168 - Six beer, wine and champagne fobs, Akademische Turnverbindung Breslau, 800 silver, 1941/42

Six beer, wine and champagne fobs, Akademische Turnverbindung Breslau, 800 silver, 1941/42 800 silver, hallmarked "800", grosgrain ribbon. Six fobs of the Akademische Turnverbindung Breslau in three widths: one beer fob, four wine fobs and one champagne fob, ribbon in the fraternity colours red-white-red with gold-coloured edge, slides and end pieces of silver, several slides engraved in script "Leuthen", others with engraved dedications, semester details and dates from the years 1941 and 1942: 1) Wine fob on its own chain with snap hook, on one side three dedication slides, on the other twice "Leuthen". 2) Fob bundle of five fobs on a chain bundle with snap hook and swivel hook, with a miniature miner's lamp with lattice cylinder as a pendant: beer fob with a large slide with engraved monogram and dedication, champagne fob with two slides, one of them with a small emblem, wine fob with three slides engraved in script "Leuthen", two wine fobs each with three engraved dedication slides. Good condition commensurate with age, one snap hook defective. The beer fob (Bierzipfel), also Couleurzipfel, is an ornament worn by members of student fraternities as part of their colours; originally attached to the beer stein, later to the pocket watch, it is now worn on the waistband and is regarded as an outward sign of student friendship that is given or exchanged. The earliest mention of a beer fob dates from 1802 in Landshut, where it served to mark one's own stein. A fob consists of the doubled ribbon of the fraternity held together by metal slides; these bear engravings such as the fraternity cipher (Zirkel), semester numbers, dedications or names. Several fobs are carried together on a fob bundle. The beer fob has the width of the beer ribbon and is presented by the Leibbursch to his Leibfuchs, who gives him a wine fob in return; the wine fob, half as wide, is exchanged among fraternity brothers as a sign of friendship. The champagne fob, again half as wide, is awarded to ladies, for example in thanks for services to the fraternity or by a member to his fiancée. The Akademische Turnverbindung Breslau was founded on 4 November 1875 by members of the Akademische Riege at the University of Breslau, bore the colours red-white-red and had the motto "Mens sana in corpore sano!". After initially belonging to the Cartellverband akademischer Turnvereine, it left in 1885 and in the winter semester 1886/87 joined the Akademischer Turnbund (A.T.B.), which it chaired for years. As the first academic fraternity, it introduced rowing in 1881; from 1927 it owned its own fraternity house at Am Weidendamm 28 in Breslau.