Eric Stahlhut

reverse. please notice the wear on and above the 1869 area

here's something that will interest iron cross collectors. it's an american masonic badge from the 19th century. a very similar, and even nicer, example can be viewed in previtera's book (page 221)

this 45mm example was struck in one piece-not sure yet what type of metal it consists of (rings like silver when dropped), and the core area seems to have been anodized.

the primary differences between this example and the one shown by mr. previtera are the different style of suspension loop and the '20' on the obverse. based on the evident wear noted on the reverse, i would venture to surmise that my piece was worn on a sash.

heya christophe,

i think one of the best books on this subject is, 'das buch vom deutschen freikorps-kaempfer' written by ernst von salomon in 1938. it's a rather difficult book to find, and is priced accordingly. next time i get a chance to look through it (i know someone who has a copy), i will add some info here.

cheers!

Also, what badge is that next to his EK1?

it's an aeronautical sports badge. ring der nationalen kraftfahrt und luftfahrtbewegung (rkl)...one of those quasi-military sports organizations from the 20-30s

yep, it's a conspiracy...the fake manufacturers are driving up prices on real items in order to make their products more appealing to the average consumer :speechless1:

thank you very much for the assistance, gentlemen. much obliged!

ulsterman,thanks for adding the marvelous pic!

christophe, did you mean the history of the badge, or the pin assembly variations of them?

one can only wonder how much it would have fetched had it been cased and mint... :o

hiya cristophe,

the Y may be a quality control stamp. one can also find other numerals and numbers on the underside of pins.

the retaining block that has been added to the pin is actually comprised of two different metals (hard to see in the pics).

while not very attractive, this cross is definitely one of a kind, with a bit of character, that's for sure!

inside of pin

another view

the bottom of the pin has had an alteration as well. ostensibly to make the cross more secure, as the original owner seems to have been quite an active fellow (based on the condition of the obverse). don't think i've ever seen anything like this before!

reverse shows an original pin but has a replaced sturdy hinge and catch system

here's an interesting piece. obverse shows a well-worn cross (if only it could talk)

there are several styles of pin systems for this badge. i am most comfortable with this basic style

nice one! silvered brass with nice details

here's a pic for scale. size is 31mm

still has an old collection tag; am undecided as to remove it or not

very happy to have had this one fall into my lap!

well, i admit it certainly 'looks' like a wound badge at first glance, but it makes far more sense for it to be a specialists/qualification badge. hard to tell from the pics

bavarians wore prussian wound badges, but the austro-hungarian monarchy had their own system of wound awards (as you know)

p.s. those specialized qualification awards were often worn on the right chest in conjunction with a lanyard and whistle. nice picture!

which specialist badge is it?

reverse:

here's one that has me momentarily stumped. i know i've seen it somewhere before, but for the life of me i can't locate it in any of my reference sources. and help identifying it will be greatly appreciated!

very well made (center is a separate piece that has been applied) by a. stubbe of berlin

here's a nice one, and relatively scarce to encounter.

if memory serves me, i think this year (1924) was when the stahlhelm organization reorganized and became it's own separate entity.