The centerpiece of John Angolia's collection, as illustrated in his collectors guide "Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich”, is the dress brocade and belt of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. Illustrated on pages 152-153 & 634 of his 2001 publication, the set is neatly housed within a black 21 cm diameter case. Inside, there are three pieces to this set, all of the highest possible quality of the time. Firstly, included is the gilt Dress Parade Uniform Aiguillette; produced in tightly woven gilt aluminum braiding, this piece exhibits only light wear with a total length of 32 inches from the shoulder point and 21 inches on the front decorative braid. Secondly, the buckle itself is produced in die stamped aluminum in fire gilt. The Luftwaffe insignia is also in aluminum and affixed by two neatly executed rivets. Overall measurements are 49 x 53mm with insignia wingspan of 28mm. The buckles condition is extremely fine as it exhibits obvious signs of period wear with variations in the gilt on the high relief points of the laurels. Thirdly, the brocade itself is the highest quality example we have encountered with a total length of 54.3307 inches and length of use (including fold) of 48.4252 inches. This wrap/fold includes a hook/eye allowing the fold to neatly affixed to the primary belt. With a width of 1.85 inches, the brocade is constructed of tightly woven aluminum gilt bullion interlaced with red and black stripes. Importantly, this is a worn example with clear but light abrasions on both the interior and exterior of the brocade.
Provenance: From the collection of approximately 900 German buckles accumulated by John R. Angolia, who started collecting buckles, belts and brocades from 1944 until around 1990; most of the buckles were obtained from the American and German veterans; most of these buckles present a core of Angolia’s book “Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich”, published in 2001.