Lifesaving Medals

[Guest Rick Research]

I thought we had covered these already, but I couldn't turn up an old thread on "search," so here goes:

Prussian M1833-1918 =

All bear "F?r Rettung Aus Gefahr" on the other side, which is found as obverse as often as it was worn as the reverse:

Note that this ribbon has pronounced white edges-- simply a fairly common maker's variant.

Most of my LSM ribbon bars are at

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...ost&p=28141

in Paul's thread on the Third Reich version

[Guest Rick Research]

With the collapse of the Empire, there was no Prussian Lifesaving Medal awarded again until it was reinstituted in 1926. Retroactive bestowals were made for as far back as when the colonies were cut off in 1914, and it had always been the German practice to hold off actually presenting wearable medals to children who had earned this medal until their 18th birthday, so there were no doubt numbers of adolescents entitled to the M1833 who would only have gotten this version as a result.

M1926, banned by the Nazis for the Socialist title "Republik Preussen"

Close up, still retaining some of the "proof coin" frosting:

At the size of an American 5 cent coin, these are FAR inferior in "presence" to the life-imperilling heroism which earned them!

[Paul R]

Those are beautiful awards. Did all of the Germanic kingdoms have their own?

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

Both sides of a tiny lapel chain mini version:

In 1937 there were "3,000 living recipients" per the membership directory of the Association of Lifesaving Medals Recipients-- after 104 years since first issue! I have never seen actual totals awarded, but would be amazed if these ever topped 100 a year.

They are, and always have been in my opinion, severely undervalued (in a monetary sense) presumably because of their underwhelming appearance.

These crummy little "bottle caps" were ONLY given for rescues and attempted rescues at the risk of the recipients own life, and up to 1935 were at least according supreme position as first among all peacetime decirations. The Nazis, for reasons known only to themselves, had a pathological dislike of this award, and dishonored it by demoting its precedence to behind the 1919 Silesian Eagle, after the Hindenburg Cross and post-1938 wear Austrian WW1 Commemorative Medal. The few-- the very few-- justifiably proud recipients NEVER completely cooperated with this disgraceful state of regulations, and it may often be found where the wearer preferred to honor it.

[Guest Rick Research]

In 1928, Berlin book dealer Paul Wustrow earned his for saving the life of a man from "especially imminent mortal peril." That is all the Berlin Police Command accolade letter says, but since Wustrow's address was near the Anhalt Railway Station, one can only imagine (in the absence of a Berlin newspaper notice) hissing steam and leaping across tracks as the iron monster bore down....

the award document arrived in this:

and the document itself, autographed by the Minister-President of Prussia and the Prussian Minister of the Interior:

closeup of the embossed seal

Wustrow was probably not a young or at least NOT a "physically fit" man-- making this all the more remarkable-- he was in the same business during the First War, receiving the Prussian War Effort Cross as his only other known decoration:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...post&p=7847

He had probably died by 1940, since he is not found in a Berlin telephone directory of that year.

It took all kinds-- not every super hero wore a cape!

[Paul R]

That is an amazing set of documentation!!! The citation adds a lot of "reality" to what the medal represents.

[Chip]

So many stories, so little time. Thanks for this one.

Chip

[Stogieman]

Speaking of "undervalued Imperial Militaria"............ not many collectors know and/or appreciate the actual reality of how scarce these little gems really are!

[Claudio]

Just a thought:

The more you speak about "undervalued Imperial Militaria", the more people is getting interested and the more prices are going up...

Look a bit what happened with common ribbon bars... in a couple of years prices went up drastically, due to the fact that on some forums so many people spoke about how interesting is to collect them (research, uncommon combinations, etc.). You need only 2-3 hard-core collectors to rise the price of a medal, for example during an auction, either on line (Ebay) or more classical ones (Kube, HH, Zeige, ecc.).

Perhaps, like my brother always said to me, I should shut up and be more discrete about my collecting goals...

Just my two cents.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Stogieman]

Hi Claudio, I think there's so many different pieces that are so very rare that we should point them out and we should give collectors (both old and new) something to search for, something to aspire to own and good support and information about any chosen genre..... Everything is up, prices fluctuate and are cyclical. I would not do anything to discourage anyone from entering into collecting Imperial Militaria. The open and free exchange of information should be a major part of collecting. If we don't do it, who will?

Odd little "wizards" hiding in small chambers secretly whispering to each other so no-one else can hear??

I cannot see where that does any collector, of anything Imperial, any good..... If you don't explain what is rare, why it's rare and other details, what else would we do?

[Stogieman]

PS, I don't think there's much "common" about ribbon bars.... other than maybe the EK2/HKwX combination.... or a '39EK2/East Medal WW2 combo....

Every bar tells a story, just as your medal bars tell stories.

