D-189 Incredible Document
Grouping for Athlete Lilli Unbescheid
To begin, this consists of 4 Local Award Certificate
Booklets, 17 Regional Certificates, 3 National Awards in Folders, and her
Arbeitsbuch. This is an amazing grouping for a young woman who almost
certainly had Olympic potential in track and field events. She was just a little
too young (15 years) for the 1936 Olympics. Quite interesting, however, is the
fact that she succeeded in taking first place in the shot-put event during the
National Grand Championship in 1943, pushing out another young woman who had
held the champion position for nearly 10 years! Even more interesting, after a
little research, is that Lilli competed again – and took first place once more
– AFTER the war, in 1946 (it appears that no national championships were held
in 1944 and 1945). All of the awards are in fine condition with no more than a
little age yellowing. The booklet awards (except the red one) are the standard NSRL
pattern of dark colored, card-cover booklet with embossed NSRL eagle
(approximately 4.5” by 6”, or 115mm by 154mm) on the cover, and the inner
manila certificate with the metal gilt oak leaf, paper seal, and the red and
white striped cord. One award is for the Triathlon, the others are for shot-put,
the discus, etc. The red booklet is longer in the horizontal dimension (6.25”
by just over 4.5”, or 159mm by 116mm) and bears in gold ink the NSRL
eagle and the word “Urkunde” (Certificate) on the cover. The interior has no
oak leaf, instead a colored shield on the left side bearing the Latin word “FIDELITAS”;
this little certificate was awarded for being a member of the 1st Place Team
(the team was: “Karlsruhe MTV”) at the Karlsruhe Handball Tournament (1940).
The paper certificates vary between three different sizes. The largest size
(there are 10 of these) measures about 9.75” wide by 7.25” high (248mm by
183mm). The awards are for the Shot-Put, the Discus, the Broad Jump, the
Pentathlon, Javelin, High Jump and the 100m (four member team) Relay. Of the
medium-sized certificates (there are five of these, measuring about 6.5” by
9.5” - 240mm by 165mm), four are for local area championships (Bezirksmeisterschaften)
and one is for the Kreis Level (i.e. higher) championship. The Kreis certificate
is the only one with a circular ink seal. Of the five smallest-sized
certificates (approximately 6” by 8” – 152mm by 207mm), three are from the
Summer Hitler Youth championships in 1941 (these card-paper certificates are
actually a larger size, but are folded in half to 6” by 8”, which allows
them to “open” like a book). The front is printed in black ink
“Sommerkampfspiele der Hitler=Jugend am Oberrhein 1941”. The last two
certificates in this size are post-war, from 1949 – evidence again, that Lilli
had not yet been ready to retire her competitive spirit. All of the booklet
certificates and paper certificates are in fine condition – some with light
age-yellowing, but nothing that detracts. All are completely legible
(interesting to see how many times “Lilli” was spelled incorrectly). The
cloth covered, National level awards are also in excellent condition, the two
larger ones measuring about 10” wide by 13.75” high (258mm by 347mm). These
are spectacular, both with the same appearance: an off-white, canvas-like cloth
cover with a magnificent embossed national eagle (filled with black ink) bearing
the Hitler Youth diamond within the wreath. Inside, the documents are
impressive, with the usual picture of the handsome Baldur von Schirach and two
pages with hand calligraphy (one page the award certificate, the other an
excerpt from a Hitler speech). One of these folders holds a 1939 National
Championship level First Place award for the Discus (she was 18 at this time),
and includes a letter on Party letterhead from the BDM (female version of the
Hitler Youth), in which a female youth leader named Elfriede Seitz explains that
she had only just received the certificate (letter dated February of 1940),
since delivery had been delayed by the war and she was now forwarding it on to
Lilli with best wishes. The other large folder is like the first, but the
certificate is for a 1938 National Championship level Second Place showing in
the shot-put, also with an accompanying, congratulatory local letter. The
smaller version folder – 6” wide by 8.5” high (152mm by 217mm) - is
wartime, and the awards were simplified: the exterior covers are the same
off-white fabric and embossed eagle, but the whole is smaller and less ornate -
no picture of von Schirach, or the Hitler Speech excerpt. The award certificate
this time is for a Second Place showing in the shot-put at the National
Championship. These national level award documents are incredibly rare
and are seldom offered on the open market. Both Forman and Neimann's
guides place the value of just one of these in excess of $2,000 by today's
standards. Further research shows that Lilli is recorded as having then
won (First Place) for the shot-put in 1943 - but there is no certificate from
this year, nor is there one from her post-war win in 1946. This grouping
also includes her Arbeitsbuch, which identifies the jobs she held. It gives her
year of birth as 1921. The last is a position as the Sports Director at the
“German Weapons and Munitions Factory”, which she apparently then left in
September of 1944 (she would have been 23). The Arbeitsbuch is in fair
condition. The binding is split from the bottom to the center and again from the
top edge to the top of the upper staple, though the two halves remain together.
The cover has some light wear on the exterior, some light grease staining on the
interior. The period tape applied to the cover and first (and last) page along
the inner binding has browned out and moldered a bit. The interior pages are
loose - no longer connected to the binding staples, but the pages themselves are
in fine condition and fully legible. Finally, with this grouping is also a
hardcover book sponsored by the NS DRLB titled “Volkstümliche Leibesübungen
für die Frau” ("National Physical Training for Women") provides
diagrams on how to conduct exercises and details how to conduct training. A
handwritten note on the endpaper reads: “Meiner Lieben Gefährtin am 6. Mai
1944” (can’t make out the name…perhaps “Delli” or “Nelli”) – to
my dear companion (or, ‘comrade’) on 6 May 1944. Altogether a very
impressive document group for one of the Reich’s gifted young female athletes!
$1,750.00
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Item D-189