landsknechte

I was able to pick this up for a price that was low enough that it was worthwhile even if the paintjob turns out to be post-war.

Does anyone out there know anything about this decoration, especially whether or not it was a female-only medal?

Now that I think about it, I seem to remember there was a photo that Stogierick had of a TURK with one, so there probably is nothing definate...

...also, any thoughts as to whether or not anything could be read from the presence of the usually-Saxon EK device?

Not only is it attributed, it looks like you've got the same bar that he was wearing in the photograph. Doesn't get much better than that. The fact that you've got the bar of a RK-winner, general, and fighter ace is just icing on the cake. --Chris

Nevertheless, it's quite nice. I still haven't been able to get my hands on one of my own. --Chris

While this ribbon site has issues, they list apparently list this decoration: http://www.medals.lava.pl/at/at1.htm

What you've got is a Weimar-era veteran's decoration that looks striking like the ribbon of the Princely Hohenzollern. If I remember correctly, the medal itself looks a LOT like a HHOX. From left to right: 1. 1914 EK 2. Prussian Kriegserinnerungskreuz - 2nd Class 3. Kyffhaeuserbund 4. Prussian Sanitaetskreuz - 2nd Class 5. Austrian Ehrenlegion 6. Hungarian WWI Commemorative He'd only have #1 and #6 that he could still wear after the introduction of the Hindenburg Cross. --Chris

It's the non combatant version of the Bulgarian WWI commemorative.

There's a very minute chance that it was intended to be gold. The device itself is made of silver, and there is what appears to be the faintest hint of gold coloration in that bit of metal between the crown and the swords. I'm almost positive that's patina however, as there's none of that color present anywhere else on the device. There's a lot of wear on the bar, but I would expect to see some remnant of that color on the sides of the device. --Chris

If we're all going to be whippin' 'em out, I can't very well leave this one neglected in the bug box:

The sheer rarity of that grade of the Hohenzollern decoration was what gave me the most hope. I was able to convince the dealer to knock down his original "sticker price" on the bar (from $65 to $50), although it was the EK device of all things that caused him to put the price on it that he did. It was labeled as a "WWI Knight's Cross Ribbon Bar". I probably shouldn't have expected more, as the dealer referred to the crown & swords device as an "oak leaf cluster". --Chris

"I'm as English as Queen Victoria!"

Found this photo while perusing old auction catalogs. Any ideas as to how the English jubilee medal would have ended up there?

Thanks Dave! I had seen the reference to the 3rd class with crown and swords on your website this afternoon, but didn't want to get overly optimistic that it was something that uncommon. I'm still in mourning after hearing the antique dealer mention that he recently sold the trio of [loose] medals that came along this this ribbon bar. Hearing him refer to the crown & swords device as an "oak leaf cluster" makes me wonder just how those medals were priced. Does this look like the sort of combination that might be identifiable? (One can hope.) --Chris

Not the best pics, but the best I could do before my camera batteries went completely flat...

Found a ribbon bar with a ribbon that looks like the Princely Hohenzollern House Order (white with three black stripes), but has a silver crown and swords device. Anyone recognize which decoration that's supposed to represent? Thanks, --Chris

Might have been a cheap person's way to cram an extra ribbon on a bar that was originally designed to have one fewer ribbons on it. --Chris

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

The last one is either the so-called "Awaloff Cross", a freikorps decoration, or one of several decorations issued by the Austrian branch of the Maltese Order. So far, pretty much all of the handfull of ribbonbars with that ribbon that have surfaced appear to be more likely the Awaloff decoration - however yours is probably the most likely of the bunch to have been the Maltese decoration. Either way, rarer than hens teeth.

This was always one of my favorite ribbon bars, but now it's even favoriter. Thanks for the info.

Ah well, at least we can say with some reasonable shred of certainty that it was something Hessian. If it weren't for that meddling KEZ, we'd at least be able to narrow it down to something medical.

Well it looks like we can scratch the Milit?r-Sanit?ts-Kreuz off for the red and white ribbon. It appears as if that one is supposed to appear on a red ribbon with wider silver stripes. Are there any units that have Dutch "chiefs", possibly as an explanation for the Dutch ribbon?

Apparently Nassau was one of those states with as much creativity in ribbon design as Oldenburg...

...and it gets weirder. There's another one out there. These were given out by Adolph of Nassau until 1866 as an official state decoration of Nassau, and until 1890 as a decoration "from exile", and then from 1890 onwards as an official decoration of Luxemburg.