Wild Card

Gentlemen, From Oldenburg comes one of the more uniquely designed Imperial German decorations - the 1907 Red Cross medal. This one, being on a bow ribbon would be one of sixteen awarded to women.

And my kids have more darned fun playing with them!

Sorry, can't show you. My bank does not allow pictures of their vault area.

Gentlemen, I would like to add two more cases to our thread which you nay find unique. The red case is to a Bavarian golden Ludwig's medal for arts & science while the black case is to a silver Bavarian Ludwig's medal for industry. As you can see, the design of these cases does not conform to the pale blue with the written description theme which we commonly associate with Bavarian awards. I hope that you like them. Wild Card

Alex K, Per your request, here are photos of the Bavarian MSO. Regards, Wild Card Hey Beau! Thanks for posting that beautiful Olga Order (case). I knew that there was one out there. Wild Card

Yes, of course. For safety reasons (I'm sure that you understand), this cross does not live here at home. I am making arrangements for a visit so that I can take aa couple of pictures of it which I will post when I get them. Meanwhile, here is another Bavarian case, with its resident which I hope you enjoy.

And another

Another Bavarian

A Württemberg gold civil merit medal of 1864-91

'Tis the season

I think that this might be a young Hohenzollern.

I am going to try to repost my previous comment which, for some reason came through blacked out. Gentlemen, I am going on the assumption that the White Falcon award is represented by the (solid) red ribbon which is located just forward of the ribbon that has been identified as a Hamburger Hanseatenkreuz. Since I think that it is safe to say that our recipient was a Bavarian, is it not possible that the red ribbon might represent a Bavarian Prinzregent Luitpold medal. Just wondering, Wild Card

Gentlemen, just have to ask. I am going on the assumption that the White Falcon award is represented by the (solid) red ribbon which is located just forward of what has been identified as a Hamburger Hanseatenkreuz. Since I think that it is safe to say that our recipient was a Bavarian, is it not possible that the red ribbon might represent a Bavarian Prinzregent Luitpold medal? Just wondering, Wild Card

Hi VtwinVince, I apologize for this late acknowledgment, but have been experiencing problems posting - let's hope that this works. Obviously, the piece that I posted is a Merit Order of the Prussian Crown, Kleindekoration. I can only tell you that it is silver gilt (not gold which is not a problem) and came from the collection of Mr. Carsten Klingbeil. Further, it is illustrated in Thies/Kiligbeil Band 3,, located at seite 46, #1494. Below (I hope) is a view of the reverse. Regards, Wild Card

For comparison, here is another example. No claims of authenticity!

A Kleine Dekoration

The gartered star - I remember his MMThO being sold at Thies, does anyone know something about this star? If you prefer... Prinzen.

Hi Paul. I hope that this finds you well. It's been a hell of a trip, hasn't it! Could you please post a picture of your star? Many thanks in advance, Wild Card

Amazing! Well done Komtur.

Actually this is a very fine example. Sure, the suspension ring is a replacement, but it safe to say that well over half of these medals that still exist have replacement rings. The original iron claw and ring system just did not hold up over time - especially if the awardee spent a lot of time bouncing around on a horse. One has to wonder how many of these medals were lost over the years for that reason. This medal is in super fine condition with minimal, if any, wear (usually from excessive “cleaning” and polishing) or contact marks, which are not necessarily detrimental. Contact marks only show that the medal was actually worn along with a friend or two. With regard to the patina to which you refer, let’s just say that there is a difference between patina and dirt and grime; and these really old guys are often prone to having a little of each. At the risk of stirring up a storm, I will say that light contact with a soft cloth, soap and warm water would not hurt this piece. Now comes what is probably the most important part of all. To whom was this medal awarded? What was his rank or position? In what unit/regiment did he serve? This information is impressed on the outer border of the medal. While the importance of rank or title are obvious, such is not necessarily so with regard to units or regiments. The role of the Hannovarian units at Waterloo is a study in itself. They range from among the bravest and with most casualties to units with moderate/minimal contact to the cavalry unit that in the course of maneuvering for position prior to the battle, infamously rode off… to the safety of Brussels. Value? Consider this. These medals are among the earliest Imperial German decorations and were awarded for participation in one of the most famous battles in modern history. We know to whom they were awarded and often biographical information on these recipients is available. Taking all of this information into consideration, the current market runs from (estimated) $300 to $2,000.

Have you tried the OMSA ribbon bank?

Hi Chet! According to the fantastic and just released book “Die Order und Ehrenzeichen des Herzogtums Braunschweig von 1696 bis 1918” by Stephan Schwarz, we find that von Rüdgisch was awarded the knight’s first class cross of the Order of Henry the Lion in 1899; and at that time he held the post of Major Cavallerie Instructteur der Türkischen Armee. Another piece of the picture. Best wishes, Wild Card

May I present a little lady who has recently emerged from the shadows. She is a miniature of the Prussian Frauen-Verdienstkreuz which was founded on 22 October 1907. She must be quite rare because (1) not many of these decorations were awarded and (2) it seems that miniatures of women’s awards tend to be uncommon.

Yes, thank you. I can tell you that I bought this bar along with it’s matching miniatures from George Seymour over twenty years ago; and up to that point George and Rick Lundstrom had made every effort to identify the recipient, sadly without success.

Yes. Fairly recent addition at that.