Stogieman

Awesome group of badges... I love the quality of the enamel pieces.

Hi Eric, I have never seen this cross with this type of hardware on the back or the colorization you're describing...

Lee, we assume Juncker made the issue Prussian badges. However, the only stamped Prussian badge that bears a mark is the Air Gunner Badge. Bavarian? I don't think anyone has any clue who made those..... Private purchase (army) badges from Prussia can be found by (major makers of the badges) Juncker, Meybauer, and at least two others with distinct characteristics that we don't know who they are. Private purchase (navy) badges can be found by Schaper, Meybauer and Juncker as well as unmarked examples. Bavarian badges that are marked are usually by Poellath in Schrobenhausen. No other maker-marked Bavarian badges that I am aware of.

Look like crappy, nasty cast copies. He has a number of pieces that are all questionable, IMO

Well, price guides are price guides.... if he's a collector perhaps he's simply trying to inflate the value of his own collection. The book can get into anyone's hands and the bottom line will ever and always be... You can ask any price you want..... ..... but not every person will be willing to pay your price. Supply & Demand are valid subjects here. I am so very glad I do not do Soviet or Mongolian any more. It was outrageously frustrating to me to start collecting something and be confounded by (A) the vast gap between what was considered real or not, (B) the snotty attitude of the majority of Soviet collectors (reminded me of German collectors 30 years ago and {C} be instantly priced out of the market in a matter of months. I simply do not believe these absurd prices can be sustained or will last. At some point the prices will collapse and there will be a long list of seriously aggrieved individuals.

Whoops.... that's what I get for posting late at night! Sorry!

Well, if nothing else we have learned to "never say never".... the precedence is certainly not in keeping with the regs; but how many times have we seen that violated before? Brian's point is very important though.... if he has the honor cross I don't think the ribbon bars would be his.... I am not aware of any Royal Bavarian awards given post 1934.... but I suppose even that is possible since the princes were still actively participating in Germany (for awhile at least...)

Hi Claudio, I think I have seen the MEZ 1 or 2 less than a dozen times mounted up and that includes my 1866 NC one that used to live here!! Very nice bar. I don't think it can be ID'd though.

.... and that is probably why the pin has been hidden. First glance the front looks very good.... but flip it over and all sorts of questions arose for me....

Hmmm, Thanks Komtur, I had not seen that supplement or Volume II. I may have to get a new set of these.

Interesting question. At that point I doubt anyone stepped up and made new dies for obsolete orders. But rather probably continued to use any/all existing tooling as needed. Some of the royal orders continued to be awarded by ruling families surviving even until present day!

Wonderful! Theodor, Thank you for sharing so many badges!!

Hi Ed, despite the lack of a central mint like Mondvor, the design of an order was very rigidly controlled by the individual state's orders ministry. Once a design had been submitted (you should see some of the many designs submitted for the Albert Order of Saxony when originally started!!) the actual manufacture would be rigidly controlled to pretty exact specifications by the house-approved jewelers only. There is some variation by maker... but most of these were exactingly documented by Jorg Nimmergut in his large volumes on German decorations. A very, very expensive set of books, but well worth the investment... IMO.

Thanks Saschaw, I often get the scarcer variations/classes of these orders confused in my old age! Still a very rare piece and a bar to be proud of for sure!

Reverse. Additional images by looking at the seller's listing

When I saw the very first picture of this cross I was interested and even a little excited. eBay # 250251368917 But when I saw the images of the back...... hmmmm sure looks like some chemical applied to patina the cross. If you look at the actual item, he does not show a picture of the reverse with the pin vixsible, so I suspect there is an issue with the pin as well. The catch sure doesn't look like any I have ever seen on a period cross of this age. The detail to the front and the crispness of the core is a little scary... Is this a new copy? Or is it a very dirty original?

So! Some of the earliest issues of these Bulgarian badges were actually numbered!? Interesting! Thank you for adding all these beautiful variations to the thread!!

In my many years of both collecting and dealing actively in Imperial German ODM I have seen this piece mounted on a medal bar exactly ONCE! I have seen it loose exactly ONCE! It will be a big coup for the person who finds one of these. Another thing that we rarely hear mentioned.... Despite having to resort to "fine zinc" for many awards late in the war, Germany's different orders makers made some exceptionally well detailed, sharp, crisp pieces in this material. This cross, some of the Bavarian MVK3's, the Prussian Cross for War Aid. Beautiful little gems that are very hard to find.

Isn't that the "Member's Cross" to the Princely Hohenzollern House Order? An exceptionally rare piece! The swords are real gold? Very nice and unique bar!

Reverse:

I couldn't resist this. I think it translates to "animal husbandry/breeders" but all I could think of were all those kids I used to see cruising the Expositions and fairs in their blue "Future Farmers of America" club jackets.

The badge itself, up close & personal:

Interior close-up

I always thought GTO Badges were sports badges, but the seller called it "Ready For Work & Defense" Badge. Is this a translation issue? I believe this is the First Class type badge. I have seen these with Roman Numerals II III for different grades. Nice with the original award booklet.

Reverse: