Chris Boonzaier

His EK2, awarded after he was invalided out.

I am working on a number of projects with GMIC folks at the moment, including one that will be on researching Iron Cross documents. It should be a great read when finished. This is as yet unresearched, but for the British collectors out there... you know how interesting a first day of the Somme casaulty is.... This is to Gefr Jost... first from his pass... missing in action on the first day of the Somme, the Ulster division wiped out the left flank of his company as they stormed towards the Schwaben Redoubt. He was badly wounded, POW, and came back to germany in part of a POW trade in October 1916 (amputees, blinded etc were sometimes traded back as they could no longer fight.)

Interesting to see the mix of bar types on the DN. In 50 years a collector will say "An officer would NEVER have done that!! They would have had matching bars!!" :-))

I would guess these were left over cases used for 57s? he making style is exactly the same as the style I had a late war znk KVK1 (maker 4) in. The inside (when you prise the bottom out) has the WW2 style stamps and old bone glue, which is long out of date in 1957. Best Chris

The whole thing is soooo tightly wounted. I begin to fee like the guy who posted that he hates bars... what I wouldnt give to be able to examine that medal off the bar :-(.... just a thought, not a threat !!!

Well, I guess the points system is not that great either. """The Bronze class is awarded for 6 months of service AND 90 points (???) - Silver class for 5 years and 600 points (and after having received the bronze class min. 2 years before) - Gold class for 10 years and 800 points (silver class min. 2 years earlier).""" If you count 22 months Operations outside of France you get over 2000 points for that alone, (excluding all other calculations like Helicopter rides and whatever else gets you points), but that is because you get 3 points a day whether you are in Kinshasa or Bangui while on ops, and that be 2 very different places. I think the bronze one looks better anyway, So there !

Okay... time to prepare the crow.... a one piece hubcap !!!!!!!

Hi, I meant local, as in where we are on holiday. the 4th class above cost me USD20 in Cairo, but as the wife would point out, we spent 3 solid days scratching through every market and junk pile to find it. the 5th class I found in Scutari, I had 5 1914 EK2s with me and the turkish dealer was happy to trade, so was I :-) there is something about picking up a Crimean era 5th class just a few hundred meters away from where the lady with the lamp did her thing. Other holiday specials include british Egypt and Sudan medals picked up in Egypt, and a pile of French and spanish colonial stuff from morocco. The Problem is... the wife is dead keen on South America, I try to tell her that militariawise North Africa is a better deal... but she just switches off the "logic" button. South America and Mexico are militaria dead ends unless you live there and have contacts :-(

I have a special "holiday" collection as a side line. I cleared it with the wife... I dont want souveniers, I want local medals. Usually i have to go scratching through markets etc. but most of the time I manage to turn something up. Best Chris

I promise... scouts honour.... I looked under the microscope... ONE piece... it is..it is... is!

Yup, but the one on the bar... the centre is gold.... but the writing and belt AS WELL. NOT gilt. the writing, belt and L/Crown are ONE PIECE with white enamle added!!! And gold instead of gilt. The whole bar is so tightly sewn up there is no way to see the back :-(((

The loose one has W.Co. 950 stamped on the curly bit above the swords. The swords themselves are 800 Best Chris

Just wait till my computer comes back from the shop and I can scan again... Ill show you mine if you show mw yours ;-)

Ricks one is different again, he has the crown and L as a seperate piece, it looks like the crown and L are gold and the writing and belt vergoldet, wheras the one I have from today has the crown/L, writing and belt as a single piece of what looks liek gold. best chris

What i notice on it is.... On the family medal the centre "L" seems to be gold but the writing and belt are a different metal. there is a gold coulered disk, then they have the enamle (black and white) put on it, then the crown and L is a seperate piece. On todays piece they seem to have a round gold disk with white enamle (the crown and L are PART OF the disk), it is cut through and the black background is seperate. best Chris

aa

above, front one from the family, back one from show today..

Above is the new one

compare to one from the wifes family..

Hi, it must be a 1930s backing. Maybe he was in the Feuerwehr, or veterans association?

You are asking the wrong guy, I am only an Imperial EK doc guy :-( I initially thought the middle one was a red cross thingy :-(( OK,no doctor then.

I have seen KVK cases like this, but so far no EK cases... Anyone else seen one?

Looks like an unmarked 65. Interesting late war case, with no button. I found it more interesting than the cross.Also no hinge, just a paper and the lining keep the top on.

I guess the guy must have been a doctor? Can anyone recognise the maker? The bar is so tightly sewn together that I cant see any marks on the cross

Really well made indeed!