Good day,
thanks for showing the tally, Darin. Indeed there is no yellow on blue existant - all had white lettering ... with some very very rare exemptions (HJ.
Oberbann Berlin West (gold on black like Kriegsmarine), H.J. Marine Chemnitz (silver on black in Latin), Marine H.J. Harburg (white on black in Latin), just to name a few examples). In general it is to say that the latin tallies were worn between 1933 and early 1939, the "gothic" lettering style between 1939 and 1945. I think the Verordnungsblatt with the change of lettering was published 10. January 1939 - don't have my paperwork with me right now.
Also, the blue tally can have a very dark blue shade at times - don't let you be misled: it is still blue and not black as sometimes stated by dealers.
In all this I don't consider the homemade tallies. When boys joined the MHJ, it was sometimes the case that no "official" could be supplied, so their mother or Granny or some local tailor made one for the meantime. And in most occasions they didn't have blue tallies, so black were used as base material.
The location stated on the tally is the unit's
Standort. The belonging Bann can be taken from the number (on the second pattern); on the first pattern the Bann cannot be determined. So when you see a first pattern "M.H.J. Schöndorf", for example, no one on earth can say which of the 2 dozens Schöndorf in Germany is meant. However, the fact that it is the
Standort, makes this area of collecting endless since every single Schar, if spread far away from each other, has its on location. If there was more then one unit in the same town another digit will be seen behind the name (first pattern) or, on second pattern, it will be then 2/[Bannnumber]
Standort 2/[Bannnumber] .
The unit's size was very often not more then a
Schar.
Up to today I collected evidence for far above 550 different Marine-HJ tallies, about half of them I can prove by a tally or photograph in my own collection. The plan is to put all the information I have gathered in a little publication one day ... far away from now. So that's why I would highly appreciate if all members could let me know when a tally can be identified clearly on a photo ... it could be a new one on the list.
The yellow on blue tallies which can be seen on Weitze's website since about two years, have no evidence or explaination to have been worn as they are. No function or rank was entitled to "die" their tallies. I requested detailed pictures from the former owner of these two tallies and it was clear that they have been "coloured" with a yellow pen or something. When I turned them down they went to Weitze.
Hope I could have been of help. Any more questions about tallies, just fire them out here and I will try my best.
Rgds
Daniel
P.S.: Always interested to buy tallies and photos with clearly readable tallies. If anyone wants to part I would be delighted to hear about it!