laurentius

My guess would be: RAO4, PDA, China Denkmünze, Centenary medal, Order of the Wendish Crown, Russian Order of St. Anna. The Order of the Wendish Crown is known to be a bit on the bigger side, so it might be easy to overlook the bar has an Order coming in behind it

Not to mention Generalleutnant Zukertort, winner of the Imperial Saxon trio (St. Henry, Merit Order and Albrecht Order), also had some jewish ancestors. As in all things, the nazi regime seemed to be picky.

I don't know exactly how many, but the number has to be in the thousands. I know of atleast two rabbi's who were fieldrabbi's (I don't know the correct title, I fear chaplain won't suffice) during WW1 who were killed at Auschwitz. Anne Frank's father Otto was a soldier in WW1 who almost perished in the camps. I doubt we'll ever have an exact figure, but I think we could atleast name a couple dozen soldiers and officers who perished during the Third Reich.

It might have been made at the expensive of a recipient in his own country. The SEHO was one of the most widespread orders, with decorations being handed out in all of Europe, from Britain to Bulgaria. I like the piece, there are notable differences as Simi already said, like the crown and the more handsome portrait. The arms of the cross also appear slimmer to me, but this might just be due to the camera with which the picture was taken. The lions between the arms also seem to be of fine quality. I'm not entirely certain, but I feel this might have been made/modelled after the British Order of the Bath, given the cross-arms and the lions. Perhaps a collector of British decorations might be able to help us out here. Kind regards, Laurentius

The yellow on the fourth ribbon is too bright to be a St. Henry, not to mention the colour is discoloured green, not discoloured blue This is the ribbon of the St. Henry and the BZL respectively. If we forget for a moment that a Saxon St. Henry wouldn't have swords there would still be the case of the yellow/orange which is way to bright and the shade of the green that has been discoloured by time. Although the ribbonbar is not original, I wouldn't throw it out yet, as it is made up of genuine parts.

Your pictures are actually better than those of Helmut. The second ribbon is a RAO, but my thought was correct, the fourth decoration is a BZL and not a Saxon st. Henry. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this bar is not genuine. The frontside gave us some doubts which were sadly confirmed by pictures of the backside. This style of ribbonbar was common during the third reich, consisting of a metal backplate onto which pieces of ribbon were fixed by small clips, which you can see at an interval on the backside of your ribbonbar. Given the fact that all of these seem to have different aging and different materials, together with the fact we have several types of devices on the front and the nonsensical combination I would have to conclude this piece not to be genuine. I would invite other collectors to give their opinions. Kind regards, Laurentius

But we haven't yet looked at the other option, what if this RAO isn't an RAO at all but rather a HT? I think the white is more like a discoloured blue. This would however not explain the position of the RAOx/KOx and the lack of swords on the Hindenburgcross. Once we have better pictures it will be easier to cast judgement.

That would be most appreciated Luke, welcome to the forum

I don't think this ribbonbar was owned by Phillip at all, if we identify the awards correctly we might be able to find the owner though, the combination (atleast to me) seems unique enough. The problem however is the decorations and the grades, is the third ribbon a KOx or a RAOx? Are the BZL and the WF second or first class? Those are the questions we need to answer before we can even start looking throught the rolls.

I think the ribbon which is said to be a St. Henry is actually a BZL

This is a likely scenario, however, it is also possible that he was travelling through the US and had a picture taken along the way. Given his appearance (shaved, well-maintained moustache, nice tie, good suit) he might be a travelling salesman or business associate. This picture was presumably taken thirty years after he served so it wouldn't surprise me if he had gone up the corporate ladder. Kind regards, Laurentius

That clears it up, thank you Bayern

Hmm, I can't really distinguish a dark green piping. What would that rank entail? Kind regards and thanks in advance, Laurentius

So I suppose he wouldn't be a major, do you know what his rank would be? Kind regards and thanks in advance, Laurentius

Dear Gordon, I don't think so, it has a classic pin and catch system which we often see with decorations That's a bingo, thanks for your help

Dear fellow collectors, I got this grouping recently, with the somewhat rare Kriegerverdienstmedaille. It's a bit worn, but nice nonetheless.

Thank you Bayern, great info. That also explains the lack of an EK2.

Dear fellow collectors, I recently purchased this lovely painting of a Major with a Prussian Crownorder and a LDA. The picture was painted around 1916 (I believe) and shows the Major with his decorations and swords, sitting in an armchair. It is painted on cardboard and I believe it might have been bigger in the past, given the fact that we can see from the back that the cardboard has been cut somewhat irregularly. This is also supported by the fact that there is a small piece of paper glued to the backside with information about the painting, which misses the first words of each sentence. This is what is says in German: Gemalt 1916 von ere Mordasewiez anläss- ner Ausstellung polni- ünstler in Warschau- age d. deutschen Kom- s. Als Vermächtnis v. Jenny Betz 1. Sept, 64 schwister Krämer Landshut. The English translation: Painted in 1916 by Mordasewiez ( which is a Polish last name) on occasion of exhibition of Polish Artists (?) in Warsaw Organised by the German command (?) as legacy of Jenny Betz 2. Sept, 64 Sister Krämer Landshut I know I'm giving you guys the bare minimum with the decorations, rank, sword and this little bit of paper on the back but would it be possible to put a name on this piece? I estimate the Major in this picture to be around 35-40 years old. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dear fellow collectors, I recently received this badge with a small Oldenburg grouping I bought. It was described as an 'Imperial German SWV merchant navy badge'. I wonder if it is indeed imperial, given the lack of a crown on the badge. Would anyone have any information about this badge or the organisation it belonged to? The badge is in good condition, and has some lovely enamelwork. All help would be appreciated. Kind regards and thanks in advance, Laurentius

A very nice and informative piece, I would greatly recommend reading it, even to those outside of the German naval collecting area. Kind regards, Laurentius

Shame, Sascha posted it 52 minutes ago and it's already gone. Makes you wonder about the presence of these fakers on our forums.....

But it isn't. In the first painting we are asked what type of decoration it could be and it's not the Guelphic Order. Sure, the ribbon is blue, one might even say close to the shade of blue which we would see on a Guelphic Order, however, the cross is enameled, which we wouldn't see on a Guelphic Order.

If you are referring to the last decoration on the bar I will have to disagree with you. The last cross is in my opinion the Guelphic Order. Kind regards, Laurentius

The colour of the ribbon of the Order of the Netherlands Lion has not been changed since 1815. We see the Duke wear the Grandcross of the Order of St. Henry, I don't think it is too much of a stretch to say that the cross we are discussing, is also the Order of St. Henry. The devices between the cross-arms look a bit like crowns.

Thank you very much for your explanation Tifes. I feel a quote from the Dowager-Countess Grantham would fit very good here. 'If I were to search for logic, I would not look for it among the English upper class.' Thank you all for your help, although I fear the subject is too large and complicated for us to be done justice.