{"product_id":"wwi-imperial-german-prussian-coin-souvenir-hate-belt-m1895-buckle","title":"WWI Imperial German Prussian Coin Souvenir Hate Belt M1895 Buckle","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exceptionally evocative Imperial German World War I Prussian enlisted man's leather belt fitted with an early-pattern brass Koppelschloss and decorated with a remarkable series of period German coins. Within the militaria collecting community, belts of this type are traditionally referred to as \"souvenir belts,\" \"hate belts,\" or occasionally \"grave-digger belts.\" The terminology has been used for generations, although the precise circumstances under which any individual belt was assembled are rarely documented. What survives here is an unusually personal artifact that combines an original Imperial German military belt and buckle with period coinage individually attached to the leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe centerpiece is the classic Prussian enlisted man's Koppelschloss, or belt buckle, of the Model 1895 type. The rectangular brass box buckle carries a separately applied white-metal roundel displaying the Prussian crown above a laurel arrangement and the famous motto:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"GOTT MIT UNS\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTranslation: \"God With Us.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe motto had deep roots in Prussian royal and military tradition and became one of the most recognizable inscriptions associated with the Imperial German Army. Beneath the German Empire's federal structure, Prussia supplied the largest portion of the Imperial Army, making this crowned Prussian \"Gott Mit Uns\" buckle one of the defining pieces of equipment associated with German soldiers of the First World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example is particularly desirable because it retains the earlier two-piece construction: a brass box with an applied nickel-silver or white-metal Prussian roundel. In 1895 the standard enlisted buckle was reduced to approximately 45 mm in width as part of equipment modernization. With the enormous material demands of World War I, brass and nickel-silver construction gradually gave way to simpler steel buckles, particularly after 1914-1915. The construction of the present buckle is therefore characteristic of the prewar and early-war era, although such equipment continued in service throughout the conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original brown leather belt measures approximately 34 inches in total length. The leather exhibits the unmistakable appearance of long military and postwar use: deep age toning, surface dryness, crazing, edge wear, darkening, and areas of finish loss. None of this has been cosmetically restored, giving the piece the untouched character that serious collectors generally prefer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat elevates this belt well beyond a conventional buckle-and-belt set is the series of Imperial German coins fastened directly to the leather. The coins have been pierced and secured with narrow leather thongs in a decidedly handmade fashion. They include small-denomination German Empire coinage, with \"DEUTSCHES REICH\" — \"German Empire\" — and denomination markings visible on several examples. A clearly visible 10 Pfennig coin dated 1906 is among the group, while other coins display varying degrees of wear, oxidation, and greenish age patination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe attachment method is wonderfully primitive and personal. Rather than being professionally mounted, the coins were threaded directly onto the belt with small strips of leather. Several thongs remain intact while others show breakage, fraying, or loss. The coins themselves show differing degrees of toning and verdigris, exactly as one would expect from mixed metals resting against leather for more than a century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecorated military belts became a distinctive form of First World War souvenir culture. Allied soldiers returning from Europe frequently brought home captured German belts, buckles, buttons, cockades, coins, shoulder-board devices, and other small pieces of military equipment. These objects were sometimes assembled directly onto belts to create a visual record of wartime service or simply an impressive collection of battlefield souvenirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollectors have long called such pieces \"hate belts,\" based partly upon old stories that an attachment represented an enemy soldier killed, captured, or encountered in battle. Another traditional explanation associates them with burial or graves-registration details, while still others were unquestionably assembled as ordinary souvenirs from collected or traded objects. Without direct period documentation it would be incorrect to claim that the coins on this belt represent combat trophies. The historically responsible description is therefore a WWI souvenir belt, while retaining \"hate belt\" as the established collector terminology by which this category is commonly known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe use of coins rather than the more commonly encountered assortment of military buttons makes this particular example especially intriguing. Rather than a random collection of multinational insignia, the surviving attachments appear strongly centered upon German Imperial coinage, suggesting that whoever assembled the belt deliberately chose monetary souvenirs. Whether assembled by the original German owner, an Allied serviceman, or another participant in the immediate wartime or occupation period cannot presently be established, but the method of attachment and uniform aging strongly support the belt having existed in this decorated configuration for a considerable period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe buckle itself retains very good definition. The crown, surrounding wreath, lettering, and decorative borders remain clearly visible, while the brass has developed an attractive dark golden-brown patina. The contrasting white-metal roundel has mellowed naturally with age. The reverse buckle mechanism remains present. There is wear throughout consistent with actual service rather than a preserved dress example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition is good original relic\/collector condition. The leather is heavily age-toned with dryness, cracking, surface wear, and losses to portions of the small leather coin-retaining thongs. Several coin attachments remain remarkably intact, while others show the expected deterioration of century-old leather. The coins show oxidation and patination. The buckle displays honest surface wear and age patina while retaining strong detail. No attempt has been made to polish the buckle, clean the coins, or otherwise remove the accumulated character of the piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasures approximately 34 inches overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is considerably more than a standard Imperial German belt. It survives as a personalized piece of First World War material culture — part military equipment, part soldier's souvenir, and part folk artifact. The combination of the early brass Prussian M1895-pattern \"Gott Mit Uns\" buckle, original leather belt, period Imperial German coinage, and handmade attachment system gives the piece a visual and historical personality that cannot be duplicated by an ordinary untouched service belt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the collector of Imperial German militaria, WWI trench art, soldier souvenirs, Prussian equipment, or veteran bring-back material, it represents an unusually tangible reminder of the personal collecting culture that developed around the Great War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50556891300079,"sku":"15-627 XES","price":249.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/15-627XES_1.jpg?v=1787272734","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/wwi-imperial-german-prussian-coin-souvenir-hate-belt-m1895-buckle","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}