Beautiful Type II, WWII German Nazi German SS stickpin . Has the proper knurled pin and in excellent condition with no enamel damage. Back of the stickpin is maker marked Hoffstatter/Bonn and numbered 163747.The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler (Shock Troops), and redesignated Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9TH 1925. On January 6TH 1929 Heinrich Himmler was appointed as Reichsführer-SS, (National Leader {of the} SS), and on July 20TH 1934 shortly after the, June 30TH 1934, purge of the SA on the "Night of the Long Knives", the SS was rewarded by Hitler by being granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP. From its inception the SS began an aggressive policy of expansion which resulted in the formation of the SS-SD, SS-Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS-Security Service and Security Police), in June 1931, the SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), and the SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units), in March 1933 and eventually the Waffen-SS in December 1939. The pervasive influence of the SS in all aspects of German life and the elite status of membership encouraged personnel to flaunt their association with the organization whenever possible. As a result lapel pins were introduced for SS members to wear when in civilian clothing. The first pattern lapel pins featured the SS runes with no background field until the second pattern was introduced with a circular background field.