Chris Boonzaier

Hi, The LdH has pretty flexible rules, and some of the recipients leave you scratching your head, but it also covers service and achievment. The Problem is, the French system can be a bit confusing in General. I remember in Bosnia guys who were wounded automatically recieved the wound medal (of course, they were wounded) but also got the Military valor cross and medaille Militaire.... which kinda negates the purpose of the Wound medal. Maybe the gold version of this would have been more realistic ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honour_medal_for_courage_and_devotion However, they got the LdH and probably deserved it more than some past recipients. I have noticed, it is almost a national passtime in France to muse over just what certain people did to get the LdH. I think these guys will get a thumbs up around the coffee table.

Airforce guy, does not know any better ;-)

Gulp! Only 20 000 Rand !!

Hi Andreas, Do you know the criteria for the small golden baden Verdienst medal on Karl Friedrich ribbon ? For service as opposed to bravery? Why such a small number of awards?

... but maybe a bit overboard?

Hi, zhis pic has popped up on a few sites recently.... I think it is a Movie Theater photo? Somehow it does not have the "look" of period photos, the guy looks a bit hefty, the rifle looks wrong, the Material (film and photo paper) also looks a bit more modern than WW1 era.... On top of that, the logo and writing at the bottom make it look as if a studios logo has been cut off ? What do you guys think?

Hi, Harry is a life saver, he has an Immense output of Quality articles...

I would like to get my Wifes Greatgrandfathers medals mounted, WW2 Mounted. 14-18 EK2, KVK2, Albrecht Cross, Friedrich August medal, Hindie and 2 Volkspflege Medals. So a 7 Medal bar. I suppose i dont need to trust the Medals to the postoffice as I just need the bar with mounted ribbons. Can anyone recommend a good mounter? Thanks Chrs

Hi Claudio, indeed a nice bar, but the exception I think? I usually think of the "Normal" Prussian with EK2, EK1 and then later a Hindenburg. That is of course a really nice group !!

Thats a first! I never knew the Germans did that!!

Once again, I think the poor Prussian NCOs come up short on a post like this.... :-(

Wow.... that probably takes the cake..... !

I have a write up about this, and your guys may have known my guy! Only have the docs... Write up is not to "dry" and worth a read.... http://kaiserscross.com/310001/52401.html

Career NCO, a Badener in a Würt. Regiment (I.R. 126)

Wow, thats pretty cool... he had a bar with the "padding" association medals, then the Post hindenburg version... nice!

Hi, Many officers groups have plenty of enamle and sexy awards on the bar that an "other Rank" would never get... so I thought a thread with NCOs bars would be kinda interesting.... Maybe anything up to "Feldwebel" and awards you did not have to be an officer to get? Does not even have to be top line awards, just good solid NCO stuff.... Here is the group for Franz Riethmann of the Bavarian 22 Reserve Infanterie Regiment. The Helmet plate was not his, it is simply for decoration.

Fantastic! A wonderful group and a good end to the story.... Sometimes the stuff is better off and more appretiated in collectors hands... and sometimes the family is the best home after all.

I think the problem with cased crosses is that a fraction of the ones we see realy belong together... I have seen mass murder case/cross combos, many dealers mix and match, many collectors swop around, buy a combo just to get the case for their minty cross and flog the one inside, which may or may not have been switched by the previous owner. Cases and crosses are for me the least likely combo to stand the test of time.

Hi, I may have mispoke. I think cases for a specific maker and model of Iron cross are probably few and far between, but the traces in this and the shape leave me thinking that if Meybauer ever did use a box, this is the most likely one I can imagine... which is not to say Godet did not buy the same box for pinbacks. The box could however not be used by makers who had a pin longer than the cross without damaging the lining....

Nice shots! My one seems to have had more force used on the north south axis to get the pin and furniture in. I have tried it with a number of crosses, some fit better than others. I think it important to remember that the cases were not tailor made for specific crosses, or probably not even for specific makers... I am guessing they were bought wholesale, and somewhere along the supply line at the cross factory, there was a guy with sharp pointy things that took the generic case and made it fit the hinge and hook of his bosses crosses? Maybe this box could be ordered by anyone and made to fit their cross? Box is a liiittle bit bigger than the usual boxes...

Hi, is indeed 3rd Battalion

Hi, a few points and thoughts, My error, I should have mentioned I bought the case empty, the cross pictured in it was simply the first one I grabbed. I dont think the traces are from a cross being forced into it, if that were the case then it is very probable that the cross pushed the top lining as well, and that is clean as a whistle, no force marks. There are 3 kinds of cross traces on this, 1) the ones for what look like a Gegenplatte, 2) Hook and ring marks from a EK2 which seems to have been stored in it. 3) There are also marks from a hinge and hook from an EK1... but fact is, where the arms come together (top and bottom arm) you can feel that the inner layer has been crushed down to accomadate the pin running from hinge to hook. Without that crushing the cross would have been way to high up in the case. The indentations for the hinge and pin have been forced as well. Having the piece in hand and tracing the indentations with my fingers, i am pretty convinced this one was not made for a pin. My adventurous side wants to carefully dissasemble it, but I wonr ;-) Can you post yours? Best Chris

This guy payed 219 EUR !!!! http://www.ebay.de/itm/Seltenes-4er-Kombi-Etui-fuer-EK2-EK1-Schraube-EK1-Spange-Frontkaempferkreuz-TOP1A-/281740224258?nma=true&si=NTSO54lilIkmv4YXcjT90%2BEAMSQ%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

hi, sorry, i automatically thought of cd800 flatbacks. I still dont think thes is made for a pin cross.... The design just seems wrong

OK, all mounted together.... I think thats important to have them sealed in a frame, you never know what happens in life, if they were loose in a box, or a displaycase you can open, they could be seperated by someone who does not know they belong together....