Claudius

What a great progression of a gentleman's career! Lucky for us that Schüle always had entirely new bars made when he had a new medal to add. Thanks for showing them.

I was always under the impression that the 1332 date on the sabers clasps translated to 1914. That was further reinforced by the fact that Turkey entered the war in 1914.

Ahh, now the circumstances of this photo come together a little bit. Dad is only too happy to pose with his serving son, but he has some rank and overseas experience to show.

I agree. We know how yellow can turn up really dark in these photos. Combined with single-medal ribbon bar using the old style wrap, I think we are looking at a China veteran who is proud of his earlier service. Can we see the entire photo?

Good job Claudio for re-uniting this group!!! I very glad you were able to get it. The TWM clasp is Kanal, if I'm not mistaken.

Will need a better photo. Front / back any hallmarks. What is the booklet?

Hello Dodyory, It doesn't look like any piece from a medal or badge. I can't match it to anything Belgium. I get an African vibe from it. It appears to be a decorative buckle or hanger device. In any case, it is well make, with deep-patterned enamels. Maybe someone else has seen something like this before. btw...you don't need to type in capitals...IT MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING AT PEOPLE.

I know Rick R was relying on the blacklight to definitively catch this one but he may not have considered that anyone that would perpetrate a fraud to this degree (matching ribbon bar, miniature chain, etc.) would not so easily caught using synthetic thread.

a marvelous room! a rhetorical question? Every collector must do what they seem fitting. As for myself, I don't look at my collection the way an Interior Decorator would. Pieces may overlap and be partially obscured, but I want them out where I can view them.

Hello Barnsley; Welcome to GMIC! I'm not entirely qualified to answer your questions (to begin with, I don't live in the UK), but I can give you some basic advice. While much of it will not be that remarkable, it may help reinforce your suspicions on collecting. There are many reputable sellers, but with any item you consider you should have 100% money-back guarantee from the dealer. When you are starting out, you want to buy only from reputable dealers. Just like a buying a car, look through all the inventory available in the marketplace. Compare and contrast what you see. Seek out as many examples as possible and look at them closely. Take notice of their construction and handle them where you can. Until you build up a confidence from seeing and handling many "good" pieces and known "bad" pieces you can be susceptible to the Fakers' latest and best output. Go to the military shows and visit all of the dealer tables. Don't monopolize their time, but ask them questions about the pieces you are interested in; condition, materials used if paint or enameling, the base metal, what is rare, what is common. Knowledge about the piece and how, when, where it was used will not only help you identify a good piece and a good deal, it will further your enjoyment in collecting. Good luck and good hunting...

I am very, very disappointed..... ....that when I was in Belgium I didn't know about your collection. I would have paid admission to see it. Thank you for showing it. Great displays!

Wonderful bar!

Thanks Alex, but it has been covered. Thank you again Chris!

I was just asking for a photo of the Weigel badge from the book. (What I would really like is to HAVE the badge, but short of that I will have to settle for the photo.)

Does anyone own this book? -Please contact me by PM Thank you.

sorry, don't know that one. I can't read it from the photo. What does it say on the obverse top and bottom cross arm?

Wonderful document group! I really like how the Crown Order in on a light blue ribbon for foreigners! A great observation.

Congratulations! I know how well this fits into your collection -an excellent pick-up.

This is a really hard scan to try to read the medals. Could you crop and enlarge the area? It might help. The left breast is not the St. George Cross. It looks like Order of St. John of Jerusalem Maltese Cross. On the right breast; just like Andreas I could see it being the St. Stanislaus Order with swords. I initially thought St. Anne, but the ribbon is suggests the St. Stanislaus.

I'm a fan of this award too. And you have one in the case. Very nice. All four of your awards are VERY nice pieces!

I also think it looks like the Order of St. John.

Great example of this usual bar construction! It must have been a tailor's unique practice to do it this way. It reminds me of how Rick R. would post period photos of bars with the awards ordered contrary to the Regs. Great photo and bar! I can make out the battle bar on the F-P medal as "Gravelotte - St. Privat". I can see the other awards clearly, but does anyone have a guess to #8 and #10?

hmmm..... I don't like the bar construction, the overlapping ribbons from right to left???? Also, could we get a peek behind the Crown Order ribbon at the Red Eagle ribbon? Thanks