[Guest Rick Research]

But I understand where Claudio is coming from.

More than most, since my compulsive obsessional for ribbon bars has succeeded largely in driving prices out of my own meagre Disposable Income--

the master begging for scraps from his own table sort of situation-- very much shot myself in both feet, haven't I then?

So was sharing what I know

a) incredibly stupid

b) incredibly noble

c) both, you saintly moron!

But you know what? I have never had a megalomaniacal desire to own ALL ribbon bars...

well, except for Saint Tamaras

and it has always been my joy that so MANY Fellow Enthusiasts ARE "out there" and more to the point are HERE.

None of us would have "connected" without the internet.

This is like the old fashioned party telephone lines, or those wartime posters about The Enemy listening in.

Yes indeed.

BUT

We are here for each other. When I suggest something is under-valued (and when the Pure And Monastic Ricky says that, I mean under-APPRECIATED, since I don't give a rat's *** about "the money") it is for We Few, We Band Of

Eccentric Collectors.

Yeah, there ARE some limits. There are things I don't and won't show the backs of, or details. Minor things like Death Immediate for anybody who blabs the Actual Award Numbers of the higher end Finnish awards--

THAT is the sort of information that SELLERS can use AGAINST us collectors.

So we will always have our Little Secrets among ourselves. Self-preservation, after all.

But how many of us can say that before the internet, we knew more than one handful of other people with interests matching our own?

I labored 30 years in the pre-internet world with "connections" I could name without running out of fingers.

[JensF.]

Here is one from me:

[Dave Danner]

Those are beautiful awards. Did all of the Germanic kingdoms have their own?

Paul

Not all German states. Among those that did:

Baden

Brunswick (Braunschweig)

Hannover

Hesse-Darmstadt

Lippe-Detmold

Schaumburg-Lippe

Oldenburg

Reuss, Younger Line

Saxony

Saxe-Weimar

Saxe-Altenburg

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Saxe-Meiningen

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

W?rttemberg

None of these are particularly common, and some of these are extremely rare.

[Paul R]

Not all German states. Among those that did:

Baden

Brunswick (Braunschweig)

Hannover

Hesse-Darmstadt

Lippe-Detmold

Schaumburg-Lippe

Oldenburg

Reuss, Younger Line

Saxony

Saxe-Weimar

Saxe-Altenburg

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Saxe-Meiningen

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

W?rttemberg

None of these are particularly common, and some of these are extremely rare.

Thank you for the information.

Do you have any of these?

PAul

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

Seeing an awakening to Imperial German lifesaving medals here, I would like to offer a bit of information garnered during a twenty year, or so, hunt for a Brunswick lifesaving medal.

This medal is excessively rare (something like 84 awarded between 1836 and 1913), elusive and faked. Most of the fakes are galvanos and some have Jurgens hallmarks.

The closest that I have come to getting the real thing is a medal bar from which one, along with some other decorations, had been removed. To add insult to injury, the suspension ring and ?se are still secured to the bar up under the furled ribbon. Maybe some day...

Be careful with this one, I hope that this information is helpful.

Respectfully,

Wild Card

[Stogieman]

Thanks Wild Card and welcome to the forum!!

[Wild Card]

Thanks Wild Card and welcome to the forum!!

Stogieman,

Thank you for the kind words of welcome. I look forward to the opportunity to share information with you and the many knowledgeable members of this forum.

Sincerely,

Wild Card

[Guest Rick Research]

Most of the small state versions are so rare as to be almost legendary.

Many had a single "that's it" version, but some, like Saxony, had multiple grades, and Prussia was able to designate subsequent awards (I've never seen more than THREE to one super-recipient) by putting second and third lifesaving awards on OTHER awards (the General Decoration silver medal, Crown or Red Eagle Orders, et cetera) on the Lifesaving Medal ribbon.

Basically, the one we will see is the nickel-sized Prussian one.

[Stogieman]

After the Prussian version, the most frequently encountered one by me has been the Saxon one. Usually on a snow-white ribbon. Two versions available, Albert & Albert

[Paul R]

Thanks to Chris Boonzaier,

My solitary Imperial Prussian Lifesaving medal bar

[medalnet]

OK, to put some life to this thread the Saxe Meiningen Life Savings medal:

[attachmentid=32112]

Herzog Georg II. founded this one February 28, 1903. Only 25 medals were coined in 1903.

Edited March 26, 2006 by medalnet

[Paul R]

WOW!! Beautiful medal! I guess that this is one I will never find: :-(

What does the back of the medal look like?

Lets keep em coming! There are more Imperial Lifesaving medals out there

[gregM]

My small contribution

[attachmentid=32147]

[medalnet]

I had already shown this one, but it fits into this thread as well: