägermeister Hermann Göring (Reichs Master of the Hunt). On the back is a downed stag with an owl on a stone pedestal. The owl was a symbol of the hunt engendered by natural wildwood wisdom. On the pedestal are the words: “Für Natur Schutz,” “For protection of nature.” Göring certainly was for this! As Reichs Jägermeister he was the ecologist’s ecologist. See our write-up on him at the Göring Ring at Item GOR 5-1 and the Rustic Lodge Chest at Item GOR 7-2. Even his enemies credit him with great services to hunting and forestry measures that are still used effectively today. The medallion is silver-dollar sized and is beautifully struck in great detail. Our elderly jeweler struck about 10 of these all in silver and his son told us they were never actually delivered to the offices of the hunting association. So we were able to purchase all ten of them. For some explanation of how we came into these and so many other silver items, see the section “About Our Rings". This is a fine rendering of a really great Goetz medal. Our jeweler knew Karl Goetz personally as a close friend.
We are often asked how we can afford to make these wonderful pieces so affordable and how they can possibly be original, when people who are selling reproductions are charging nearly as much, or often more.
The quality of these rings and other jewelry items is practically legend. There have been entrepreneurs who have bought original rings from us and then attempted to copy them with the old lost-wax process, but have, to date, completely failed, because they just cannot master the Germanic precision, and the fact that most of the finest of the rings produced in the 1930's and 1940's were made with expensive precise tooling dies that would cost far more than these. Would-be cottage-industry duplicators would never be able to afford. Through their efforts, they are only able to produce primitive look-alikes, which really don't look much like the original on close inspection, even from a distance of 5 feet or so.
Now emerges the obvious, often-asked question: "How did you come into possession of all these rings, cap insignia, stickpins, and other great Germanic jewelry items?" So Hereby lies the saga!
 Most of the rings were found in April 1997, at the Stuttgart Military Show. When an elderly gentleman attended the show with his son, he approached several dealers and showed them an entire cigar box that turned out to be several cigar boxes of National Socialist and military rings, pendants, medallions, etc. He recounted that in 1945 as Berlin was crushed and in flames he clandestinely visited several jewelry firms that he had worked for. He had been a free-lance finisher and enameller and worked from time to time for Wagner, Wilm, Deshler, and other smaller shops outside the metropolitan Berlin area. He also designed many of the rings and other jewelry himself as did his father before him. Knowing that many of these wonderful pieces would be lost to the marauding and looting Russian barbarians, he decided to go on a dangerous mission to rescue many of these artistic treasures, many that he had either tooled, designed, or finished himself. Many of the items left on the workbenches were prototypes and the fabulous victory rings were in that category. Evidently, a few were somehow released, but the greater part were in the planning stage. However, several of each were scooped up by this enterprising jeweler and thus we were able to buy them from him many years later at Stuttgart. He also had numerous examples hidden away very carefully because he was very proud of his creations and was sure in his mind that the NSDAP that he belonged to would be back after this unfortunate, but hopefully temporary, setback. We were flabbergasted when his son said that the cache was actually hidden under his chicken coop since 1945. It was actually the bulk of the victory rings that had to be retrieved from the various jewelry companies. He luckily also gathered up quite a few rings and other jewelry that had been left for repair or improvement by famous personalities such as Hermann Göring. Some of the items were in the unfinished stage and other planchets were in the design mode. When we bought his cache of treasures we had to buy it all including many baubles that had nothing whatever to do with the NSDAP or Wehrmacht. There were wedding rings of the and party, and many civil examples, as well. There were also cameo brooches, religious crucifixes, etc., and there were some fantastic items recovered and purchased by me and two German dealers.
