Stogieman

here's the reverse.......... YUCK!

Hope none of you are bidding on this really crappy fake cross!

Yep, drop-dead gorgeous bar posted by Herr Weitze at a stunning 325- Euro! But wait, what's wrong with this picture????

I had one of these mint/boxed as sold in the 1920's... just the usual plain old cardboard box for something they suffered oh so much to earn....

It will shock you to know that in the last 30 days, 3 ISSUE (cheesy, Tuna-Can Variety) examples of this badge have sold in Germany for in excess of 120- Euro And all I wanted for mine was a C-Note!

A good key is the enamel....... The Cross does not have enameled arms of the patee cross. The MMO always has enameled arms. Cross= "Other Ranks" Order= "Commissioned Officer"

A darn shame. My thoughts are with his family. I wonder if anyone else in Germany will step up to the plate and run with the ball? A sad day for Imperialites everywhere.

Nice bar. Welcome to the forum! The Lippe/Anhalt combination is not very common.

And this final one brings up a pretty good point. Three insignia/badges posted. All 3 suspect. But Reinoud says "100% trustworthy source"......... Things are almost never as they seem. 30 years in a collection (IMO) simply means one thing. They were bought by the owner 30 years ago. That is simply no claim to authenticity. It is a sad state of affairs that in this field we must work very hard to authenticate almost every single piece. But that also increases the importance of educating yourself..... especially through Forums like this!

...... and not a very good Assmann mark at that.

Take a look at the swastika..... that should help clue you in to the badge being wrong........

(Other) Rick! Welcome to our Imperial Play Ground!!! Thanks for the details...... I have a folded up photocopy of Wirth. Will try and scan it shortly.

What is the sleeve badge on that overcoat Brian?

Brian, you're killing me here!

Hey Jens! Welcome aboard! Very cool topic. One of my favorite "kid" memories was reading over and over a paperback, profusely illustrated book about WW1...... it had an entire section on Verdun with tons of pix of debris, bones, ordnance, etc. still lying around. Fascinating then and still today! Very cool!

Hmmmmmm, where's the Bavarian Bar with the only example of the Silver Merit Medal of the Bavarian Order of The Crown? That's a "one-of"........

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.