landsknechte

... and the very same Nassau style ribbon was used for the Weimar time Fire Brigade medal of the Fire brigade association Hessen- Nassau.

Best regards

Daniel

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

...or it may have been one of those lounge lizards that Rick refers to on occassion.

OBTW, I found another one and I would appreciate some help identifying the last two ribbons on the bar.

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.

Just to confuse matters, the Milit?r-Sanit?ts-Kreuz was also awarded on the same ribbon as for the Hessen Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen for front-line medics.

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 he scores scores SCORES!!!!!!

Still can't explain any of it, but the ORANGE edges and proportions on that are an EXACT match, and since the entire bar x2 is screwy, why not? Luxemburg, Holland....

My best guess had been the old M1825-1913 Prussian XXI Years Service Brooch, but the edges on your 1909 are definitely a match, while a yellow edged XXI was just nearest seeming rationally possible.

Once we simply discard "possible" things for what is actually ON these two Freaky Bars...

Give yourself a second notch for identification of bizarre ribbons!!!!

...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.

....and a "BRONZENE ERINNERUNGSMEDAILLE 1909"

(Which only apparently exists in very small photographs.)

Stumbled across these this evening on Huesken's website:

"SILBERNE ERINNERUNGSMEDAILLE 1909"

Au contraire... that is LIMBURGER--

it STINKS right through the monitor screen!

Watch these start being listed as being made by the firm "Limburger & Sohne, Berlin"...

...

This is the only Hossauer that I've got, just marked with an H on the ring:

You know, now that I think about it, those double Velveeta devices have got to be pretty rare...

At least it has been so for me. I'm sure some of you gentlemen can broaden my horizons in no time at all.

Let's see whatcha got?

This is my one and only medal bar.

By the way, what's that last decoration?

--Chris

... and why is HE buying REAL bars??? What does he do with them??

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...item=6231874990

Certainly not research.

Here's one that I can't figure out. It's openly advertised as a likely reproduction (okay, technically he calls it a "repo"), and there's a bidding war in progress.

My one example:

I love it when the good guys win!

Cool beans...

PS: The cross was made 1870/71, 1876, there's a bar for 1914..... then remade 1914, 1914-17, 1917

Good luck catching all the date variations! ;>)

At least that leaves the "order of received" theory intact should that be what's represented.

Thanks,

--Chris

I owe you a better picture than this but this is all I have right now. I will have to open the vault. I remember this as being more pink than red.

What decoration is that? This is the one that I was thinking of:

Finally found a halfway decent photograph of the Hessian Red Cross medal that I was thinking of. It has 1914 on it, so I suppose that question is answered at least.

Knowing my luck, there's probably a decoration or two on here that's being represented by a "close enough" expediency.

Hm... what about a very simple idea: Maybe the precedence is just "in order received"??

(provided no. 2 is not Finnish and he got the last two post-1918)

The same idea has crossed my mind as well. Does anyone know when the last DSWA awards were granted, and when the Hessian Red Cross awards started being awarded?

Now, as if these bars aren't confusing enough already....

The first ribbon looks most like either a pre-1913 Prussian XXI DA, or an old Nassau house order. At first glance, the latter would seem to be discounted with the 1866 annexation of Nassau. However, apparently Duke Adolph of Nassau continued to make awards while in exile from 1866-1890, and from 1890 to the present, it's been a decoration of Luxemburg.

In addition to the Hessian Red Cross medal, there was also a Dutch Red Cross medal that had that same ribbon as #2. Heck, as odd as this bar is, it wouldn't completely shock me if it turned out to be a British SGM.

...

Not a lot from Baden has found it's way into my clutches, but here's what little I've got...

Here's a Prussian major's bar that dates from some time in the 1890's.

--Chris