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New Stock Listing

This page lists any stock that has been added in the last 60 days, together with any "Featured" items in stock.
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Reference Stock Item   Description Price
7055
NSFK Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa Sweetheart Badge - Click for the bigger picture Reserved

New Stock - 20th August 2026

NSFK Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa Sweetheart Badge - A rare, private-purchase German Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps (NSFK) glider lapel pin badge. While British and Allied forces commonly produced official and custom "sweetheart" brooches for loved ones to wear on civilian clothing during WWII, Nazi paramilitary organizations like the NSFK did not issue traditional "sweetheart" variants. This example is the first we have seen in over 20 years of trading and was sourced as photographed from France. It came complete with a paper backer on which is finely written in French : "Souvenir de Guerre Allemande 1939-1945" which literally translates to "German War Souvenir 1939-1945" or "German War Memento 1939-1945". We can only presume this little badge was found in France during or after the occupation and at some stage crossed the English Channel or as the French call it "La Manche".

The NSFK was formed on 15th April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the former had been active during the years when a German air force was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. The primary functions of the NSFK were to organise the pre-military training of civilians destined for the Luftwaffe, in particular the members of the flying section of the Hitler Youth, and to continue to promote airmindedness among the civilian population and enabled fixed wing training though gliding. The glider featured on our pin is a Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa, of which 110 were built by the manufacturer Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth between 1935 and 1939. This was a high-performance sailplane, instantly recognised by its swept back gull-wing configuration, with a thick wing root which gradually thinned down to a symmetrical profile at the tips, to prevent aerodynamic stalls, as illustrated in the period photographs attached in our listing.

The miniature glider is mounted in front of a finely embroidered fabric roundel, with the glider wingspan just 1.4" (3.5 cm) and the fabric roundel measures 1.5" (4 cm). Small, but beautifully formed, this is a rare survivor and would make a significant addition to an NSFK collection or a more general gliding display. Almost certainly a one off that seems unlikely to ever be repeated.

 
5445
Maltese Trench Art Ashtray - Click for the bigger picture New Stock

New Stock - 20th August 2026

Maltese Trench Art Ashtray - This one is a bit of a conundrum! The ashtray is pressed from a solid piece of brass and looks to be hand made, as opposed to a commercially produced item, so is more than likely a piece of WWII trench art. It features a pair of engraved aviation wings, with a Kings Crown above and to the centre a Maltese Cross.

Extensive online research has failed to find an exact match, but the closest we have come is that this could possibly relate to 22 Squadron of the RAF. When the badge was approved by King Edward VIII in 1936, the squadron were supporting the British response to the Abyssinia crisis from Malta, hence the inclusion of the Maltese Cross. Further research however indicates RAF 126, 185 and 261 squadron badges also incorporate a Maltese Cross, so the debate remains wide open. The other alternative is it relates to the Air Wing of Malta's Armed Forces, but as this was only created in 1973 and we feel sure this ashtray predates this, so we have ruled this option out.

Our current conclusion is it was manufactured on Malta in WWII as a generic souvenir by or for RAF personnel serving on Malta to take home to friends and family. If any visitors to our site can add anything more definitive to our speculation please get in touch. Condition remains excellent, with the top surfaces finished in polished brass, whilst the underside has been left "Au naturel". It is in hexagonal form with each of the six sides measuring 2. 5" (6 cm)

£28.00
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Reference Stock Item   Description Price
7109
R. M. S. Highland Brigade Troopship Ashtray - Click for the bigger picture New Stock

New Stock - 19th August 2026

R. M. S. Highland Brigade Troopship Ashtray - The RMS Highland Brigade was a 14,131 gross register ton passenger and cargo liner built in 1928 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. She initially served the Nelson Line before being transferred to Royal Mail Lines in 1932, operating primarily on the London to River Plate route.

During World War II, she was requisitioned as a troopship, operating across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia, and in late 1945 helped repatriating Australian and British former prisoners of war from Singapore. On January 18, 1946, she struck a sea mine and was in danger of sinking but was towed to Singapore with no loss of life. The final photograph attached shows her under tow towards the safety of Singapore, courtesy of the Imperial War Museum archive. In 1947 she resumed on the South America service until sold to John Latsis of Piraeus in 1959 and renamed "Henriett". She was then renamed again the following year "Marianna"and was employed as a Mecca Pilgrimage ship, before being scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1965.

The souvenir ashtray carries a brass and enamel house flag of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. London, comprising a white flag with a red saltire overall and to the centre a Crown and below is engraved 'R. M. S. Highland Brigade'. The reverse is marked Made in England and EPNS. The plating is generally in very good conation with just one area of wear on the cigarettes recess at the 4 o'clock position. The ashtray measured 3" x 3" (7.5 cm x 7.5 cm) This is the first item we have ever had an item relating to Highland Brigade in over 20 years of trading, so quite a rare survivor.

£30.00
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