Stogieman

And one more for now. Again, only one like this I've seen. Mint in the cello issue packet, mint ribbon in the interior mint packet. Common piece, yep! Like this? Pretty darn hard to find. Rarity does not have to cost a collector thousands.......... look dilligently and some very simple, but exceedingly rare pieces can be yours for very reasonable prices!!

Another "one-of" Prussian centennial Medal in the rare Kaiser Presentation Case.........

When it comes to rarity, I have been fortunate to have many interesting things pass through my hands. I have thought about this all day. The first piece i will share is not rare in and of itself. but it is still the only one I have ever seen in the Scharffenberg (House Jeweler, Saxony) presentation case and the only miniature I have ever seen. I will share some "one-of-a-kind" pieces like this with you tonight. The Saxon LS bar is pretty special when resting in its' case on the custom pedestal inside!

Found it! Here's the SCG Case for this medal! The only one of this style I have ever seen!

PS for Frank! Welcome Aboard!!! Good to see you here. On the chance that some do not know Herr Heukemes, Frank is one of the best badge guys around, has a passion for the subject that would be tough to beat and is now a published author on GAB's with other projects in the works! An asset to the community!

Excellent point Frank! The mis-spelled name alone should be enough to send one running away!

Now you know this question was coming.... right? Why do we have 2 bars with Yellow on the left and one bar with yellow on the right?

.... and I am lost already just by "The Evil One's" answer..... thank God I can bribe him into helping me out with this stuff.

I have to root through the archives tonight. I have a Sax-Coburg Gothe case of issue for this medal that is very different from Ralph's. Sold it to a German dealer a few years back.

Yep, rare by the numbers awarded! Pricing is not always relevant to rarity.... or in the case of "The Evil Twin"... obscurity! There's a tremendous amount of stuff out there that is scarcer than hen's teeth and few collectors are even aware of it! Hence the theme of the thread! ;>)

Same with me...... fabulous story!

I think as with all dealers, it's truly up to the buyer to know what he's doing. An educated, knowledgeable and careful shopper will find some absolutely magnificent pieces from this seller for very reasonable prices on a quite regular basis. Know what you're looking at and you will find diamonds in every rough!

I am happy to say that the frequency of his listings has slowed. perhaps spreading the word has diminished his capacity to screw people over. We can only hope.

When this bar initially appeared, it created quite a stir. Much speculation as to authenticity, but this puppy is right as cool rain on a hot summer's day!

This is another interesting and rare piece. Not seen very often. Here's an example of a Saxon with both grades of the CEM.... unidentifiable, but still one of the nicest ribbon bars I've pawed in the last couple of years! Does anybody else have some examples of ribbon bars, medal bars, or cases for this award?

Popping this one back to the top. We see far to few examples of these cloth pieces and I think we should all be taking a hard look at them lest we walk past one on a table some day!!

..... and , there is considerable evidence that even during WW1 the firm manufactured products simultaneously with BOTH spellings! Why, oh why, oh why????????

Interesting discussion and insight on the last ribbon. As well as entirely possible!

OK Girls & Boys, what have you stashed in your collection that falls into the really rare category?? Show us what you have! And I mean rare!!

I'd agree. Check with a framing shop and tell them you want acid-free, museum-quality mounting linen. A quality shop will know what you need.

Detlev has sold about 2 originals... but the last time I discussed this piece with him, he is shying away from them as much as the rest of us. The copies are just too good these days. I would not touch one of these without some iron-clad provenance. I've only handled 3 or 4 real ones over my entire collecting career. However, superb fake ones can be had on any major auction house (on-line or fixed) on a weekly basis!

This is (IMO) one of the most wonderful of all the Imperial Orders. I never get tired of seeing these!

Nice bar, really unusual combination and right as rain!

Careful Mr. Research........... there is a difference in height between the Bavarian and W?rttemburg Bars.........

Fabulous Bar Claudio....... just fabulous.