landsknechte

A rather well abused mini-EK device, and a crudely stamped silver crown and swords device.

A similar "bound" swords device, this time used on the Austrian Ehrenlegion decoration from the interwar period.

Bavarian MVK Crown and Swords

Now, this one is just plain funny:

Assuming that is black, the butterscotch pudding was probably once red, which would make this an enlisted man's visor cap cockade from W?rttemberg.

If the dark is blue not black, than that's probably yellow, and would be ditto for Braunschweig.

The dark is probably black, maybe a very very dark forest green. I only grabbed one, but the seller had a whole box of them, most still on the cardboard backing in ones or twos. The butterscotch was evenly butterscotch on all of them, with a couple that were a hair more mustard yellow.

Thanks,

--Chris

Here's what little you can see of the reverse without pulling the cardboard off...

Randomly found this cockade this afternoon... Two questions - is it real, and if so, where would it be from?

Niemeyer's bar. I think the RAO should have been a 3 Kl. mit Schleife, but it was corrected afterwards...

Not to hijack the thread, but do you know what the circumstances of Niemeyer being awarded the Order of Oranje-Nassau?

There were a number of supply/pay Prussian Crown Order 4th Class holders with BMVK1Xs and BMVK1XmKrs because of the "insult these guys" Bavarian WW1 awards policy, but none holding the 1897 or two wartime Prussian awards.

Oh, yes - THAT policy.

...and the rear:

The latest addition to my collection, easily one of the largest non-Austrian bars that I've ever seen.

Here's my contribution:

If you got the bar at a relatively cheap price, it might be worth it just for the historical value. Certainly beats disposing of it. (Oddly enough, I'd be inclined to leave it as is as a relic, and I can't really explain why.)

--Chris

I'd certainly love to see whatever you've got from that haul :-)

It would have to be this one, the second named ribbon bar in my herd - Georg K?stner, Feldintendantursekret?r and Oberleutnant d.R.

Ahhhhhh! ALL black top with only single silver Vs on the outer row sounds like a "Bahnschutzpolizei Mann." Those usually have a tiny Reichsbahn winged wheel and the unit numbers, though, and normally underlay would be gray. NO clue about different colors for them-- their uniforms were in constant flux, and I've never seen any study of them.

I honestly don't think I would have ever come up with that one on my own. Thanks!

Any vague clue how much something like that would be worth?

--Chris

You mean BLACK "V"s on the outer rows, in the silver? SAME size in proportion to the silver, or just single thread black Vs on silver?

The Waffenfarbe underlay was BLACK, and not dark green?

Was it plushy velvet, not smooth?

The general pattern, if outside row was EQUAL colored Vs of silver and whatever (usually the state color for Vs on organizational color underlay), suggesting various possible Weimar Police forces for the rank of "Kommissar" (Meister)... but BLACK rings no bells.

Black on a black underlay with silver single thread "V"s.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture, but I saw a curious shoulderboard earlier today...

It looks like a standard army Leutnant shoulderboard, in terms of the basic form. All black - backing and braid alike. On the two outermost strands (for lack of a better word) are silver "V" shaped stitches, rather like what you'd see on a Sonderfuher board.

...anyone have any clue what this might be?

Thanks,

--Chris

A friend sent me the link to this item that's currently up for auction. Does anyone have any idea what this thing actually is?

Very nice!

I don't think I have a picture of the actual medal, but I was able to find this:

I've been wrestling with the identity of the third ribbon on this bar for some time, especially after noticing that there used to be a device. I presume the combination is probably too weird to be a MMM, but I'm not sure...

I am posting the first for you a medal of a little German State. This Duchy disappeared from the German map when it was taken by the Kingdom of Prussia after the Campaign of 1866.

This medal was given to all in 1909 still living NCOs and soldiers (3'228 times awarded). The silver medal is much rarer and it was given only to officers (less than 30!).

I have what may be an example of that decoration on a ribbon bar:

Chris,

Does the helmet retain traces of a white wash or does the finish just seem that way from the flash?

It certainly looks more warlike now.

David

It's just the flash.

...and lastly: