saschaw

That must be a very long list. He didn't have just one medal bar, but several different ones. Depending on which era the photo was taken, or depending on what uniform he wore, the awards changed E. g. on a British uniform he wore other awards than on a Spanish, or Austrian one... not only in regards to neck crosses and breast stars, but also to medal bars!

For field made Iron Crosses, EK2 were used - in general those handy. That might also have been an oversized crosses - but not necessarily. Anyone who is in the need of a nice example might check my shop, I'm having one offered at the moment.

I couldn't agree more, thanks for your clear words!

Sorry to diagree, but, as yet pointed out, it's not a WW1 era cross, but a later replacement. Be it from the 1930s/40s or even 1950s/60s I cannot tell. I don't think this changes much anyway. They're worth being collected, sometimes even more popular than their contemporary counterparts.

Ha, seems I wasn't the only one to be left speechless! That must be something incredble rare, I guess? Thanks for showing!

Sorry to disagree, but the case looks to me as bad as the cross does. Definitely nothing I'd touch... I'm also having some in stock, just if interested.

I cannot name the maker, but I think I've seen this mark before on a German WW1 award. However, the mention German award was a recent fake. I hope your TWM isn't one, too, but that's what I suspect, to be honest...

Is it made from steel? It should so, if it's an awarded one. If it isn't, it's a wearers copy at the best. Hard to distunguish the latter from collectors copies and outright fakes...

I'm usually having a reliable gut feeling, and often rely on it. Here I'm a bit confused... it doesn't look too bad to me - but can this be real? I fear it isn't... Thanks in advance for your brutally honest opinion! PS: If other pictures are needed, don't be shy!

Sorry to say so, Alan, but I think the cross on the right is a recent fake. It looks much like the pieces by the infamous raritaetensammlerclub...

Thanks! But just to be accurate: Jews in general or only non-Russian Jews? I can imagine it would have been totally impossible to check this when awarding to a foreigner... but to citizens? You probably know, but though I want to add: Prussian had non-Christian decorations, too, but only from 1851 to 1861, when they were probably abolished. Those were awarded to Muslims in Ottoman Empire and Persia, but also to Prussian Jews! The latter didn't want such a "special treatment", and after some discussion, new king Wilhelm I. had an understanding... I'm not aware of any muslim, then getting standard crosses too, raised a complaint on this... Check here for more information: http://www.medalnet.net/Non_Christian_Red_Eagle.htm Oh, and sorry for getting that much off-topic... what was this here about... ?

Well, sometimes I wonder why I'm still collecting full size decorations at all... :love: Small hint, in #4, you've taken the wrong pictures, this is again the chain from #1, #2 and #3. I was at the floor auction and would have loved to get it, but left it for someone else... being there, I raised an issue, which I'd like to repeat here: The wearer, Carl von Weinberg, was Jewish, but his Saint Stanislas order is a standard type. Did Jews in general or at least Non-Russian Jews receive standard decorations instead of non-christian types, and were the latter for Muslims and awards to Far East only? Or did the firm making the miniature chain just not pay attention? After all, this miniatures is not what he was awarded, but what he bought in Germany...

The badge Prince Oscar and Freiherr von der Goltz are wearing isn't a long service award, but a commemorative badge to Kaiser Wilhelm's silver wedding in 1906. They were awarded on the ribbon of the last Prussian order (not decoration!) the badge receipient - male or female - had received before, and on a plain white ribbon for persons that didn't yet have any Prussian order at all. Check here for one of those: http://woeschler-orden.de/preu-en-erinnerungszeichen-zur-silbernen-hochzeit-1906-auf-wei-em-band I'm pretty sure this miniature chain isn't as worn; at least that Russian badge doesn't go with it. Also, I can hardly imagine it was taken as a close enough for the Prussian wedding jubilee badge... too weird!

Thanks, Claudio, for bringing this one to mind again! So, is it - the medal bar - now yours... ?

Mhh, perhaps because I hadn't seen it... it keeps getting better and better! Now this could be either a Großkreuz, as it was awarded the full time from 1837 to 1918, or a Komturkreuz, which again was abolished and replaced by the "2nd class" cross in 1887. Both these crosses share one design and differ in size and wear only. No chance to be sure if a single miniature is the one or the other... Main point: it's incredibly scarce and nice!

As yet pointed out, this one is definitely a modern fake. The same sloppy eagle paint is found on full fake standard 4th class crosses with smooth arms! This special style decorations for non-Christians were awarded from 1851 up to 1861 and probably no longer. I'm not aware even one of them came with swords...

Two actual neck crosses on one early 18th century medal bar? Sorry, but that's too much!

There are two known official EK suppliers beginning with S: Hofgoldschmied (court gold smith) Schaper from Berlin and Hofjuwelier (court jeweller) Heinrich Schneider from Leipzig. According to Wernitz, the "S" found on EKs stands for the latter, but I think it's much more likely to be Schaper, who made many more crosses, and thus was the more important maker.

Gentlemen, I'm getting blind... these are just too much! Thank you!

Just curious, is this gold or silver medal? If it's indeed to Graf Zeppelin... wow! The medal is not listed in Bretzendorfer's work on non-Württemberg awards to Württemberg military. But that doesn't mean necessarily he didn't get one, I'd say...

My first guess would have been there's an Italian Messina earth quake medal missing... http://woeschler-orden.de/italien-erinnerungsmedaille-das-erdbeben-1908-kalabrien-und-sizilien As we know, they usually used different (e. g. Saxon) green and white ribbons, as German tailors hardly had the proper one in stock.

Forget about the EK2 and St. George cross... is he wearing an Austrian bravery medal in the third place... ? :speechless1: I have literally never seen one of these in wear... probably our Austria collerctors would love to see that picture posted in their forum...

A nice and unusual medal bar, and an extremely helpful explanation on the WW Iron Cross... thanks Dave!

Agree this is a rather early award type cross, made by Berlin court jewellers Johann Wagner & Sohn.

On the good quality photo I've seen, he didn't wear it, so I don't think he ever received it. Maybe his "service" wasn't real enough to be taken into account...