This was one of the largest lots of leftover Third Reich memorabilia ever turned up in Germany since the days when Major Jim Atwood went to all the cutlery dealers and blade makers in Solingen and turned up mountains of daggers, swords, blades, and parts in the bins of the makers not disturbed since the struggle for Europe collapsed in flames. Atwood also went to firms like Assmann and the Ludenshied firms and bought truckloads of material and sent it all back to dealers, who then sold to collectors. This, in essence, was what brought Third Reich and German Imperial collecting along as a vibrant and great hobby. Many of the items that Jim brought back were exotica items that the war-weary GI's in World War II would never have recognized as possibly someday having value. They mostly wanted the cameras and watches. We knew Jim back there in the 60's and we had many a dealing with him as did many of the old timers in the business such as Tom Johnson, Bill Stump, Paul Peters, Chuck Scaglione, Ray Zyla, and Mike Clark, to name a few. This was surely the heyday of relic collecting and it continues on as one of the most fascinating pastimes ever dabbled in. Unfortunately, as in all businesses that promise any success or financial opportunity, there are the "young Turks" who come on like a blaze of "fire and brimstone." They try to turn it into a simply a money-making exercise and they push and grab for every nickel that can be fetched without any thought as to the great historical value that these relics have. We feel that the deeper meaning is imparted by their structure and manufacture and in some cases the amazing beauty of handiwork in the finest traditions of Teutonic craftsmanship. These are the hard evidences of "Germania," with the greatest artistic culture that this world has seen or will ever see harking back to the ancient Germanic forest dwellers, who had a rigid discipline and sense of honor, and then on to the various -Ahnenerbe expeditions and the meaningful artistic presence in the time known to history as the Third German Reich. After that fellows it was all downhill I'm afraid. But we are particularly proud at our Germania site in its constant presentation of the most rare and historically important artifacts of the various Reich time periods. The jewelry from this amazing man's cache was, and is, phenomenal and we offer it at very affordable prices to the collectors because we duly amortized it according to our cost, while leaving a fair profit for ourselves, but making it possible for you to own such absolutely great pieces that hitherto would have been beyond financial possibility for the average collector. We absolutely guarantee the articles sold and we extend a 7-day inspection period for examination. So far, only two items of jewelry have ever come back to us and that was for no other reason that an "expert" on one of these dubious forums had decided that they were too good!--too perfect!
Let's examine this statement ('too good.') Let it sink in. Does it make any sense?
The classic description of an expert as it sometimes is described can be thus: 'X'--we know is the unknown factor and 'spurt' is the noise that a drip makes when it is put under pressure and what we have with this equation is what? Why an (X-Spurt) of course, what else?
We do not mean to cast any aspersions on those who have made practically an academic study into the historical significance of this jewelry and insignia--things that we love. Nor do we disdain for a moment any well-meaning veteran collector who consents to help an aspiring novice to recognize certain manufacturing traits and requirements that existed at the time these daggers, swords, uniforms, jewelry, and insignia were manufactured. We all can use sage advise and help from the experienced troopers, but beware the "x-spurts" sitting in front of their monitors and keyboards thinking that they are at the controls of a Tiger Tank. Sometimes I think it really would be better for all of us if they were to just play Rambo-type video games rather than to imagine they are advanced experts at relic identification with pseudo-professional critique to offer.
The jewelry items that we offer here are of such obvious quality that they will "speak" to any one who looks and listens and they will utterly negate any dubious question or accusation that spews from the keyboard of such silly detractors.
Here is the original and best without any serious doubt possible. We offer these words because of the rash of very dubious advise proffered lately on the net that is probably orchestrated by the "hidden hand" that seeks to curtail and destroy our hobby because it actually offends them even though they are piling in the bucks themselves while handling the hated paraphernalia.
Well, we are here to stay folks and we will thoroughly enjoy trading in our chosen line of goodies without thought to the gossips or would-be destroyers. Fair enough Kameraden? Wir Marschieren immer Vorwärts.
Paul bei Germania.
Rings
Here above is a picture of the father of the jewelry designer that was given to me by the son This was his grandfather. Note that he is working with steel dies at his bench. This picture is from 1925 just before the old man retired. The son, who was our jeweler of note, took over in full, following in the footsteps of his elder who he had worked with for so many years as an apprentice. The grandson who did the translating for me with the help of my German colleagues seemed to have no apparent interest in pursuing the trade. This we thought to be unfortunate indeed as the father seemed so acutely proud of his art. He did want these articles to go to persons who would truly appreciate them for their beauty and quality. It only seems a shame that we cannot weed out some of the scoundrels who buy them and then make copies and sell them advertised as real or in the case of several of these monkeys the finished products are so bad that they have to sell them for what they are-mass-produced junk!
It is a real shame that the original rings that are so beautiful and historically important have to be maligned by simpletons and (wannabe X-Spurts) who think the pieces are (too good). Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think I would rather have a piece of jewelry that is too good and original period than to acquire one that is not good enough and dubious wouldn't you?
