VtwinVince

Nice bar and feldspange combo, price is a little high, I'd say more in the 600.00 range. Non-com EK bars are getting harder to find.

I don't think the price is wildly out of line, a little high perhaps. Good BMVO4's are now going for 350-500.00 depending on maker and condition.

That Baden Frackspange is a real beauty.

I guess the only thing missing from this group was "Unterhosen des Leutnants, getragen bei Vionville und etwas Schmutzig".

Nice pickup, Pierce, I was seriously tempted to grab this one off Timo.

Absolutely stunning Kettchen, what more can you say?

Fantastic spange. I agree on the analysis of the missing Centennar-Medaille, however, although the inscription says "Wilhelm der Grosse Deutscher Kaiser", he was, in fact, never referred to by Germans as "Wilhelm der Grosse". The implication of the inscription is that he was a great emperor, not "the Great". As we all know, the only German king of the modern era to have been granted this title by posterity was Friedrich II.

Great photo, Chris, I guess they were giving these things out like candy.

Bravo, Christophe, amazing collection and most informative.

John, I wish my dad had grabbed von Buttlar's PLM, what a piece that would be. He described him as a very correct old-school officer, and they talked about his missions during the war. This would have been about 1950.

Holy cow, John, what a great story. Sounds like von Schiller had quite an interesting career. Looks like a denazified pilot badge in the trophy case as well. My dad befriended von Buttlar-Brandenfels after the war, as they lived in the same flat in the Eifel mountains. Any chance of getting the rest of the items?

Thanks for your insights, Les, most informative. On a similar note, my uncle, the younger brother of "Opi", was captured and sent by the Americans for "de-Nazification" at the officer's camp at Dachau. When I talked to him, he told us that the piles of bodies he saw there after the war were those of German POW's, not KZ inmates. And he was there for a year.

Great photo of an archetypal Saxon\Prussian officer.

Great photo, that guy looks about 13.

Hello Koberstein,

Regarding Ludwig Koberstein, he was in the Luftwaffe, I believe as a radio operator on bombers, and he was a member of the crew of Knight's Cross winner Oblt. Thoss. I have several copies of photos of him during his time in the service, which he autographed for me. Unfortunately details are sketchy, and I don't know if he was captured by the Russians. Of course, you could have been captured by the western allies and still find yourself in a death camp. Read Bacque's "Other Losses" for a sobering account of the conditions in the camps on the Rhine.

Thanks Rick, I already get loads of crazy invitations from various "investors" around the world.

Hi Koberstein,

Yes, your dad Mike is my cousin. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions regarding family history. I am now almost finished the rough draft of the translation regarding his time in the death camps. He was sent to three camps in total, including the notorious Camp 7533 located near Preussisch Eylau. Apparently the German War Graves Commission is working to get permission from the Russian government to look after the mass graves located there.

Great badge, Ferg, and you're right, excellent details, almost better than my full size example. I also like the cutout crown.

Jeez, I wish my mailman would bring goodies like these. Outstanding group.

Great bar. Interesting that Belgium ranks above Oldenburg.

Wow, never seen a photo of a spange with the RAO on Nichtkaempferband.

That's a great set, Claudio, congratulations on another very nice addition.

People have tried to be "diplomatic" regarding this evident forgery, and I think it best if the buyer defers to Stogieman, Rick etc., who, however much Vinland cares to dispute it, are a genuine wealth of information on Imperial aviation badges. I have personally only owned one engraved Bavarian pilot badge, which I found in a small town in Bavaria in 1979. It bore no resemblance to the cut-out item and was a standard, flat-back Poellath badge with spoked wheels and the hallmarks in the usual places.

I assume you're referring to Fritz Ritter von Roeth, 28 victories and suicide on the last day of 1918. Honestly, unless this came from his estate, which it did not, I would not want it.

This badge, aside from being unusual, does not display any of the known characteristics of genuine Poellath-made badges. Unless your friend obtained this from the family of the reputed recipient, I would be highly skeptical.