Eric Stahlhut

here are three that over time, i have acquired. initially i assumed that they were for a specific military veteran's group, but one must remember that this maker made a lot of medals and badges for civilian organizations such as the red cross, civil services, social welfare support groups, samaritan, and religious aid societies. the shades of green and red enamels sort of make me lean in that direction, i guess. i like to think that the smaller 25-year badge was for a female member of this yet-unidentified (to me) organization. can anyone now positively attribute these? http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2013/post-4736-0-34308000-1388347705.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2013/post-4736-0-36735100-1388347753.jpg

well, neckties in the teens through ww1 ranged in width from 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches, and in the 20s through 30s they ranged from 3 to 4 inches, so it may be a bit small for a necktie worn during those eras

what are the dimensions? to me, it looks like a wartime-era woman's brooch given in exchange for a donation towards the war effort.

here's a cross that originally started out as an expensive private purchase piece (cast iron core, higher silver content, nicely polished and rounded cross arm tips) that the owner had to repair instead of merely purchasing a replacement. i wager this particular cross witnessed quite a few interesting events unfold... i particularly like the replacement pin style--it's unwittingly reminiscent of a wachtler & lange pin from a hamburger feld ehrenzeichen or a gau badge from the 30s. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2013/post-4736-0-52476400-1388265701.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2013/post-4736-0-20041000-1388265733.jpg

odulf, it's a 'starhemberg vogel'--awarded to members of the heimwehr who aided in the suppression of the communists during the 1934 uprising in vienna aka heimwehr ehrenzeichen

i can't help you with the history of this item, but it sure is pretty cool! thanks for sharing it

exactly! that's probably why you don't see so many around these days, lol

here's one that i have yet to identify...at first i thought it was a klein & quenzer (based on the hinge/pin assembly), but the core is all wrong-- however, the crown is quite distinctive in an ugly sort of way--almost deformed, but it's merely the angle of the foto. the frames are definitely silver, although unmarked for content. cross weighs 12.4 grams and measures 42.5 mm this particular combination of hinge/pin system is seldom encountered on '14 ek1s, and is very finely affixed to the frame i really can't see this type of cross being worn on a daily basis without being torn from a tunic. sometimes collectors refer to these lightweight examples as "parade crosses". also, the catch is affixed to the frame with a minute amount of solder as well. all in all, quite the delicate cross!

jock, here's a link to one type of AWS, if you search further you will find images of the other styles http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/35983-1914-ek1-aws-pillowback/?hl=%2Baws+%2Bthin+%2Bpin#entry335700 i'll let you dig further for the makers of the other two--don't want to spoil your fun!

yep, both AWS examples have had their pins replaced with other contemporary (or 30s/40s) styles. as glenn states, the proprietary type of pin for AWS is either a coke bottle style or a thin round pin, with a blunted end or an extremely sharp pointy end. all four are very nice!

here's a lightweight and flat version with a scarce attachment system: http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2013/post-4736-0-84770000-1379786987.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2013/post-4736-0-50020200-1379787025.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2013/post-4736-0-43374000-1379787082.jpg

here's another example. not sure if this is an award grade, or a reduced size for wear on a medal bar. measures 38mm -- rick l. had period pictures of this type in wear. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2013/post-4736-0-22498300-1379786379.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2013/post-4736-0-60528900-1379786409.jpg here is what the proper ribbon should look like:

i do, pm me with deets and i'll send you the pic

i doubt it very much--however, anything is possible--and now the burden of proof is upon your shoulders to make it so!

nah, that's a KO. either a misstrike, or the tarnish has hidden the "o"

you will be waiting for a long time, since that style of ek1 is fairly scarce. again, wonderful crosses! p.s. i think bernard b. holst has one of these as well; why not ask him?

my neighbor, the professional sitar player, has had this since the age of 16. he keeps it in the attached garage of his small one bedroom house. imagine my surprise when i first saw him pull into my driveway...in a perfectly preserved pierce arrow. toot toot!

awesome cross!!

hi, uwe yes, just like that-- thanks very much for sharing!

hiya, greg! i agree... now have a look at the reverse: http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2013/post-4736-0-95325300-1374939247.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2013/post-4736-0-03220100-1374939288.jpg it seems to have been fabricated with the intent of affixing to a war chronicle book, or something along those lines. it certainly looks like they used the original dies for the ek to make this. the core is quite rigid, but very fine and i'd wager it would snap or crack with a little pressure. the absence of a backing plate has left it relatively fragile, and i can't imagine that very many of these survived over the last 100+ years

before i show the reverse, i'd like to garner opinions on the obverse... any opinions on the core? it's extremely magnetic http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2013/post-4736-0-03285200-1374776529.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2013/post-4736-0-30667500-1374776566.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2013/post-4736-0-77046300-1374776590.jpg one more view

mattweiss is the term they used to designate the silver grade of wound badges. mattgelb was used for the gold grade.

bumped up......any insight on the last one?? (#9)

hiya chris, that's a decent wild guess, and i follow your logic--but if you take a peek at glenn r's example (shown above in last link of first post), you will notice that his guy was in the infantry. i have a feeling that these holes were done after the owner was obligated to wear the award on a daily basis--hence the altered reverses.

seems to be the bavarian royal merit order of saint michael