Claudius

nice bar!! interesting, the Saxon LS after HK, but before the Prussian LS. any other gems from SOS?

This thread doesn't mention when the medals were issues, only that the recipient list was still reviewed up to 1961! http://gmic.co.uk/topic/50400-liberation-war-commemorative-medal-vapaussodan-muistomitali-1918/#comment-461234

It is wonderful that you can match up the medal bar and the photo! It is done on too few of occasions. Andreas, do you know the name? At least, can you tell us what was this man's occupation? (Can you tell from the photo? What (Hussar's uniform?) is he wearing?) Regards,

Wait, what?...wasn't the Finnish Liberation Medal issued in late 1918?

Yeah, that is a nice bar! Proud Saxon. I like what the bar says to me. Can we see the reverse too?

Ok! Thanks for the information.

This looks like an interesting book. Does it include any after-action reports on Russian ships that went to Tsingtau seeking repairs and medical aid?

Could you show the reverse too? Thank you

He was a Karelian? That is interesting! I came across that area and the people there when I was reading an account of western intervention during/after WWI in North Russia, (The Murmansk Venture by C. Maynard) He discussed how different groups in North Russia were vying with each other; Whites, Reds, White Finns, Red Finns, etc. The Karelian's were among them, hoping to carve out their own country. This is great account of his life at this pivotal point, and probably correct. The medals being lost is not too surprising. Many of these bars didn't survive (or we haven't seen many that are in very private, private collections). a pity. If we all agree that two of the "coins" are St. George Medals, I would feel a really good guess is that the other three are; a Zeal Medal, a 1812-1912 Centennial Victory over Napoleon medal, 300 year Romanov Rule medal, but one of them could still be a 1914 Mobilization medal (last medal?). Thanks for sharing!

Hello Locktsar; Welcome to the GMIC website. An excellent photo of a family member. Let me first just say, Wow what a nice medal bar! It goes without saying that it would be a real nice to see in person. You and Andreas are correct. There is little doubt, the first four crosses are the St. George Crosses in all four classes. You can't see the metal color, but the first two on the left are gold, the second two are silver (like Andreas' example). The 1st Class and the 3rd Class are further defined by having bows on the ribbon. Again it is hard to make out, but you just discern them. The next five "coins" are likely campaign medals. The ribbon hue patterns may be the best clues to which, but by the age you mention of the recipient, and the date of the photo, I would suspect medals like; Zeal Medal, 1812-1912 Centennial medal, 300 year Romanov Rule medal. Then it gets harder to guess; 1914 Mobilization medal?, Life Saving Medal, First General Census? If he was older I would suspect medals like; Turkish Campaign, China Campaign, Boxer Rebellion, Alexander Coronation, or Russo-Japanese War. There are others here that will have some great ideas of which medals he earned. Yes, the last device is a Regimental badge.

It will certainly be the Belle of the Ball!

Hello Kasle; I can understand your buyer's concern about this medal. The short answer is "Yes" this medal is original and period. But why did your buyer even have a question about this medal? And that is the long answer. This medal has all the details of an original and is an excellent strike. The embossed lettering, on the reverse the tiny dots before and after the words and right down to the artists initials on the obverse. The medal looks perfect..except it isn't "blackened". H&S describes the medal as blackened iron. And the öse is different too. This is why your buyer is questioning the medal. Why the difference? I believe I know the answer. I've seen this before with the Schwarzburg Ehrenmedaille that was also made at different periods with slightly different construction techniques. The Oldenburg War Merit Medal 1916 was first decreed in November 21, 1916 to those who have show help in the war effort. On May 9th, 1917 the awarding of the medal was expanded to include younger recipients (minimum age of 15) and to women. (awarded on a bow ribbon) I have seen Oldenburg War Merit Medals 1916 on regular ribbons and they were blackened medals with the heavier öse. The medals on bows seem to be the unblackened medal with the thinner öse. My theory is that when they expanded the award to include more recipients (i.e. women) AND the war was making more demands in materials the production of this medal changed. They no longer took the extra step to blacken it and a öse they used needed less time and metal. This OWMM 1916 you sold is one of these latter productions and obviously awarded to a woman. Everything else checks out too. To the ribbon and the DRGM stamp on the pin holder. Ordinarily I would suggest a black light to the threads, but I don't think they will glow. Someone else here may have an opinion on this piece and may have a correction or something to add.

That is a great document! Thank you for sharing it.

Thanks.

That is an AWESOME man-cave! The canvas looks great mounted on the wall. But I agree with Chris, you might want dim that sunlight coming in. I learned that even reflected sunlight is damaging.

