Brian Wolfe

Hello Everyone, I've been following this post since it began with the hope of learning more about the Iron Cross in gereral and I have not been disappointed. Having said that, I am still a bit confused. Regarding post #17, is this meant to show the soldering of the two halves of the frame? If so, what are the concerns? I read the link and found it very informative indeed and the soldering looks alright to me. Perhaps there is a detail regarding the ribbon ring's connector which is attached to the cross frame? Also, I am really confused by the term "9th bead fake". I tried to count the number of beads in the crowns shown in the link but I was unable to figure out exactly what this anomaly is. Sorry for being "thick" this morning but could someone please enlighten me as to what is being referred to? Thanks in advance for your assistance. So much to learn so little time. Regards Brian

I think this is a case where the general "look" of the screw device tells the tale. I would say it is repair made back in the day. The washer reminds me of the washers we used to make from old work boot leather when I was still home on the farm. I really like these types of repairs as they add a personal touch to the medal that the mint condition specimens just don't have. Nice specimen Eric. Regards Brian

Hi Rob, Very nice medal, I'm not familiar with Italian medals but getting one with all four bars must be difficult. The straps on the bars are also interesting and strike me as a really good idea especially if the bars were to be added to a potential group one after another as they were awarded. Thanks for posting this interesting specimen. Regards Brian

Hi Mervyn, Your post has certianly become an invaluable reference for Zulu related items. I really enjoy reading about and viewing your Zulu material. Thanks for going to all of this work, it is really appreciated. Regards Brian

What a great first post. Very nice indeed. Regards Brian

A very interesting "extra". It sure makes one think. Regards Brian

Hi Dave, I have a few groups to Navy personnel and most served aboard three or four ships at the most, however, one fellow served aboard 16 different ships. My guy was an artificer (I hope I got the spelling correct) which is a mechanic so that would account for him being on so many ships. I will be very interested to hear what more informed collectors than myself have to say about this Petty Officer's service. Regards Brian

Many thanks Tom. Far too often we forget the value of good research material while trying to amass a collection. I'll check out the site. Regards Brian

It may have taken a while to assemble but in my opinion it was well worth the effort Doc. Cheers on a job well done. Regards Brian

Thank you all for your conformation. I've been looking for a book that deals with Imperial German Medals but in my area there are no shows that would have dealers who carry such material. I'll have to attend some largers shows in the Toronto area this summer to see what I can find. Thanks again. Regards Brian

You are a funny guy Eric, Yes I did buy this through eBay, but I know I've seen either this one or one exactly like it only a year or so ago, maybe two years ago. It could be that this is the second time it has been through the eBay "mill" and that may be where I saw it before. It will probably end up on eBay (or whatever is around) again in a couple of decades when I've departed this mortal coil. I'm still laughing regarding your question. Regards Brian

This last photo shows the medals' reverse sides. The small cross is so worn that any detail on those featured on the cross is lost. I am guessing that these are the major "players" on the Prussian side, such as the Kaiser and Bismark etc. Thanks again for all of your assistance. Regards Brian

Here is a closer view of the obverse side of the medals.

Here is the view of the back of the mounting bar and the medal's hangers.

Hello Everyone, This group of medals just arrived and it's is made up of three medals from the Franco Prussian War era. I have been trying to find these on the internet and found the first medal (viewer's left)is the 1866 Cross for the Prussian Austrian War (noncombatant's?) then an unidentified cross, possibly a commemorative medal (?) and last the Franco Prussian War Combatant's Servce Medal. I have read that the first and third medals were made from captured guns (artillery). In the opinion of the members is this a genuine bar? It looks like it to me but I'm still trying to find my way around the Imperial German collecting world. What is the middle cross and am I correct about the two end medals? This cross is very worn as is the whole group but if they are genuine it shows they were worn on a regular basis and not just left in a drawer. This medal group looks very familiar to me and I believe I have either seen it before somewhere or one just like it. Perhaps it was on the forum before and one of the members sold it? I really like the group so I'm hoping that it is genuine. Thanks in advance for your opinions, it really helps. By the way, is there a good book dealing with Imperial German medals that anyone would recommend? Regards Brian

Many thnaks to all of you who have responded. This is a new area for me and I am very nervous about getting "taken to the cleaners", so-to-speak. I purchased a very nice group of four from one of the members here so that one I am very confident is 100% genuine. Howerver, once outside of the GMIC you take a chance of running amok of some very shady characters. Another group of three arrived today that I will be posting for comment. I would greatly appreciate your guidance if you will be so kind to look at it. It's a Franco-Prussian War group (I hope). This new one has me quite worried. Thanks again. Regards Brian

Here's a close up of the naming, J.E.LEES. Thanks in advance for your comments, as always they are welcomed and appreciated. Regards Brian

Here is a view of the reverse. You can see the pin at the top looks to be very well made and perhaps meant for the purpose of medal ribbon attachment to a uniform. I'm probably dreaming regarding the ribobn and the pin. The ribbon has been sewn to the medal's hanger so there has been some attempt to do this correctly and not just thrown up for the eBay crowd. Brian

Hello Everyone, Here is a Long Service Medal 1916 from Birmingham with a ribbon and also named. I purchased this medal because it was named not knowing it was Birmingham; thinking Metropolitan Police at the time. Imagine my surprise when it arrived! I would like to hear comments regarding the ribbon. The pin that attaches the ribbon to the uniform is well made and would appear that it was designed for such a purpose. Was it common for Birmingham to issue named Special Constabulary Long Service Medals? Regards Brian

Hello Mervyn, An interesting artifact. I have more of a question rather than a comment. If this was originally issued to the police and then reissued to the military would the WD stamp not have created an indent around the mark, or would the whistle be thick enough to withstand the impact of the stamping? Perhaps all such stamps were made after manufacture and not during and would not have caused any indentation. As you can see it is more of a question than a comment. Regards Brian

Hi Chris, Good eye, it sure looks like the one in PK's original post. Regards Brian

Hello Owain, I agree with you completely. I was not suggesting it was a fake but rather a locally made specimen albeit not a very finely made one. This is encountered quite often with the medals of Independent India and referred to as "Taylor's Copies". They are not as nicely made but very much a collectable item. The collecting community is quite often too quick to dismiss a specimen if it does not fit well within the generally accepted parameters. If we all fell into the habit then nothing new in the hobby would ever be discovered as it would be simply dismissed out-of-hand. Thanks for pointing this out Owain. Regards Brian

Hi Lorenzo, Good work finding the link mentioned in your post above. It would seem the link has solved the mystery. It is a poor attempt to duplicate the Star of Anjouan from the Comoro Islands. The Crescent Moon is common to Islamic States so it really is not a lot of help when researching such items, so doubly well done on solving the problem of identification. Cheers to you Lorenzo. Regards Brian

Hi Mervyn, If this were a medal group with two BWM's we know of at least one collector who would jump at the chance of adding it to his collection, as crazy as that may be. When you mentioned the QSA where you meaning the clasps or the whole medal could have been duplicated? Regards Brian

Hello speagle, I believe there was a change to the shoulder flash a few years ago to the first example in your post. The round one being the older of the two. I'm not sure if the second example in your post also denotes a higher "rank" as I don't remember if the new ones all have the "vegetation" below the crest. Oh yes, the three bladed symbol on the newest flash represents the Ontario Provincial flower, the Trillium. Regards Brian