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Italian Fascist
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Signed Photo of Benito Mussolini (Item I-FAS 3-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is something that one of our staff advisors had in his own collection for 35 years. Only recently did this person decide to finally offer it. This is simply a treasure, indeed. It is a picture of the young Il Duce with a nice, bold pen-and-ink signature at the bottom. The picture is framed in an original Italian frame with green and gold trim. The photo measures 6 x 9 1/2 inches. The frame measures 16 1/2 x 20 1/2. Now, for the ‘kicker;’ the frame has double-sided glass and on the backside is mounted an original letter from the Royal Vice Consul of Italy announcing that a lady in Buffalo, New York was hereby receiving this autographed picture of His Excellency, Benito Mussolini in recognition of Mrs. Van Clief’s sincere friendship for Italy and Fascism. The vice consul signs this letter in handwriting. The letter is dated May 11, 1929 (VII). This Mrs. Helen Ingram Van Clief was of the very well known and respectable family, Van Clief, on Delaware Avenue, the street where all the rich and noble families of the western N.Y. city lived in stately mansions. These people were very wary of the communist-led menace (and rightfully so) and that, more than any other reason, is why they financially supported Hitler and Mussolini, who seemed to promise the defeat of the communist rabble. This is without a doubt a fantastic historical relic and will be appreciated by every WWII historian as a rare and exciting find.
PRICE: $3,800.00 |
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Rings of the Pact of Steel (Item I-FAS 3-2; NSD 11-9; AH 16-8) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Now, finally, because of some negotiations in Germany, we at Germania are able to offer some of the most beautiful rings of NS Germany. These rings are 100-percent original and are the most important of all the art of the finger ring in military or political history. They were designed and produced by one of the most talented jewelry artisans in the turbulent years of the 1930-1940s. See. About Our Rings. This man (the jeweler) was a firm patriot in the NS ideology as well as a master artisan in jewelry arts. He had contracts with the NS Government as well as commissions with many of the famous firms that produced jewelry themselves, or contracted out to dependable artists, such as this man. Before we go into the description of these fabulous rings we thought to give a capsule review of the background of the fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. Most of customers are very familiar with the life and “(Mein Kampf),” struggle and victory of Adolf Hitler, but the saga of Mussolini is usually unknown to the collectors of German WWII relics. Yet, we feel it is important to at least give a glimpse of the life of this amazing man, at least up to the time of the signing of the Pact of Steel that these rings commemorate. Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883, in the village of Predappio. He was born into a socialist-oriented family. His father often encouraged Benito to (disobey authority) (other than his own). He became a flaming socialist in his younger years. He was never baptized as a child. The parents were agnostics. He had a turbulent childhood and was in constant trouble with the school officials and neighbors. He was expelled from school. He did, however, eventually receive good grades and qualified as an elementary schoolmaster in 1901. He immigrated to Switzerland in 1902, after getting involved with the socialist movement there, was deported, but later returned and found a job in Trento (ethnically Italian, but under the control of Austria-Hungary). There he edited a socialist newspaper. But in this period his political views started to radically change and the emergence of the utopian fascist state started to form in his thinking, and a section of revolutionary syndicalists broke with the socialists over the issue of Italy’s entry into the First World War. The ambitious Mussolini sided with them. After WWI broke out these syndicalists formed a group called Fasci d’azione rivoluzionaria internalista. Mussolini’s perceptions had done an about face under the fascist banner of authority and national ideology. He was able to bring the needed message that international communism was the greatest danger to the peace and tranquility of Europe. Rapidly abandoning his early socialist and republican leanings he finally put himself at the people’s service of antisocialist causes. The fascist militias supported by the wealthy classes and even government and state apparatuses saw him as the restorer of order. After a turbulent period in the life of Benito Mussolini as a rabble-rouser, editor of newspapers of the socialist international such as Il Popolo (The People), the swing over to fascism is well documented. We will not trace it entirely, here. The word fascio existed in Italian politics for some time and Mussolini, being then at the time of WWI and also being that he was the editor of the persuasive newspaper, Avanti, his influence was needed to bring Italy to the side of Britain and France. Called to military service, Mussolini was wounded in grenade practice in 1917 and returned to edit his paper. Fascism became an organized political movement following a meeting in Milan on March 29, 1919, and it was Benito who founded the Fasci di