World War II: Large Sample Case of Decorations of a Sales Representative from Lüdenscheid

This orders sample case (Ordensmusterkoffer) from the firm Steinhauer & Lück of Lüdenscheid represents an exceptional testament to military decoration production during World War II. As a traveling salesman's demonstration kit, this set documents not only the wide range of German military decorations from the Nazi era, but also the industrial and economic realities of wartime production in 1944.

Steinhauer & Lück was founded in 1889 by August Steinhauer and Gustaf Adolf Lück as a “club badge factory” and had been producing state medals and decorations, including the Iron Cross, since its inception. During World War II, the company became one of the major manufacturers of Third Reich awards and badges. The firm received several official manufacturer codes: Präsidialkanzlei (PKZ) number 4 for official awards, LDO code L/16 from the Leistungsgemeinschaft der Deutschen Ordenshersteller (League of German Order Manufacturers) for private purchases, and RZM code M/63 for Party items.

The use of such sample cases was an established business practice in the decoration industry. Sales representatives used these demonstration kits to present the complete product range to military procurement offices, authorized dealers, and individuals entitled to purchase private versions of awarded decorations. The regulatory system was complex: official award pieces were controlled by the Präsidialkanzlei, while pieces intended for private purchase were regulated by the LDO. From 1941 onwards, firms were no longer permitted to produce high-ranking awards for private purchase, and existing LDO stocks were transferred to the Präsidialkanzlei.

The material composition of this sample case clearly reveals its late wartime origin around 1944. While at the beginning of the war combat badges were still manufactured from tombac (brass or bronze alloy), increasing material shortages forced manufacturers to use alternative materials. In this case, all combat badges are made from Feinzink (fine zinc) – nearly pure zinc – adopted as strategic metals were needed for weapons production. As the war progressed further, production shifted to mid-zinc (zinc with approximately 10% lead) and finally Kriegsmetall (war metal: zinc with over 30% lead) in the final months of the war.

The case contains 59 decorations on 12 display panels distributed across three trays. Each tray has four removable insert panels held by side loops, with individual badges mounted so they can be easily removed. This practical construction allowed the representative to place pieces directly into potential buyers' hands. The collection encompasses the entire spectrum of German military decorations: from the Knight's Cross and German Cross in Gold through Iron Crosses and War Merit Crosses to combat badges for all service branches, service awards, and civilian decorations.

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, all Nazi awards and decorations were discontinued and the display of swastikas was banned. Many such sample cases were likely destroyed or dispersed. Steinhauer & Lück, however, survived the postwar period and received a remarkable commission in 1957: when the Federal Republic of Germany permitted qualified veterans to wear certain Nazi-era awards on Bundeswehr uniforms – provided the swastika symbol was removed – Steinhauer & Lück was commissioned to redesign all medals and decorations awarded between 1933 and 1945 to comply with the new law. These regulations were published in Bundesanzeiger No. 41 on February 28, 1958. The company produced denazified versions for veterans and continued manufacturing Third Reich-era awards for the collector market, retaining the original molds until the 1990s and replacing swastikas with oak leaves or the date “1939.” The firm continues in business today under the name steinlueck.de.

Complete and intact order sample cases of this type are now extremely rare. This case documents not only the craftsmanship and production diversity of a major manufacturer, but also the economic structures and distribution practices of the German decoration industry during World War II. As a historical document of material culture and industrial production, it possesses considerable significance for the history of military decorations.