Claudius

wow. just wow. That would be one great bar to own.

Excellent. Thank you for the link.

Thank you again Jktu!

Here is reverse side of the Large Wooden block. The patch was with the Lot of items to this gentleman (or gentlemen as there may be more than one person's belongings here). As you can see, the patch as the identical "4" and "113" numbering.

Interestingly, on the inside of the Armband it had this writing. I am really curious to know what this means. Why was it on the inside? Is the Armband reversible? Is it an old designation? Can anyone read that?

Close up of the Seal. (What does it say exactly?)

Here is an item that was part of a larger group of a uniform insignia and personal belongings. One item was identified as belonging to Hans Eggebrecht, a known Interpreter in Japan and later in China, and perhaps this was his Armband identifing him as a translator. I believe the black Chinese symbols translate to "Interpreter". The red ink stamp or Seal I believe the mark of the Chinese official that authorized/endorsed this office.

As August draws near I'm sure there will be many articles and postings related to the start of WWI but I think this article is good way to start the timeline off. Before you can really show how things have changed, it is necessary to show how things were. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25576645

Are you kidding?....it’s an outstanding group. But I am a big fan of aviation groups from WWI. The first piece is a great looking religious jeton. The revolver jeton is odd, but maybe after the revolution, it refers to the authorization to carry the side arm? I actually have a document for just such a permission to carry. Photo id and stamped for authorization. You mentioned “too brief of a military career”? Do you know more about the individual? Name, rank, unit?!

Sorry Nick; There are TWO wood blocks; one larger, one smaller. I did not possess the items when I posted the larger, engraved wood block in Post #1 and #3. I have it now and I was able to flip it over. The wood block in Post #1 and #3 is the larger. The engraving in the obverse is "Bando Prisoner of War Camp" -Thank you Jktu. I will post photos of the reverse of the larger wood block when I can, but it is a; simple engraved "S" inside a square, and a "4" and then a "113". The wood block in Post #6 and #12 is the smaller wood block.

This is the reverse of the wood block that was previously identified as belonging to Hans Eggebrecht by Nick.

Hello Nick; This is a great Christmas present! My sincere thank you! This tag was among other personal effects I recently purchased. Originally, they were attributed to belong to one person, but now I can see that they belong to at least two Tsingtau individuals. I will post the items as soon as I can organize and photograph them. Thank you for reading the name for me. I was not having any success. I really like being able to know the name on the tag. How did you know that he was one of only four German interpreters at Matsuyama? You must have a great source for WWI German POWs in Japan.

For one thing, and I'm just guessing, but would it be the TWO Sacred Treasures on the bar?!

Nick; I don't collect these awards or their cases, but I am interested in your step-by-step analysis of the pieces. I never fail to learn something. I didn't know that the lacquer boxes could fade if they didn't get the proportions correct when they made it.

This is an outstanding bar, I never get tired of looking at it. Thanks for posting it again. And of course, I especially like who it belonged to.

A wonderful little item. Well made with great detail. IMO...it just needs the ribbon to set it off just right.

it doesn't look like any known period piece I've seen before.

I'm giving the translation a try myself, but the katakana has me stumped. Or is it a mixture of katakana and ??? "re bu ( ) ku a?" "Talker" any help?

What an outstanding bar! Great career soldier. I really like the intra-war details that are available on him.

Great displays for a great collection! Thanks for showing it. Short of being there in person, your photos do a wonderful job of sharing your pieces. Thanks.

Could someone read this for me. Thanks.

Outstanding! Thank you.

Is this a little better?

Hello; Does the inscription give a clue as to what it is? Thank you, Claudius

Thank you.