Combattimento and destiny was sealed. The fascisti formed armed squads of war veterans called squadristi to terrorize and combat anarchists, socialists, and communists and they did a jolly good job of that delightful pastime. Later, Mussolini was invited by Vittorio Emanuele III to form a new government. At the age of 39 he became the youngest premier in the history of Italy (October 31, 1922). Contrary to some historical opinion, the (March on Rome) was merely a victory parade. Power had already been granted. Mussolini assumed the premiership of a right-wing coalition cabinet initially including members of the pro-Catholic Church Partito Popolare (People’s Party). The opposition, however, operated under anarchists, communists, other undesirables, and dangerous fanatics. There was even an assassination attempt by a rodent-faced anarchist by the name of Michael Schirru. Luckily this scruffy malefactor was subdued and subsequently captured and righteously executed. Il Duce had a 21-year rule and he was responsible for fantastic agrarian reforms and great public construction projects. He made the trains run on time. He countered effectively economic setbacks maintaining steady and health employment levels. He combated an economic recession by introducing the Gold for the Fatherland initiative by encouraging the public to voluntarily donate gold jewelry such as necklaces and wedding rings to government officials in exchange for steel rings, armbands, etc. Bearing the words “Gold for the Fatherland,” the collected gold was then melted down and turned into gold bars which were then distributed to the national banks for distribution to the needy in the form of necessary food and clothing. Efforts such as these gradually earned him the support and true allegiance of the vast majority of the people of Italy. Furthermore, he rebuilt the wealth and morale of the people, and obviously improved the national living standard, and gave Italy a highly regarded diplomatic front in the courts of Europe. In 1939, a concordat with the Vatican was signed and the independence of Vatican City was recognized by the Italian state. In 1927, Mussolini was baptized by a Roman Catholic priest. Now he was recognized by the Church and most Catholics now supported him, wholly. He was Il Duce and the people of Italy saw him as the return of Julius Caesar with the glory of ancient Rome now reestablished. Unfortunately, he dreamed of a Mediterranean Mare Nostrum, ‘our sea’ in Latin. This led eventually to his downfall. The invasion of Ethiopia was accomplished effectively with superior weapons and manpower. This was, however, very unfortunate for many reasons, but especially because Il Duce, admired by much of the world as a man of peace, now was viewed as a bully personified. Horrible atrocities attended every victory in Africa. His active intervention in 1936-1939 on the side of Franco ended any possibility of reconciliation of diplomatic relations with France and Britain both of which favored the communist side of the affair. As a result, he had no choice but to accept the German annexation of Austria in 1938. This confirmed his axis with Germany sealed with the Pact of Steel in May 1939. Had Mussolini, in this author’s opinion, acted with complete accordance with the agenda of the National Socialist government, WWII would have had a far different ending and Europe would never have fallen under the Iron Curtain. Communism would have only been a bad memory of the 1920s and early 1930s. (It would have been no more.) But, on his own, he annexed Albania on October 28, 19???. He attacked Greece and after an initial success, the Italians were repelled by a relentless Greek counterattack which resulted in the loss of one fourth of Albania until Adolf Hitler was forced to assist him by attacking Greece, as well. I believe at this moment the Second World War was lost. Mussolini was a great man and truly was a leader reminiscent of the Caesars, but driving ambition was the ruination of this human dynamo and unfortunately it took him down and central Europe with him. The Italian WWII misadventures, especially the Greek fiasco, was almost positively the reason that Hitler’s Wehrmacht missed its chance to defeat Russia by being too late by crucial weeks caused by having its mighty army bogged down in combat with the Greeks while aiding the beaten Italians. The Germans would have avoided the Russian winter and in a few weeks would have, without any doubt, raised the Reichskriegsflagge over the Kremlin, itself. The Russian people would have been liberated, communism destroyed forever, and Europe would have been finally united. This is my historical opinion and is shared by many historians today. It was downhill for Benito Mussolini; a good man with just too many imperial ambitions. Pact of Steel On 22 May 1939, the Pact of Friendship and Alliance that had already existed between NS Germany and fascist Italy became the Pact of Steel. It was signed by the foreign ministers of each country--Count Galeazzo Ciano (who was Mussolini’s’ son-in-law, but, later, Mussolini had him executed when he favored a separate peace with the Allies and called for his resignation) for Italy, and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany. It obliged the two nations to aid the other immediately, militarily or otherwise, in the event of war was declared and of course to collaborate in military and wartime production. The pact ensured that neither country was able to make peace without the agreement of the other. The event