Chris Boonzaier

"The Solferino battle was one of the most cruel in the history: 29000 casualties out of 230000 soldiers fighting for 14 hours. It was the reason for Henry Dunant to propose a rescue organization: the Red Cross born after this proposal." That is a lot... technically decimation...

Hi David, some great thoughts... but I dont think it is ever possible to have a one size fits all solution. Each collector can work out what he considers to be criteria for "premium prices", but it will always remain subjective because there are many collectors who collect with special interests. For instance, while I agree with much of your scale above, I put little value on a medal being mint. I would also value infantry over cavalry, especially for WW1. My major collecting area is WW1 German award certificates... here prices are usually determined by the design on the document, with certain interest groups assuring that documents for certain battles (verdun, hartmannsweilerkopf etc) fetch premium, and certain units fetch a premium. Here is a fine example (for me)... The DSO group... Officer with Danie Theron, sharpshooter, raider in the Cape, documented shootings in a number of books, etc. etc... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/3093-for-killing-brits/?hl=cloete#entry27693 For me, the MYB can go suck an egg with valuation... if I for some reason wanted t sell it, I would put EUR15 000 on it... it is for me the ultimate Boer Group, the only Boer Sharpshooter with so much description of his actions... and I would probably not get EUR15 000 for it because other collectors have other priorities... so? What is the value of the group? I contend, as long as it is in my hands, and I am alive and kicking... the Value IS EUR15 000... when I die and my wife decides to ebay it... the value drops to whatever the next 2 collectors decide to bid on it... With unique things like named medals the value is not only set by what someone is willing to pay... but also by the lowest price a seller is willing to accept.... even if noone meets the price... This is a great can of worms and i see room for lots of interesting discussion :-)

Lets not forget... The german army was not a professional army with Skill set limited to "this is grenade... pull pin like this.." ... it had called up conscripts who in private life were artisans and jewellers and builders etc... etc... I imagine a POW camp with conscripts was waaay more productive in many fields than a POW camp with career soldiers...

I have arranged one, but not gotten one yet... I think most are somewhere in the mail and few people actually have it yet

Hi Padro, fantastic group indeed!! He is 100% on ancestry... probably name spelled wrong. I will take a look when i have a moment...

We read wrong... mea culpa.... it is not September (19)12.... on the blade, but september 1942. I think blade 1942, handle 1943... and australian.... Brians old eyes are better than mine.....

Hi, brain fart on my side... of course these are mantel straps... I should simply have looked at the size. Does anyone have pics of the mantel? The prewar one ? The straps are a definate grey blue as opposed to the waffenrock blue. best Chris

Hi, the 9 12 is for September 1912 ? Were the holes in the pommel added to earlier issue pieces?

Hi, private purchase I am sure. Best Chris

I now see why Spasm and family tried to make a clean start and moved to South Africa ;-)

I think POW... plenty of photos of Germans in POW cages in North America, taken by commercial Photographers, wearing medals and all... Made before the Italian medal was no longer allowd to be worn....

so cut to thr chase.... what is it??

Hi, I think sleeve thingies for Reichswehr?

Am I the only one thinking this ones stinks really bad... ? http://www.ebay.de/itm/Eisernes-Kreuz-1-Klasse-in-Original-Schatulle-mit-orig-Verleihungsurkunde-/261185545536?autorefresh=true&pt=Militaria&hash=item3ccfdf2540&nma=true&si=KMNjJvuXn0XnlxgWp%252Bklc8%252BPbdE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Hi, I dont exclude the possibility of the mantel, but these are more of a teal blue than the prewar blue. The teal blue is what the reichswehr had according to some superficial research. Also, he only entered service in 1913 as a young whippersnapper. Is anything known about bavarian uniforms between the end of the war and the time they joined the reichswehr? Best Chris P.S. I do realise they are boards he could have picked up "Along the way" but the group is really a time capsule group, down to the dust and moth eggs...

Any sightings of the book ??? Thoughts??

O wonder what the SLAZ43 on the handle is? refurbished by Slazenger ;-) The ones reissued to the South African police had SAP. My only one with stamping in the same place as the C 74250 is an RAF one from (I assume) between the wars....

Pionier

Garde Infanterie

Kraftfahrtruppen...

Some Field Artillery

Does anyone have any to add? Here is a Machine Gun Company one, otherwise the regular Infantry one

veeeeery nice..... I drool!

veeeery nice.... I love these thingies.... would have been a pretty big tin ;-) I remember as a kid throwing these in the garden.... never broke one, but did break tips of other knives and bayonets... :-(

This is the canadian stamp