Wild Card

Continuing up the ladder of the house order, we come to the 1870 and 1914 military merit crosses, the honor decorations and the merit crosses. Because none of these have horses, I will jump to the house order cross 4th class. Here is an example by J?rgens.

... and here's the horse.

Here's the front...

Next, let?s move to the outer limits of the House Order of Henry the Lion. Unlike most Imperial German states, Brunswick incorporated their arts and science awards under the house order. The Brunswick arts and science awards came in two classes; but (another oddity) the second class was further divided into two ?sections?. Shown below is an example of the second class, second section (with crown), as awarded to a woman.

... and here's the horse.

Here's the front...

Gentlemen, Unfortunately, I was away for several days when this thread was started. I would like to compliment all who have contributed to it. To start giving praise to certain pieces would be take so long and inevitably, I would likely miss something - to a Brunswick fan this is like the ultimate Christmas morning! I would like to take a few moments to fill in some gaps, I hope that you enjoy them. We will start with a real oldie. Thanks again and best wishes, Wild Card

Close-up

Hi Solomon, I would first like to say how much I appreciate all of the work you have done on your presentations of the various awards of Lippe. Not having had the opportunity to spend much time on the study of these awards, your threads have been most enlightening. With regard to the discussion in posts #10 and #11, I would like to offer a picture of a very similar piece which I have had for over twenty years. Please take note of the blemish on the upper arm. While I can not describe it as a crack, the appears to be two tiny holes which are barely visible in the close-up photo. I don?t know if this just adds to the confusion or may provide some clues that will lead to an answer. Again, thank you, Wild Card

Thank you Stogieman and Bob Hunter. Here's an example from Prussia.

And another.

Another Bavarian

Possibly an ?amputee?

Well, let?s start at the bottom and work our way up -

Gentlemen, We have a winner! Our mystery guest, Alexander Nickoliavitch Buchin, served as Marshal Georgi Zuhkov?s driver from 1941 to 1947. Believe me, a hell of a guy. Great job and congratulations, Christophe! Wild Card

Gentlemen, To illustrate Dan?s point - ?The copying of one countries decorations by another countries jewelers is nothing new? - here is a Brunswick Henry the Lion grand cross star made by a British (most likely London) jeweler for the Duke of Cambridge. Best wishes, Wild Card

No Dan, it's not you - it's a lousy picture. I have cleaned it up a bit and focused in on the detail. The difficulty with this one is that the center medallion is so convex that the light reflection presents real problems. Best wishes, Wild Card

properly hallmarked by Keibel be of help?

It's not Prussian, but would a Hannoverian St. George star

Hi Christophe, Your logic sure makes a lot of sense. The twist is that for the GPW, our mystery guest went from two wheels to four. Keep in mind that, from post #430, ?our mystery guest had a specific job title/assignment.? Another clue. Obviously, he wasn?t exactly Kay Summersby. Best wishes, Wild Card

Hi Christophe, As I find the definition of ?estafette? to be ?a courier (on horseback)?, I can?t say that ?estafette? would be an accurate term. For what it?s worth, our mystery guest had a specific job title/assignment. Good Luck! Wild Card

Hi Soviet, Just a note to you and any other Forum members who might be fortunate enough to be able to visit the museums in the Moscow area. If you are interested in Soviet aircraft, Monino is well worth a visit; and Kubinka has probably the world?s largest and most varied collection of tanks. Have a great trip and best wishes, Wild Card

Hi Ramblinfarms, Thanks for the compliment. All goes well up here - days in the 80?s, nights in the 60?s and water temps just crossed the 70 mark. We just closed out the wettest June on record, so water levels in the lakes are very high. If you should ever decide to head back this way, drop me a PM and stop by for a beer. Best wishes, Wild Card

Hmmm..., okay, let's make this a little easier. What would be a perfect job for the former national motorcycle racing champion (our mystery guest) in The Great Patriotic War? Bonus points for his name.

#5.