of the signing of the agreement was a great catastrophic event in both Italy and Germany. The subsequent events that transpired still divide historians from both Italy and Germany today. German historians say that had this pact never existed Germany would have either won the war, or at least been able to maintain a favorable balance in European affairs and England’s power seriously diminished, or the invasion and occupation of the island completely accomplished, and Soviet Russia very successfully crushed and communism wiped off the earth. As a historian this had long been my considered view. On the other side of the coin Italian revisionists blame Italy’s loss and Mussolini’s murder at the door of the pact, and they claim that it was the amalgamation of the Italian government with NS Germany and Hitler that brought the nation down. In any case, it was an idea that in its time was welcomed and applauded by the concerned people of the times. The Pact of Steel Rings This takes us now to the jewelry studio and workshop of the man who produced so much in fashionable and eminently patriotic jewelry for the famous firms of the Third Reich. See the recounting of this at About Our Rings. When the pact was signed our jeweler extraordinaire immediately set to work designing a set of commemorative rings that would honor the great event. He designed a pair of rings so profoundly beautiful that the artist considered them to be practically his crowning achievement surpassing practically all his other efforts. The theme of course for the set would be the German and Italian leaders, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The artist’s son later told us that this was, for the most part, experimental and the project was completed with a few examples produced, but only a few were ever purchased by one of the major jewelry companies and that he thought that certain of the pact participants received them and he thought that Göring, Goebbels, and some of the other NS leaders received them, and also some of the Italian leaders such as Il Duce, himself, and Count Ciano and the Italian Ambassador, Bernardo Attolico. The rings were part of a huge purchase. Some problems are still in litigation between Germania International and the German dealers who were involved in the initial purchase. We are prevailing, but some of the items are only now being revealed and are currently surfacing for our presentation to you. The matter is well in hand, at least we believe so, and because of successful litigation many of the rarest of the jewelry will now be available. It is now possible to purchase the Mussolini ring in several versions and in a limited supply. The Hitler ring that matches it will be available eventually (we hope). The styling of the rings is fashioned in similar manner as the Victory Rings. See the Das Heers Victory Ring, Item WEHR 3-1. This man was the only jeweler in Europe, as far as we know, who employed the enamel side panels on a ring that look so artistically stunning. The pact rings are large and dramatic as was the pact. The top of the ring is the size of an elongated U.S 25-cent piece; practically an inch from top to bottom and 3/4 inch from side to side. The fascist eagle, or aquila, stands about 1/2 an inch high on both sides of the shank. The bust portrait is about 3/4 inch high. The Mussolini pact rings were found in at least three forms as constructed by this jeweler. The first type was an all-silver ring with enameled top and side bearing the silver bust portrait of Il Duce, Mussolini. The sides bear the fascist national eagle. The second type is the same except it has the 24-karat-gold-plated bust portrait. The third type is the same except that the entire metal surface is gold plated. The son of our jeweler-contact told us that the all-silver one was probably the intended production model, or possibly the one with silver shank and gold-plated bust portrait was the one. The all-gold-plated ones were in a planning stage and probably were for presentation to extremely important personages, mostly in the Italian hierarchy rather than for the Germans who still frowned on gold or gold-plated items. (The sacred Teutonic metal was silver.) The rings with the German Führer depicted would never have been accepted by the NS party officialdom. So it is obvious that they would have been for Italian distribution only (although Göring probably received one.) So far we do not have the Hitler part of the sets and we expect that we indeed will, but we do have a few of the Mussolini rings. We are they’ll be immediately popular. There is no question of that and at this time they are extremely limited. The prices are extremely reasonable for these, the most historically important and beautiful rings of the Reich. Each ring is stamped with the ‘835’ silver mark inside the shank. PRICE: No. 1: $575.00; all silver and enameled version; |
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Pact of Steel Ring Set in ‘835’ Silver (Item I-FAS 3-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is the set of rings issued as the commemorative items for the celebration of the Pact of Steel between Germany and Italy. Above in Item I-FAS 3-2 you see the Mussolini rings struck for the occasion to be sold to German and Italian celebrants and patriots. The jeweler Franz Schnell produced these with great pride as he admired Benito Mussolini very much. This was explained to us by his son at Stuttgart and you can read about this in the article above and in the narrative “About Our Rings.”