DESCRIPTION: Here is an incredible oak chest completely hand carved and originally from the hunting lodge of Hermann Göring, the second-highest official of the Third Reich. This stunningly beautiful art piece is done in the traditional Black Forest style of very rustic-looking furnishings that the ‘master of the hunt’ loved so much! Göring’s off-duty life centered around the forest, where he indulged in his favorite sport, hunting. He was honored by Adolf Hitler when the Führer bestowed upon him the title of Reichsjagermeister in 1934, having authority over all hunting and forest preservation. His edicts and game laws were a model for those still enforced throughout Europe, today. He was the prime mover for the prohibition of vivisection throughout the Reich, and, of course, along with that, Kosher slaughter was also banned in that year. In his office he had a sign saying “Wer Tiere Qüalt, verletz das Deutsche Volksempfinden,” (He who tortures animals wounds the feelings of the German people). He was hailed worldwide as a conservationist of great imagination and achievement. In 1933, Göring decided to build a great country mansion to be dedicated as a memorial to his first wife, Carin, whom he continued to love to the end of his life. He placed this state home in the middle of a 100,000 acre tract in the forest of the Schorfheide (a hunter’s paradise). His architects made it take shape in the form of a vast baronial mansion for a man who reminded many of a feudal monarch. Various sections of the house were decorated differently with various motifs in furniture and tapestries. Even the door handles were considered works of art. It was the fulfillment of a dream he had worked on all of his life to make come true. He personally planned everything himself with the aid of such famous designers as Hulbe of Hamburg and Anton Possenbacher of Munich. The setting was perfect the placing of the house without fault. That was the most marvelous part of his personal achievement. Wherever you look and from whatever window you gaze there is always a glimpse of the lake or the forest and inside too you would look up to the clear pine roofs and open beams. Oak was a key word to Hermann Göring. See our description of the presentation goblet B(it looks like a tree) to him at (make link). He recognized the significance of the mighty oak to the Teutonic German past and its mystical powers. Der Heilege Baum was important to Hermann Göring and it was the predominant wood used throughout his several estates, but especially here in Carinhalle. One of the Gute Zimmer” or state rooms, was the hunting hall, where the entertaining took place for important diplomats, sportsmen, and hunters, who were lucky enough to be invited to participate in elaborate hunting parties that the host would organize and in this hall almost everything was decorated or built with rustic décor and there were many gifts that were presented to him here to include guns, huntsmen’s horns, boar spears, archery equipment, and various pieces of hand-carved furniture. Now we get to the subject of this dissertation. This chest that we offer comes from a grouping of such items long hidden away in east Prussia--hidden from the barbarian Russian officials during the occupation years. Knowing full well of the destructive tendencies of the Kulturtragers (barbarian beasts!) one of Hermann Göring’s workers at the Schorfheide estate removed many art objects and other items such as furniture, some jewelry, guns, and paper items from the estate after Göring abandoned it in 1945. The Russian subhuman troops did not find much on their approval because the employees with devotion to their boss and the knowledge of what was to come under the heel of the cruel animalistic system felt that these things belonged to Germans and to hell with Moscow! It is a testament to the Germanic will and determination to preserve beauty and culture that allows these important historical treasures to be offered today instead of being used as diaper dispensers in some commune in the Russian wastelands. The chest we offer is an incredible example of Black Forest art with overtones of medieval design and splendor. The main feature is a wonderful depiction of the Göring family crest fully carved in high relief with H.G. (Hermann Göring) carved in relief under it. The floral design is incredible surrounding the armored arm with the ring of the ancient Göring-family crest. Above this you can see the crowned helmet that signifies the Göring family’s fealty to the Prussian kings and their royal bloodlines as well. The front of the chest under the keyhole has a plaque that says Waldhut Carinhlle. This means ‘forest hut.’ This description was certainly fitting in 1933 when the case we present here joined the rest of the all-rustic trappings. In 1933, Carinhalle was in fact a forest hut, but soon after became a veritable mansion. The chest of gnarled oak was said to be from oak branches from a very old tree stump in the forest and assembled to be artistically incorporated in this magnificent Black Forest piece. It may have been one of the very first presentation gifts to Göring soon after the purchase of the land possibly even before the house was built. In any case, it is perfection in the rustic mode and must have made the future Reichsmarschall enormously happy to receive it. The chest is big, measuring 16 inches by 10 ½ inches across its top and almost 7 inches deep. There are protrusions that also serve as legs that are 9 inches high at 6 places supporting the chest body. The whole depiction would seem to approximate the Jager boxes that are much bigger and are actually found throughout the German forests and placed at various locations and filled with supplies that a hunter might need such as gun-cleaning supplies, first-aid equipment, rope, and sometimes jugs of water, etc. This custom was also promoted and was the idea of the Master of the German Forest ‘Unser Hermann’. This was what the German people called him, the most beloved NSDAP leader. We are very proud to offer this priceless historical relic (with a price).