VtwinVince

It's von Trotha, a man whom my grandmother knew later in life.

That is a very unusual Schnalle, you don't often see the Schleswig-Holstein cross on a mounted group. It was possible to have the steel NK medal for 1870 on the war ribbon. What is the medal with the green ribbon?

These sort of racial theories were rife in most countries at that time, not just Germany.

Battered yes, but that's a pretty scarce case.

Great, high quality photo, and look how much enamel is on the Schnalle.

Beautiful work. And I also saw that unusual CDV come up on ebay.

Wow, that is impressive calligraphy.

LOL, I thought I was the only one reading back issues of the Ostpreussenblatt.

Dave, do you have an award date for the HOH for Jordan? Also, exact birth and death dates as well as place of birth? Many thanks!

Holy crap Claudio, those are two incredible Schnallen!

Many thanks, Dave, this is great information.

Hi Claudio, You're right, the best piece is the Schaper observer, can you get a close up of the name scratched on the reverse? Beautiful and scarce badge. It looks like the Bavarian observer is by the 'square punch maker', but you're right, the pin hardware is not typical for this type of badge. The massive observer stands a chance, but not an award example for sure. I like the naval pilot with the star mark on the pin, this type has been ascribed to Godet, and is relatively rare. The last naval pilot you posted could be a heavily worn original, as I've seen similar ones in higher grades of silver. If the price is right, I would go after the Schaper and the unusual Godet. BTW the Godet observer at the beginning is a fake.

I have a group of items to a Hauptmann Jordan, a recipient of the HOH and the Schwarzburg Ehrenkreuz 3rd class with swords. I believe this officer was Landwehr, and he also received the Austrian War Cross 3rd class. Any information on him would be most welcome.

Thanks Claudio, I think this one is the only one of the three that I like. It would be nice to see a close-up of the hallmark.

Very cool, I also love anything to do with Godet.

I don't like the first one, reverse hardware is not typical, and the finishing seems off. Also, where is the die flaw for the second 't' in Schott? I like the second one, looks like an interwar piece from Steinhauer.

Hi Claudio, I think the first two are fakes, as I have never seen a cut-out version of the pilot badge come out of an estate, and the design of the Taube looks to me like Wilm, not Juncker. The first Bavarian observer I don't like, I think the engraving looks weird, and it should have a Strahlenplatte, not a smooth one. Also, the hooks for the attachment of the enamel device don't look right, and neither does the hollow area for the pin attachment. The second observer has a good chance, I like the style of engraving, the reverse looks good as well as the hardware. Do you have a close-up of the engraving?

Understood, I thought the piece was already sold.

These are a bit of a minefield, but they both look good to me.

OK, so who is the Traeger?

Nice Schnalle, especially with the KO3mS.

My uncle attached his to the tunic with a safety pin.

I also think it's supposed to be the Lebensrettungsmedaille.

That's a nice little all-Wuerttemberg Schnalle.

Really nice, but isn't that a Bulgarian ribbon on the Bavarian medal at the end?