The only difference in the singular Mussolini rings from the ones found in this set is that the bust portrait is slightly smaller in the sets, and there is not the choice of finish. The large amounts of the pairs were struck in silver because Herr Schnell knew that silver was the sacred metal of NS Germany and gold was frowned upon as being reminiscent of Semitic values. Although he made a few in the gold and silver, the actual promotional advertising was to be the silver, enameled ones only. The Fascist eagle just like the rings in I-FAS 3-2 are seen upon the sides of the “Duce,” while the Hitler ring bears the typical eagle that came to be known as the Führeradler and appears in this manner on the Brückmann silverware, or Besteck. The likeness of the Führer’s bust portrait, like the Mussolini, is remarkably fine. No question of who you perceive here! The Führer is shown as he would have looked during the time of the Pact of Steel in May of 1939. To learn more about this see Item I-FAS 3-2, above. The Hitler ring can be bought separate as there were more of them than the Mussolini rings in the sets, as it turned out, but we recommend the pair as is will surely become very valuable when they are bought as a set.
PRICE: $1,000.00; special, for both; Hitler ring, $690.00; Mussolini ring from set not sold separately |
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Book GIL-Jugend in Italien (Item I-FAS 3-4) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a book published in Berlin with a foreword written by German National Youth Leader Balder von Schirach. The book comprises 93 pages; almost 100 percent pictorial of the Italian Fascist Youth Movement (GIL). It portrays the Italian youth in ceremonies at work and at recreation. No matter what the 21-century historians say, here was the healthiest youth group other than the HJ that the world will ever witness: morally, physically, with ideals unmatched in the annals of history. This was truly greater imperial Rome unveiled once again and these GIL youth were destined to become its praetorians and centurions. The last picture is this fabulous book says it all! Here was the Caucasian future, secure and bright: then tragedy in 1945. I’ll say no more. The book measures 11 x 8 inches and the spine is a little loose.
PRICE: $350.00; rare and great |
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Book Mussolini Erlebt Deutschland (Item I-FAS 3-5; AH 18-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: The book Mussolini Experiences Germany is a 100-page pictorial of the visit of the Italian leader to Germany in 1937 (a good year), with a foreword by Dr. Otto Dietrich, the Reich’s press chief. It was produced by Heinrich Hoffmann, the Führer’s personal photographer and one of his closest friends. Fully pictorial, this is a photographer’s masterpiece. It has great photos of the Führer and Il Duce plus all the ceremonies. You will see the gaily bedecked streets of Berlin and Munich, many of the NSDAP and Fascist leaders, adoring crowds, important buildings, etc. This is a fantastic book that brings to life the glory days of the German and Fascist Reichs. There is a sheet that is a Christmas greeting tucked inside that presents this pictorial work as a gift, with a facsimile signature of the Reichsschassmeister. What a great volume in good shape and prodigiously important to the person who is interested in this stage of the Pact of Steel to later emerge.
PRICE: $375.00 |
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German-Italian Military Solidarity Pin (silver) (Item I-FAS 3-6; WAF 7-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a really nicely designed pin by Herr F. Schnell. See “About Our Rings and Silver Insignia” on our home page. This was something designed by Schnell and its eventual destination according to his son was to be an insignia of the Italian Waffen-SS. The predominate themes are the fasces of Rome and the Roman legion swords known as the “Gladius.” In the center is the Hakenkreuz, or swastika. The other Germanic addition is the oak leaves that form a background for the design. The insignia is made of heavy ‘800’ silver and is so marked. It measures about 2 inches long by 1 inch high. This is a great and rare WII insignia.
PRICE: $225.00 |
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State Portrait of Benito Mussolini (Item I-FAS 3-7; ART MASTER 1-7) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is an epic-proportion oil on canvas likeness of the Italian WWII leader, His Excellency Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, born July 29, 1883-murdered April 28, 1945. All the stern command is reflected in his eyes as you look at this remarkable likeness of the great man. Every feature including the grand fascist uniform is painstakingly featured. The colors are bright and vibrant; the detail wonderful. You know he did more for the Italian people than “make the trains run on time.” It is not framed and it has not been put on a stretcher. This will account for the slight wrinkles you will see here. We prefer to mail the portrait rolled in a tube since the packaging and shipping of a framed portrait is quite expensive. However, we can do it if necessary. We can talk to you on that option. This portrait done in anywhere near this professionalism would cost many times the amount we ask if accomplished in the U.S. So, this is one super bargain! Just look at it! To see more about Mussolini go to Item IFAS 3-2.