I did not visit the cemetery. I passed the island's one (civilian) cemetery, but I don't know the Maine dead are buried there or somewhere else. That would be cool to see.

The best I can do... hmmm, my copy is easier to read so here it is. BATTLESHIP USS MAINE GUN-SIGHT Salvaged from the Maine destroyed by an explosion in Havana Harbor, Cuba On February 15, 1898 At 9:40pm "REMEMBER THE MAINE"

Over the Christmas break the wife wanted to see Key West. Mallory Square is a popular destination among the tourists and the street performers know this as well. While they were performing stunts of amazing showmanship I wander over to a public display on the military role of Key West through the decades. I almost didn't see this memorial in the corner. The USS Maine's Forward Fire Control Turret is affixed to a 4ft high limestone plinth. A brass plack mounted below with the ship's name and other details. The turret isn't very large, but it must be incredibly heavy. I placed my hand in a couple of the side slots and I estimated that the metal was at least 7 inches thick. The top is probably much more. I can just imagine a sailor inside. The space would be just big enough for his head and maybe shoulders along with his elementary communication equipment for reporting his sightings to the guns. They painted it white to keep the rust off but otherwise looks unmarred. As you may know, the USS Maine blew up on Feb 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor. The US considered this to be the last straw and the Spanish-American War had begun. The Maine left for Havana Harbor from Key West, so I guess they thought it was good place to send back the dead and where they would conducted their first inquiry into the explosion. In 1910 Congress authorized the removing of the Maine. Pieces retrieved from the ship were made into memorials all over the US and one in Cuba. A list of these memorials can be found on the internet, but this turret piece as a memorial didn't make the list. I recall learning about the Maine in grade school. In a book, a lithograph drawing at the moment of the explosion. The ship and its significance were so distant and remote, they might as well have occurred during the ancient peloponnesian war. Decades later, to finally have an actual piece to touch was really neat.

Wow! That medal is connected to an important period in Finnish history. I could see it in a Helsinki museum that has a display on the uprising.

Great photo. Both the badge and the patch are showing well. That patch is really nice!

Hello John; What you have here is a little document group to a Corporal Carl Glauner - artilleryman who later became a student. Here is a breakdown, although there is more detail that can be gained. 1) a photo student ID to Tuebingen University -good through November(?), but crossed out? 1921 2) a damaged award document for the Prussian War Help Cross -June 3rd, 1918. 3 Postcard, to Carl Glauner, postmarked going through Foot Artillery #16. 4) (reverse side?) Letter dated April 15, 1917. The print is too light I can't make out any of it. From "Heinz". (the use of only the first name suggests a very close friend or family member, brother?) 5) A simple card that gives Glauner permission to study in a certain area. 6) A simple card that allow Glauner Lunch and Dinner from May 2nd to May 3rd, 1921 7) EKII document from 6th Battalion Foot Artillery #10, dated August 7th, 1917. This is just a first glance of the documents. I could have some of these translations wrong, but I hope this helps.

Dear Brian; I found your 'tis the season' observations a delight and add them to the treats of the season. As you said, this time of the year makes a cynic's life nearly effortless. As a professional myself, I refuse such low hanging fruit and blithely ignore the proffered marketing spectacle to save my barbs for the hype surrounding the upcoming Star Wars movie. Those kinds of comments can provide a greater provocation than a Jehovah Witness knocking on the door of an ISIS war-lord. May the self-induced euphoric Force be with you. Claudius

Hello Henrik; I would also like to welcome you here. I hope we have some categories of militaria that you would be interested in sharing in and learning more about. That looks like a nice little set to a pre-WWI Finnish cadet (later a soldier in WWI?). Two of the pieces look like they are engraved. Do they all belong together? Most collectors on this site are proponents of keeping groups together, whether they are medal bars, documents or jeton chains. As Chuck mentioned, this website is a great site for information on all things military related. However there is not a lot about current prices. Prices are so fluid and will move up and down with a great reliance on connecting to the right collector. Good luck with your planned sale of the jeton chain and I hop you visit this site again soon. -Claudius

Wow. Either one of these bars would be an "eyeful". I really like that you have the documents to the first bar. That is a nice tidy roll of decorations. The second bar is remarkable too. Double Hohenzollern awards! With swords!?! Wonderful! I see a little yellow peaking through. Is there a gong missing? The Wurttemburg Crown Order with swords on the ring is real gem. Interesting that it is behind the HK. I know those Saxon Herzog House Orders are large, but this one is really a giant next to his friends. A later replacement? I hope you can find who was the owner.