Claudio

Hi Paul, This is Nimmergut's link about the Handb?cher: http://www.joerg-nimmergut.de/html/handbuch.html and this is the contact address: Zentralstelle f?r wissenschaftliche Ordenskunde - ZwO J?rg Nimmergut ? Eversbuschstra?e 108 ? D-80999 M?nchen Telefon ++ 49 (0) 89 8 12 29 63 ? Fax ++ 49 (0) 89 8 13 15 41 Email: joerg.nimmergut@t-online.de Ciao, Claudio

I would like to show as comparison my bar with an official Tapferkeitsmedaille. Although the ribbons the look brand new, they are original (I tested them with UV-light). What I don't like to much on your bar is the stitching on the back. Bavarian bars are easier to fake, since their construction is simplier than other German states' bars. Furthermore many Bavarian and non-Bavarian enlisted and NCO did put together their own bars at home to save money, instead of going to a Medal or Military Uniform dealer. Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, The "confusing" ribbons are: 7. Austrian (1. Republik) WWI commemorative medal 8. Hungary WWI commemorative medal Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul! That is a really great bar... I saw it too on Ebay (Deutschland) and kept under close observation until when the seller pulled it out 2 or 3 days before the ending of the auction. I was pretty disturbed when I noticed it, since I also ask additional info and scans of this very bar. Anyway my compliments for your newly adquired bar. I find that lately the competition is very intense on Ebay to get the few really good pieces. Ciao, Claudio

Mmm... I didn't like this spange from the beginning for the already mentioned comments. To put better into words what we are trying to say, I am posting a couple of example of my "real" almost unworn Godet medal bars' backings for comparison. Btw I think the medal are originals. Ciao, Claudio

Another question for Rick (L.): is it true, according to Thies' auction catalogue, that the SCHAUMBURG-Lippe House Order 4 with Crown was given in total only 11 times? Ciao, Claudio

Hi Rick, I find your additional information really very interesting... especially the one about the Schaumburg-Lippe HO 4 m. Kr.!!! wow... speaking of rare... Ciao, Claudio

Thank you very much, dear Rick! Great information! Very interesting to know how much these bars & groups were worth back in the early 80ies. It is interesting to notice that at that time the bidding and rivalry between collectors was not so extreme like today: the bar went up from a starting price of DM 3'300.- to a final price of DM 3'600.-, and the miniature chain from DM 300.- to DM 550.- (proportionally much more than the bar). Notice also the auction's commission fee: ONLY 7%!!!! Why can today's auctioneers set the commission so high (20%)? Is it just dictated by the demand of the clients? The more clients are partecipating to auctions the more is the commission charged by the auctioneer? No wonder prices are sky rocketing. Ciao, Claudio

Dear Rick and Daniel, I can't wait to see your efforts put on a book. Your dedication and enthusiasm should be an example for every serious collectors and student of military history. On a polemic note, I could say that, after this book will be published, you will see prices of the rarest and to most unknown medals to increase drastically. Also past specialized publications had the same effect on the market. Just my 2 cents. Ciao, Claudio

Hi Chris, That's an easy one... it's the equivalent of a KVK 2. Kl. mit X given to W?rttembergs citizens or soldiers. The picture was taken from Dave's very informative website. Ciao, Claudio

Wow!!! Great bar Andreas!!! Congratulations!! It seems that you're also becoming a "medal bar" freak like me and Heiko... These bars, although very very expensives, are so much fun to collect or just to view them... You can see some odd combinations with very rare medals that usually mere mortals wouldn't have a chance to wear. Ciao, Claudio

Here I am posting the reverse. As you can notice this medal for women is on the correct ribbon bow. The officially correct name in German of this medal is: Orden f?r Verdienst von Frauen und Jungfrauen in der Kriegsf?rsorge, 1915-1918 Ciao, Claudio

Dear forumites, I already posted one example of it on another forum some years ago (WAF), here's the link of my thread: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...iningen+claudio I'm posting again the medal in question, just in case you can't view it in the other forum. Ciao, Claudio

