saschaw

You might enjoy reading this very good article on the 1870 Iron Cross: http://www.medalnet.net/Iron_Cross_1870.htm

Recently had a cased one... those are indeed nice medals! Wasn't it rather to recognize long and faithful service in general? I don't think they went to the foundation members at all. According to Klein & Raff, the Stuttgart state mint struck 4554 medals in total, that were delivered to the interior ministry. 4527 were awarded, 558 to workers in agricultural enterprises and 3969 to workers in business enterprises.

Could you please post a bigger picture of the mark? I'm neither aware of makers "C" nor "O".

Very unusual repair! From what I see, this wasn't a private purchase, but award type cross: flat, with pin, iron core, silver frame. It doesn't have any visible marks (anymore), does it?

This isn't one official medal, so it wasn't issued by the Kaiser. It's probably some private purchase commemorative. No idea if the ribbon fits, but it seems so.

I think the light is playing tricks on us. The cross looks quite flat, doesn't it?

After all, they weren't. There was, from what I know, not one single (military!) plm issued after the end of the monarchy in november 1918. The later replacement crossses, all of them, were privately purchased, be it in 1925, in 1940 or in 1960.

Never heard that before, and honestly find it rather unlikely. The letters stand for the firms that made the crosses... But on the other hand, we have LV, so a collective cannot be totally ruled out. It seems so, yes...

Unless it was awarded proir to 1864, when the war ribbons were introduced for the orders... Otherwise totally correct what's been written here. However, it's not only the combination of order and ribbon that looks strange with this RAO... I totally don't like the painting, from what I can see in the picture... not a cross I'd buy.

I'm not sure, but would have thought they are all the same... ?! Cases were used for pre- and early war awards, but I don't know when they changed that - probably in about 1916 or 1917...

This may be true for WW1 days or at least for post-WW1, but in older days, a crown device for the Royal Crown order was usual. I even know ribbon bars of receipients of both KO4X and HOH3X, with a smaller crown on the first and a bigger one on the latter. The proper deviced for the RAO4X and RAO3(S)X have an enemaled Prussian(!) crown, same that elevates the cross, in silver for the 4th and gold (gilt) for the 3rd class. A button hole device of that kind would be very rare... but ribbon bar devices are seen from time to time, and there's also one in Rick's gallery.

It almost reminds me to the "Z" the Karlsruhe court jeweller Zuber used - but that firm did exist just to the late 1870s and can be totally excluded. C. F. Zimmermann from Pforzheim, however, did not use any maker marks but rather the "SILBER" mark or an asterisk... You probably mean Ziech? Not impossible... same with Berlin court jeweller Zehn...

I'd say that's even the same type than the third cross from your first posting in very this thread. These "exile" type crosses are especially flodding ebay. Here and here are more examples...

Спасибо! Glad I wasn't too daringly there... My question was meant seriously... please, could anyone tell me, was that a fine example? They look all almost the same to me...

When I saw that thread, I was sure this is a trick question... Sounds strange, but I prefer crosses without fangs... award type crosses are totally underrated, in my opinion!

As redeagleorder pointed out, there are no special long service decorations for combattants or for non-combattants. Long service awards were given out for long service to military personel. Most were awarded in peace time, so actually to "non-combatants", anyway.

I'm not sure if this one is made by Küst, buit I think it's what you're looking for: https://www.kuenker.de/AuktionDetail.kuenker?rownum=181&backid=ib635205503377686250&lager=00077&los=181

Totally agree with what Markus wrote, besides... From what I've read, it was rather 260 pieces, while the award list is incomplete with just about 160 wearers named. However, the order sizes (several times ten or twenty medals) show they were literally almost all awarded. Just to whom, we don't know. Literatur: Wahl, Dr. Tilo. Die Königlich Preußische Rote Kreuz-Medaille erster Klasse. Eine zeitgenössische Anfertigung der Hofjuweliere Godet in Berlin. In: Orden und Ehrenzeichen. Das Magazin für Freunde der Phaleristik Nr. 55 (Juni 2008). Seiten 157 – 159. That's what I know, and have never seen a real one that was made the other way round... are you sure they were partly gilt? Now that a crude repro and a real one were shown, I'd like to add the dangerous fake which was probably made in the 1970s or 1980s by some famous guy... you see the differences to Markus' one?

Now that Rick hasn't answered and won't answer anymore... does anyone else know? I thought all Prussian bravery awards a Prussian EM or NCO could get in WW1 were the both EKs, and then the HOH4X or the MVK...

Great you got it, and thanks for showing!

I think Rick R. would have loved it... sorry I cannot contribute anything.

Oh, and I sincerely hope this one was better?

Am I right to assume this was one more of them? http://www.ebay.de/itm/221360179851 If not, I made big mistake not to buy it.

I have never heard of any MEZ1 awarded during WW1, but they must have been at least equal to the Iron Cross 1st class, if not higher. Rick, do you have any more information on these awards? Did they go to Prussians, to other Germans, or to allies?

The ribbon is Bavarian, but doesn't fit to the award, which is, if I remember correctely, from Belgium.