Eric Stahlhut

i have one of those big badges and if i recall correctly, it's larger than an ek1. i posted it many years ago it was described to me as an honor badge from the veteran's association of that regiment. yours looks to be in perfect condition!

hi kasle, thanks! here is one more view of pin assembly...

don and bryan, as you can see, my cross appears to be from same maker as well. i checked my scale and it is correct. cross hovers between 22,9 and 23 gr. we have 3 very similar examples with a relatively large disparity in weight--

my example (3rd class) weighs 22,9 gr.

magnetic core has that glossy "piano black" finish, and i don't really have a specific match for this deceptively generic-looking pin assembly. reverse has ' 20, XI, 15' scratched onto it. unfortunately, cross has been cleaned, and pin shows some small separation from hinge. not a repair--the original join has separated a bit

here's another example. notice the die flaw present on the beading of the right arm, which is also seen on Tom63's first example shown

chip, i assure you that i meant the previous comments entirely in jest, and yes-- i concur with your opinion of the reverse setup! it boggles the mind what one finds on ebay sometimes. sheer audacity! mine has what one would expect back there; i posted photos of it on feb 28th, but the recent upgrade must have deleted the images. typical kappenabz. thin sharp pin, flat catch, flimsy flat metal hinge panels, etc etc

​ Oh, my!! why didn't you guys tell me it was so valuable??? lol http://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGA-RARE-WW1-GERMAN-ORIGINAL-BADGE-STORMTROOPER-1916-/111674840344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1a0056d518

very pleased to add this one... double screwback and hard to find

very nice indeed! what are the general dimensions?

thank you for the links, megan! it's funny, because i came across these a few weeks ago whilst searching for something else.

hi, i peeked behind the clasp, and it is hollow struck---the round wire prongs were placed on the sides. very difficult to take a picture without damaging the threads, which are already somewhat loose on one side

ok, not sure which exact pics i originally posted, but here are the oaks and here are close up ugly shots of the cross

forgot to include this point in preceding post...one thing that i immediately considered was that it is a screwback meybauer that had been converted to a pinback...doesn't seem to be the situation with this one...the reverse shows wear from an old price tag, glue residue damage, but no evidence that a screw post has been removed. there's even a bit of old original finish left on the spot where the post would have been.

well, i just figured out the maker, i think. it was in front of me the whole time. it's a meybauer! it's all about the hand cut notches...i then compared the scewback to the pinback, and the details of the iron planchet are identical. go figure

here are some old pics, richard. the sew-on version is up in the air, but i haven't seen another one. usually if it's fake, there are other examples readily available pretty well done though, with decent attention paid to its manufacture. notice the drilled holes...they are nicely finished. lacquer on brass or tombac

here's an example that certainly appears to be wartime issue--despite being definitely not by knauer--as it has the commensurate wear and tear for such a period piece. while the body is magnetic, the pin and hinge appear to be deeply tarnished or blackened silver...and the wreath has been hand finished, showing hand-cut notches on the sides of the wreath. i tried to match the pin and hinge with perhaps an ek1 from my collection, but no luck so far. am widening the search. i like it a lot, and it's the fifth or sixth variant of the oldenburg fa 1st i have managed to acquire so far. any ideas on the maker?

trevor, please revisit this thread once the issues have been resolved--i'm sure they'll be back shortly

richard! what do you think of this one? i doubt it was ever worn, btw

aha, i know what happened...i found a very similar example described as such on a major dealer's site (description has since been altered), and relied on the info. shame on me for not being thorough and for not using better sense... tsk, tsk. thanks for the correction!

hi brian, i just now saw your reply, and am unsure of what you meant. did you mean that the cross is not a godet, or that it is not a good one? it seems ok to me best regards, eric

here's a typical godet cross in rough, marginally-relic condition. core needs a bit of maintenance. the thing that caught my eye, however, was the oak leaves. i didn't have this type yet. the oaks don't have splints on the back, and one of the threads attaching has partially broken http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-79896500-1425755478.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-26592500-1425755516.jpg http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-79235800-1425755559.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-27415600-1425755526.jpg http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-90603700-1425758253.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_03_2015/post-4736-0-78672300-1425758271.jpg

ribbon is typical for something from wurttemberg, many variations of gold/black and red/black stripes for all kinds of long service medals. thanks for the info on the austrian cap badge, chip. makes sense that someone with mining experience would have also been involved in some way with trench warfare...several kinds of mines spring to mind..

ten years later, people are still buying these??

i thought these were fakes http://www.ebay.com/itm/GERMAN-IMPERIAL-IRON-CROSS-FIRST-CLASS-MAKER-MARKED-KAG-GERMANY-WWI-WW1-MEDAL-/131430906001?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=aU1sJXFqbRXWHKbEfYZShXYRxjU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc was i wrong?