David Gregory

The reverse of the pinback cross:

The front of the pinback version:

I don't know where you want to draw the line for this sort of award, but you might also consider adding the 1914/1918 Kriegserinnerungskreuz of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha. It certainly seems to have been awarded to non-combatants, so it ought to be a match for the other awards mentioned above. I have started a thread on this rather obscure award at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1201

According to Hessenthal & Schreiber, Duke Carl Eduard had already intended to issue an award commemorating the part played by citizens of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha for their contribution to the war in 1914. He finally instituted the Kriegserinnerungskreuz 1914/1918 in bronze in the summer of 1918 as a commemorative award. The cross, which was made of copper and had a bronze finish, can be found as a pinback cross and a version suspended from a ribbon. The obverse shows the Duke's crowned initials "C.E.", 1914 and a twig of laurel. The reverse shows a ducal Saxon shield. The cross is very small, measuring only 30 x 30 mm. Due to the late production date and the prevailing political situation only small numbers were issued as originally wished by the Duke. A few hundred were reported as having been issued in the autumn of 1918. Nimmergut classified this cross as a military award. Nothing I have read about this award until now suggests that it was for non-combatants, but the only example I have on a bar is mounted with a red cross medal. Can anyone confirm if this was issued to combatants and non-combatants alike? Can anyone show an award document for this cross or an entry for it in a Kriesgs-Stammrolle, Milit?rpass or Soldbuch?

They look slightly familiar. One of my finds still looks like crap after being given the vinegar concentrate bath for a couple of (smelly) days. Can I "borrow" your sand blaster one day, or is it non-portable.

Click - der Groschen f?llt! Thanks Gerd. I tend to focus on combat-related awards and had completely forgotten about the merit cross, which must be fairly scarce. /David

I have examples of the Hohenzollern Ehrenmedaille in silver and gold, with and without swords, and I am fairly confident I understand the Ehrenkreuz, but what is the difference between the Ehrenkreuz and the Verdienstkreuz? Can anyone show an example? Thanks in advance, David

Ralph, You always seem to strike a very nice balance of lighting and finish. Is there a secret to cleaning an EK to turn out that nice or did it just come that way? Cheers, David

Isn't that a double Waldeck? Lovely bars, guys. I wish my scanner would tolerate three-dimensional objects! /David

Christophe, I like the fact that the image shows that not every officer had the time or money to have a "nice" medal bar made, but often simply added single awards to a medal bar combination. I wonder how many of the bars that are in collections today show only part of what a soldier was awarded. /David

Blimey. Has anyone else got one?

Hmmm. The 800 and the other illegible stamp are quite unlike anything I have ever seen on a 1914 cross. If it were a Knight's Cross, then I would probably just ignore it (because I don't know enough about them, don't have the patience to discuss them and I think they are vastly overrated), but it doesn't look right here, somehow. Did this cross just happen to have these marks or were they a selling point? /David

My favourite 1914 EK2 is marked with a simple "G", closely followed by KO's, WILM's, SW's, etc. It is somewhere on one of these bars and has a lot of friends. /David

The only Hessen KEZ in iron that I have seen and don't like is the one offered by eBay user raritaetensammlerclub and also offered in his bewildering array of badges and awards, all of which I believe are fakes, at http://www.ordensammler.com/html/940_silber.html He recently sold one that I believe is a fake, if for no other reason than association with all of his other recast badges and awards, at http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...item=6521509738 Before the image disappears, here it is for posterity. /David

The back displays the same cast finish on the wreath as Don and Mike's examples. Judging by what I paid for it as a badly photographed and incorrectly described "lapel pin" on German eBay (about Euros 17, if I recall correctly), I am confident that it and the ones like it above are all good.

The examples shown by Don and Mike are, like the one below, the most common type of the handful that I have seen. The front of this "salty" example looks as though a previous owner tried to improve its looks by buffing it with a polishing wheel.

Paul, Nice little group. Medal bars with hooks on the back turn up on German eBay fairly regularly, and the chances of finding one in that combination without the medals is higher than for many others. However, your chances of finding the combination as a complete bar are much better. Add http://sammeln.listings.ebay.de/Deutsches-...ListingItemList to your favourites and keep your eyes peeled. /David

Hamburg Hanseatic cross document trivia*: If you have two or more Hamburg documents in your collection, compare them with the one that Rick posted above and pay close attention to the fold lines. All of mine have exactly the same fold pattern, in addition to any "non-standard" folds that might have been added by their owners over the years. Does anyone have an original envelope that a Hamburg document was originally sent in? This might provide a clue as to the fold lines. /David *Just in case you are wondering, no I don't spend my spare time comparing fold lines of Imperial paperwork, it simply struck me while I was trying to find a way to store loose single documents that Hamburg Hanseatic cross documents all have exactly the same fold lines.

A humble bar to an NCO (or junior officer?) who served with the Bulgarians and Turks:

The Bremen cross is the symbol of the apostle Peter, the patron of Bremen cathedral, and was first used in the town seal in 1366. It is associated with a quote from the bible by Peter referring to the "key to heaven". /David

Ralph, There are a few sellers on German eBay who sell these with monotonous regularity, which leads me to feel that there are modern copies around. Take a look at http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6165080250 which shows one sold as a repro, but without the black paint finish like yours. The suspension rings looks very similar, though. German eBay seller tunnelmolch has sold them recently, but all his auctions are private to "protect" the bidders. /David

Gerd, Very nice presentation - I will have to come and see it in person soon. Where did you find the frame? /David P.S. Will we see you in Verdun this weekend?

Rick, Might these be Sachsen-Meiningen ribbons with the "dotted" pattern at the edge? /David

Modern fire brigade uniforms