BACKGROUND: As with most military and civilian awards of the Third Reich period miniature version were permitted for wear on civilian clothing. Most commonly these miniatures were privately purchased items and could only be purchased by individuals with the proper ownership documentation, although some miniatures were bestowed with the full sized award. The miniatures were exact replicas of their full sized counterparts and were produced in two official sizes of nine and sixteen millimeters, (3/8" and 5/8" respectively). General regulations, with a few minor exceptions, permitted wear of three miniature awards at one time but prohibited the mixing of military and civilian awards on one lapel pin. Curiously regulations prohibited wear of the miniature awards on the civilian overcoat, (greatcoat). Regulations of July 5TH 1943 discontinued the manufacture of the larger, (16mm), military badges and further regulations of April 1944 dictated that the Steinhauer & Lück firm of Lüdenscheid was to be the sole manufacturer of the miniature dies with other manufacturing firms authorized to produce the awards utilizing Steinhauer & Lück’s dies after official governmental acceptance. On January 30TH 1938 Adolf Hitler introduced a series of four long service medals for award to loyal, long serving members of the SS-Verfügungstruppen, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), the SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units) and the SS-Junkerschulen, (SS-Officer Candidates Schools). Eligible service time for bestowal of one of the awards was counted from the reforming of the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), on February 24TH 1925 and time served between 1925 and 1933, during the Kampfzeit, (Time of Struggle), and military service time were counted as double. The four classes consisted of the first class award for twenty-five years service, the second class for twelve years service, the third class for eight years service and the fourth class for four years service. Only EM’s and NCO’s were eligible for the fourth class award while all ranks were eligible for the other three classes. Authorization for rendering the awards came directly from SS-Reichführer Heinrich Himmler’s office. Of Note: Personnel serving with the Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), and the SS-SD, SS-Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS-Security Service and Security Police), were not eligible for the SS long service awards and long serving personnel were awarded the NSDAP’s Faithful Service Decoration if eligible. Also Of Note: The SS Long Service Awards were the first awards to utilize a swastika alone and not in conjunction with the national eagle. This example is the third class award for eight years service.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 5/8", (16mm), diameter, die struck alloy construction, third class award features a raised outer lip with central, embossed, SS runes encircled by an embossed oak-leaf wreath which is superimposed over a large, embossed, static swastika on a subtly textured background field to the obverse. The reverse has the embossed, block Latin script with SS runes, "Für Treue Dienste in der SS", (For Loyal Service in the SS), superimposed over a large numeral "8", also on a subtly textured background field. Scarce.