Brian Wolfe

Now to bring this old topic around again. As a paper money and coin collector, I've found that hawthorn needles work wonders for picking dirt and green c**p off of coins, so it seems natural that they would work good with medals.

Hi Johnb74,

Welcome to the forum.

Finely a use for hawthorn needles, all these years of cursing them and now to find out they have a purpose. I've been using round tooth picks. They work well for about 3 seconds and then blunt off. I would think hawthorn would be more durable. Thanks for the tip.

Regards

Brian

Hi Chris,

This is about as close a view that I can get clearly.

If the Police Medal was removed then I may have to look for one to switch for the Service Cross, but which one and for how many years service, is the question. The only Police Medal I have is in a group and the eagle is stitched onto the ribbon above the medal. I've seen others where there looks to be a separate piece of blue ribbon attached above the medal with the eagle stitched into that piece of ribbon. There is no sign that anything else was ever attached to either ribbon above these medals.

I love a mystery.

What are your thoughts after viewing this more closely?

Regards

Brian

This is the right-hand side showing the service crosses and the Honour Cross. You can see the Honour Cross attachment ring area is opened up, possibly from age, as is the silver service cross. The gold service cross ribbons are opened up even more.

A closer view of the two crosses in question is next.

Hi Chris,

Well, you know medal collecting, anything is possible. I have taken three photos showing a closer view of the bar. The first is of the left hand side just so the whole bar is show up close.

But they came out in 1938, silver for 25 years of service up to that date.... there can be no way to jump to 40 years (gold) between 38 and 45.

I think of these as for teachers etc. (As Naxos says, railways post office)

i may be wrong, but did customs not get the police one?

Hi Chris,

Now you mention it Customs probably would get the Police Medal as their work was along the same lines at time. I'm only speculating here...not very "professional-like" I agree.

I alway like to stay away for doing exacly what I have just done and am about to do. In this case, trying to make the medals fit the time frames. I wonder if the recipient had a lot more years in than he needed to qualify for the 25 year service cross when he applied. Then in a few short years later qualified for the 40 Year Cross and applied for that. On very close examination of the back along the top edge it would look like the group was all mounted at the same time, after the 40 year cross was received of course. It was not added later on as is sometimes the case with Honour Crosses. If the ribbons had been new I would have run away from this one, being a novice in the collecting of German Medals.

Regards

Brian

IMO,

Most likley SWA combatant then after his military service during WWI well into TR era he was a police officer at home.

nice bar, btw

Hi Hardy,

Thanks for the comment on the bar.

I was thinking that the crosses were not the police cross and that perhaps the recipient went into the civil service. As I mentioned to Chris perhaps the fellow went into the Customs Service or something similar. We do know it was some sort of service to his country...but what?

Regards

Brian

Is it possible to have both crosses on the bar? I dont think police qualified for these...

Hi Chris,

True they are not the Police Medals and I was thinking perhaps more of a civil servent position, Customs or something like that.

Brian

Here is the reverse of the group. The whole thing has the "feel" of being genuine so I hope that I have made a good purchase. You'll notice that I do take chances on my purchases, somtimes to my disappointment.

Thanks for taking a look and your comments are always welcomed.

Regards

Brian

Hello Everyone,

I just got this group in a few days ago and wanted to share it with you. It's not your typical group with an EK2, Honour Cross etc. etc.

This groups consists of,

1904-06 South West Africa Campaign Medal in bronze for combatants

1897 Centennial Medal

1914-18 non-combatant's Honour Cross

25 years Faithful Service Cross

40 Years Faithful Service Cross

I'm pretty confident as to this group being genuine, it has the feel and look of an authentic group.

The recipient started their career in the late 1890s (evident by the 1897 Centennial Medal) and served through the First World and into the Third Reich period. I don't kown if this person was a male or female and I am hoping some of the members might comment on this. I am asking this question based on no evidence that the recipient was actually engaged in combat while in South West Africa but may have only served in a conflict area and there was no combat indicated during WWI so could there be a possibility this could have been awarded to a nurse or some other non-combatant profession? I would like to hear your comments.

I really like this group for some reason and I hope you like it as well.

Regards

Brian

Very nice Sergio.

I wish I had been able to have used that as an example before I started mine.

Thanks for posting it.

Regards

Brian

Hello Fellows,

Mine is not as nice as yours but it too has the initials HMA on the side.

Regards

Brian

Hello Tim,

I have a couple like your first example but the differences look to be only in the manufacturing process.

One that I do have that is a different style is pictured below.

As you can see one side of the guard of each sword is over the blade of the other. I would say this is a different style from the two you have posted.

I look forward to seeing what the other members will come up with.

