Stogieman

Good start! Color, base metal, hinge, pin and catch are all quite wrong!

Yep, reversed order. no photo of the back of the bar posted on his site. Just a close-up of the 3 LS ribbons/devices. Devices look real. Ribbons are real. If it was a tab-back, it could be "fixed".... but $390? That's not a bad price for what would amount to the 5th or 6th real one I've seen!

Only the third box I've seen in quite awhile. Very nice set.

No ribbon and rough....... like this, maybe $25. Tough to find an original trifold to replace the missing ribbon. Peace-time award would be on the solid red civil ribbon

Well, not always.... I spoke recently with my cousin regarding his Dad's stuff. He was with Patton from North Africa right through the end of the war. My cousin said "ain't never happening".... My Uncle and 4 of his brothers all fought WW2. I have another Uncle's bible that he was given in 1941 and carried in his pocket until the day he passed. Beat to hell, missing one cover, front cover beaten out of a shell casing. pretty powerful stuff..... They were a great bunch of guys who didn't bring home a single souvenir. just lots of memories, most bad. They were in the thick of it.

There's been a number of these available in Europe over the years, including some especially nice, old examples with real provenence. Detlev Niemann sold a Civil War era one a few years back that was pretty darn spiffy!

Weitze just listed a drop-dead gorgeous example of this cross for a mere 1200- Euro............ Worth saving the pix as a reference, if nothing else!

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"........

I have some rare stuff but nothing that qualifies as super rare per Stogie's guidance and what's on display.

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.........