PRICE: $990.00 |
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Turkish Magazine Cover (comical) (Item I-FAS 3-8) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a hilariously funny magazine cover with Il Duce dressed as Nero or Caesar carrying the fasces of Rome, and tucked between the axe portion and the bundle of sticks are a bunch of rather distraught Ethiopians who have been executed by Fascist Italy at the whim of this new “Caesar Imperium.” The magazine itself is from 1936 and is just political propaganda in jocular presentation with some clever cartoons and comment. It’s the cover that is worth framing.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Book MAGIO XIV, subtitle Italia e. Germania (Item I-FAS 3-9) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This book, published in Rome, celebrates the Rome-Berlin axis. There are 89 pages of text in Italian and 64 pages of great black-and-white photos that for the most part are previously unpublished in other books. Some of the images are full-page 8 x 12s and others are two to a page with 7 x 5/12-inch absolutely “great” pictures of a great-but-doomed brotherhood of Imperium! Many of the pictures depict what was the glory of ancient Rome then being relived under Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. Also shown was the resurgence of Germany into a proud now-industrious Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the unity of the two great powers toward one goal The early putsches by Duce and Führer are shown in period pictures as well as the march on Rome and Hitler’s beer-hall putsch that paved the way to power for these men and their ideals. This is a fine historically important book that should be preserved. It’s in good shape except for an unserious stain here and there. The binding is a little loose, but holding. It measures 9 x 12 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch thick.
PRICE: $285.00 |
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Album that Records a Visit to German West Africa (Item I-FAS 3-10; ALBUM 1-7; WEHR 26-7) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This appears to be a record in pictures of a visit by Italian dignitaries to the German colonies in West Africa. We see palm trees in the pictures that abound. The pictures may also show return hospitality shown to German Wehrmacht officials in Italian-held African territories. In any case, something important is going on. There are 26 photos all in sharp black and white ranging in size from 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 to 7 x 4 1/2 inches. We don’t know exactly what’s going on, but these are great pictures of the era. The album is 13 x 9 inches with Wehrmacht eagle embossed in the upper-left corner.
PRICE: $225.00 |
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Italian |
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| DESCRIPTION: Although the bird is almost a look-alike, this one is the Italian eagle. We at first wondered a bit about its practical usage and then after looking closely, we realized it couldn't be anything but the flagpole top because the bird is finished on both sides. If you look at the Italian SS cap set at Item I-FAS 1-7, you can see that it is a German eagle that is used as similar to the German national military eagle. There is also the possibility of other inspired and often German-led units of Italian volunteers using this flag device. The Italian cadres were very proud of their service, which consisted of some of the toughest and nastiest close combat of the war, and that was the antipartisan mop ups. The partisans were definitely vicious communist murderers whose atrocities were beyond any human comprehension not only against German and Italian soldiers, but any person or family that opposed the horrible red agenda. Besides the SS there were other elite antipartisan units such as the Black Brigade, the RSI, the DNR (Republican Guard), the famed Debica Battalion, and Brigade Doehla . The largest of the antibandit brigades was the RSI (Italian Social Republic Forces). Any of these units could have used this dramatic-looking flagpole top. I would love to see the flag or standard that went with it. Anyway, this is a super item of historic importance on its own.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Songbook of the Soldier’s, “Canzoniere del Soldato” (Item I-FAS 3-12) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is an official issued songbook for Mussolini’s troops in the field. It’s just a great little souvenir of Italy’s armed forces. The cover is great with soldiers, sailors, airman, and mountain troopers all assembled for a sing along. Inside the front cover is a map of the Second Front against Soviet Bolshevism, with a strong statement by Il Duce. When folded out there is another map of the Mediterranean region where Italy’s war was to be fought. Inside are some photos including a great picture of Mussolini in his classic Roman Imperium stance. Other pictures are also to be seen along with the song sheets throughout. The songbook comprises 59 pages of songs with a great cartoon at the rear that is anti English, pro German and Italian and Fascist. This is a very rare, little number.
PRICE: $150.00 |
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Page Three |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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