Swords: Schwarzburg Silver

This is one of the most common errors found with this scarce award. The two Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen issued a joint house order-- the Honor Cross-- with only the reverse center of the actual Orders being different.

The same ribbon was used whether the Order had swords or not, and was ALSO used for the Silver Merit Medal which was attached to the Order. THAT medal is what this is intended to be.

This is a logical, but unauthorized attempt to show that this is a WAR award ribbon and not a peacetime one. There was no official device for the Silver Merit Medal, but probably more often than not-- here it is!

Courtesy of Marcin Lewoszewski.