Regards

Brian

Hello Dr. Speck,

An impressive collection of technology and the enigma rotors even more so. My wife and I watched a documentry just last evening dealing with the enigma machine.

Thank you for sharing this with us. I'm happy to see that there are others who appreciate the "gadgetry" that was employed during the war years.

Regards

Brian

Hi Irishgunner,

I agree and will be changing it.

To be honest I didn't like it even a few mimutes after I used the red.

Regards

Brian

Then dark it is.

I checked out my Imperial groups and I have some with black broadcloth backing.

Since I had some on hand I went with that, yes, I will trim the threads a bit.

Regards

Brian

I like it (although I would've used a dark color for the felt).

Hi Irishgunner,

I agree and will be changing it.

To be honest I didn't like it even a few mimutes after I used the red.

Regards

Brian

Your wife is correct. Very nice job. Cheers Captain Albert

Thanks Captain Albert.

Regards

Brian

This is the back. I may change this in time as I do like the colour to be the same as the original. There will never be a problem with these being confused with the real thing even if I got that good because I use glue on the backing material and nylon thread. Two dead give aways no matter how good they may get.

Regards

Brian

Here's a view of the ribbon under the Eagle. It looks similar to the ones I have in my collection though I would do a couple of things differently if I were to attempt this again. After all it is my first go at this style of mount.

Hello Everyone,

A few monmths ago I posted a medal group that had some errors as far as the medals not matching up with the ribbons. Thanks to the membership's direction I made the corrections and was left with a Silesian Eagle 2nd class and a Legion of Honour with wreath and sword device but no ribbons. I ordered these ribbons and a few others I needed and when they arrived I put them all aside until I had more time to put then on their corresponding medals.

Today I opened the plastic envelope and noticed that the ribbon for the Silesian Eagle was the wrong size. The supplier had sent me the smaller sized ribbon. I was in the mood to get some of this back log caught up so I decided I would attempt to recreate the German style of mount often seen on the medal groups. It took a little figuring out and some time but I came up with what I think is a good facsimile. I looked that the groups in my collection and at the top of the mount I took the left hand ribbon and placed it over the right hand piece. I have seen groups with this reversed, so I guess it is a matter of taste, though I would have thought there would have been some convention regulating this. I used the same red felt backing that I use on my British and post 47 Indian groups. Perhaps I should have used blue or gray but I'm not trying to pass this off as an original mount.

It's a long way from professional but I am happy enough and may try a few more with the idea of perfecting this style of mount.

My wife said I should post it on one of her sewing forums...oh ha ha...droll very droll.

Regards

Brian

Hello Poulton,

Welcome to the forum and thank you very much for posting your collection for all of the members to view.

I look forward to seeing more post from you in the future.

I think you will find that the GMIC is a great forum to belong to.

Regards

Brian

Brian, this has more of a look of pre-WWI to me, especially the design of the obverse; and the words "Einigkeit macht stark" = "Unity makes strength" is very Bismarckian sounding, adding to the 1870 feeling of the piece...something to commemorate the veterans of 1870-71.

A Google search in German showed that the Bavarian village of Vohenstrauss erected a memorial in 1896 to honor the fallen soldiers of the village at the Battle of Sedan. Very possible that this medal had something to do with the same commemoration.

Here's a picture of the memorial:

Thanks Irishgunner,

That's great news, actually I had hoped that it was an earlier medal than WWI but it was only hope until I read your reply. As a matter of fact I just got a nice the medal group in from a fellow GMIC member and the 1870-71 Medal has the Sedan bar as one of the two on the ribbon. This will be a nice addition to that group.

Regards

Brian

A quick Google search reveals that Vohenstrauss is in Bavaria, so it seems to be a Veteran's Association medal from Bavaria.

Bavrian? Well, that's interesting.

Thanks for the added information. Do you think the ribbon is original to the medal? I didn't show it as it was just as dirty as the medal and I figured they belonged together but it is dark blue.

Would you say this is a WWI veteran's medal?

Sorry about the size of the last photo.

You may want to use the Ctrl+ trick to have a closer look.

Here is the reverse.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards

Brian

Hello Everyone,

I picked this little medal up at a local antiques mall a few days ago and cannot identify it. The 25 mm ribbon looks original and is dark blue so I am thinking it is Prussian. The whole thing was very grubby when I purchased it and I have cleaned the medal up but the ribbon is not something I am about to attempt to clean.

The medal is smaller than a regular medal at 28.5 mm though I do have smaller medals from Prussia. There is no date so I am hopng that someone can identify it and give me a time frame as to the date of this medal. My first thought was that it is a veteran's association medal going by the wording on the reverse and possibly issued after WWI.

Any opinions or thoughts regarding identification and date would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Brian

Here is a view of the back of the medal group.