Claudius

​This idea should work, at least partly. But it will certainly need the general humidity of the hat increased. If it is dried out, like I suspect it is, it will retain this shape indefinitely. But adding moisture can be perilous to the piece if the moisture is then not removed. It needs to be a three part process. 1) Slowly add humidity to the hat, one method is to have it several times in the bathroom where you take hot steamy showers. 2) Gently form the hat back to the correct shape and stuff with clean rags to hold that shape. 3) the most important of all is that you must actively REMOVE the humidity from the hat. Don't let it just sit and dry out. Otherwise you just activated every mold spore in the felt and threads and gave it the precious water they need to flourish. The hat will become a mess in weeks. Put it in a small room next to a dehumidifier. 50% is a low setting, but go for lower, like 40. IMO, Don't do step 1, if you can't do step 3. Good luck!

This is the first time I've come across this tread. Boy-o-boy, Ehms really earned a heap of fruit salad in his lifetime!

Nice medal indeed! OEK 2543 / H&S 1778a I like the clasp, issued from the Herzog Carl Eduard medal (H&S 1776). Sorry H&S doesn't mention the number of recipients. Only that the medal was issued from 1919 to November 14, 1935 and after October 16, 1935 it was awarded with swords-on-the-ring.

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Great photo Alex! Thank you for showing it.

This looks like just the ticket for increasing inelastic eye lens muscles.

​ Hmmm, I don't recall you buying anything from me. ;-)

Wow. Great. Certainly an interesting piece to be connected to the annexation of that corner of Romania. I don't know anything on the history, but I presume that after the Tsar pushed Napoleon out of Russia he keep advancing and took this little piece too. I would like to see the hallmarks when you can get a photo of the reverse.

What you have there is a "Jeton". Or at least it try to appear like some kind of 100-year commemorative jeton. Usually they are made with a high amount of skill. This one seems to be crudely made. The inner shield border is uneven. The royal eagle insignia is blandly reproduced. I presume you didn't show the reverse because its flat and unmarked (that is OK, that is period construction), but if you could show the reverse on this one, it may lead to some more discoveries.

​Sorry. I should have come up with this. I've been to this castle. That distinctive tower in the front should have dialed me in.

​It does seem like a Bulgarian crown. But I can't place that castle view. The details don't match up with Veliko Tarnovo. Maybe a different Bulgarian castle?

​ DOE 1181 / H&S 755 ? Wow. A very unusual medal indeed. Because of today's date I might believe you are trying to fool me, but the evidence is there. Do you know any more about the medal than what is in H&S?

Nice ribbon bar. I really like the Legion Condor on the end. It is a Legion Condor ribbon? I wonder if the ribbon bar could be identified?

Looks great. Now you just need to get a couple of other DDR items to go with it.

Claudio; That is nice Navy Commemorative medal bar. The battle bars are amazing. Congratulations! (I don't know what happened on the GMIC website, but I can finally respond)

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​Hello Claudio; That bar was on the top of my list from RR for all the reasons you mention above especially the Finnish connection/1918 war for independence. C'est la vie. There will be another day, with other items that I will look to be victorious. Regards, Claudius

Anyone here won #0020?

@ Gunner -Thanks. I will make the "Holm" corrections to my notes. I should have said from the onset that my chronography on Hess is a work in progress. @Chris Liontas -Thanks. I (of course) agree, these badges and the ones that can be attributed to an individual's WWI history are really special.

Otto Hess b. Braunfels 11/21/16 -earns his SeefliegerAbzeichen in SFA II Wilhelmshaven 5/21/17 -transferred to SFA I 7/4/17 -promoted to FlugOberMaat 6/8/17 -EKII awarded 3/19/18 -Promoted to Flugmeister 7/18/18 -A British patrol of two Short 184s out of Westgate (coast of Kent) escorted by two Sopwith Camels out of Manston were met by six Hansa-Brandenburg seaplane fighters (w.29) from Seeflugstation I, Zeebrugge. The air battle occurred over Quadrant 1305K (Kentish Knock). Both Short 184s were shot down. Ace and PLM winner Kapitanleutnant Frederich Christiansen accounted for one of the downed airplanes. Flugmeister Hess and his gunner Hahn were credited with the second. Either; Short 184 number "N2927" with Lt. Pegram (KIA) and 2Lt. Thrower(KIA) or Short 184 number "N2937" with Lt. Vowles (survived) and 2Lt. Farrall (survived) 11/21/18 -Hess and Hahn receive an Ehrenpries, the naval equivalent to the Ehrenbecker. The Ehrenpries trophy is two bronze eagles frozen in aeronautical battle mounted on a black plinth. It currently resides in a WWI Aviation museum in New Zealand. ----There are no known photos of Otto Hess or his airplane.---- (my many thanks to those that have provided me with much of Hess' career information, dates and details of his victory)

Are any bars attributed to fliegertruppen? (I won't even ask if any were from Tsingtau, China)

engraving ------------------------ O. Hess II Seeflieger Abtlg. W'haven RS ------------------------

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