Hi Ran, The Honour Rolls of the "Cross/Ehrenkreuz Saxe Meiningen" were discussed on this very forum : http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=13882 You can view a picture of it in the beginning of the thread being mounted together with an Iron Cross 2nd class 1914. Ciao, Claudio

Very nice indeed! Very likely the RAO am Bande der Rettungsmedaille was given at the same time with the Rettungsmedaille. I've already seen a Navy officer who got 3 medals for the same Rescue action. A similar bar was somewhere on a specialized German Militaria magazine. It would be nice to see the backing too... Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, I just wanted to congratulate you for your very interesting purchase! I had the pleasure to see this bar in flesh before the auction. The presence in the bar of the Hohenzollern House Order 3X w/swords makes it particularly interesting and special. Ciao, Claudio

We could once make a statistic while on a auction, but just very few items were won from people who bid by mail, maybe less than 20%. Most of the winners were at the auction or on the phone! Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, I attended personally... this time prices went up like crazy; some tough competition, maybe also from very wealthy new Russian rich collectors. From what I remember (I didn't ruin my catalogue writing down all the prices... after all in a couple of days you can view the result on Thies webpage) here are more or less the prices: Item no. 36: went for much more than Eur 2'000.- (I believe Eur 2'400.-) Item no. 38: went for Eur 2'600.- (I'm 100% sure since I followed this bar very closely) Item no. 381: can't honestly remember... Ciao, Claudio

Thanks to you all for your nice words... Merci ? tout le monde! Ciao, Claudio

Now I have to hope that he (Thies) will not sell separately the two ribbon bars' halfs of Janzen... Let's pray and hope! More money to spend in order to reunite some ribbon bars with their bigger brother (medal bar).!!! Ciao, Claudio

I got it!!! But it wasn't easy... the price went up quite a lot!! Congratulations Mr. Thies for the maximalisation of the profit! I think it's the last time I will try to bring pieces together at a such price... Ciao, Claudio

This is my guy!!!!! Oberst Joseph N?sslein (*10.02.1884 Bamberg, Bayern - ? 19.06.1940 M?nchen-Obermenzing, Bayern), zuletzt Oberst (E), Wehrbezirkkommando IV, M?nchen. I have got his medal & ribbon bar, together with the shoulder boards and an extrait from the Bavarian "Kriegsarchiv" of his Rangliste: ? Preussen, Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (OEK 1904), awerded 28.04.1945 ? Bayern, Milit?r-Verdienstorden 4. Kl. mit Krone und Schwertern (leeres Band) awarded 09.05.1918 ? Oldenburg, Friedrich August Kreuz 2. Kl. am Band f?r K?mpfer (OEK 1563), awarded 19.03.1917 ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Ehrenkreuz f?r Frontk?mpfer (OEK 3803/1) ? Bayern, Luitpold Medaille in Bronze 1905-1912 (OEK 461) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, WH-Dienstauszeichnung f?r 25 Jahre, Kreuz (OEK 3852) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, WH-Dienstauszeichnung f?r 12 Jahre, Medaille (OEK 3854) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Erinnerungsmedaille an den 13.03.38, Anschluss ?sterreich (OEK 3516) He was also awarded with the Oldenburg Friedrich August Kreuz 1. Kl. (26.09.1917), the EK 1. Kl. 1914 (18.7.17) and the Verwundeten-Abzeichen in Schwarz (10.12.1918). Can I ask you how and where did you get the picture? Ciao, Claudio

Rod, If you're so bored you can try to acquire the Pour le M?rite (very rare Napoleonic era type) offered by Thies next week on his auction! Good luck... Ciao, Claudio

@ Christophe, Doc and Paul: I just used the programm Word to format my files. The easiest and most common way. @ Dan: I already showed many of my bars on the forum. That's not point. If also my collection get lost, sold or even worse stolern at least the research and data on them will be saved on a ever lasting book. Mind you... I don't want just my pieces to go on the book, but all the most interesting and researched (named) bars of all collectors. Ciao, Claudio

Second page of the same file (see research and additional pictures).