Tim B

Hi JM, I was only aware of the single small silver star denoting the medal was awarded to a combattant. Tim

Hi Josef! Okay, good to know! I guess now, I'm just waiting to see the actual piece and go from there. I might suggest we start a thread on these oneday, showing the multiple variations and separate good traits from bad. Of course, easier said than done. Thanks again! TIm

Here's a close-up showing the crown and you can see daylight around the inner red section. Also, can anyone tell me who this maker is? Tim :cheers:

Hi guys, Still waiting on the cross that started this thread but, was looking around some more and came across a couple of others that looked very similar. Here's one that the cross and crown characteristics look to be the same style as the one I am waiting on. I see this one is marked and I am hoping once I get mine in, that one will be the same. However, I see this one has what appears to be a separate inner enamel crown section (similar to the crown on the Signum Laudis medal) and this is one of the points that concerned me initially with the one I was asking about. Should all of these have two-piece crowns, with a separate inner enamel piece? I ask, as the one I am waiting on appears to be one-piece (looking at the PIC's) with the enamel inlaid into the crown. That may not be the case, only going off the seller's PIC'S. So, thoughts?? Thanks! Tim

Thanks you two!! I have seen some that were apparently unmarked, but I was unaware of any with the C, N, or double R. Also, never seen the version in real silver, that one would be a nice addition! Thanks again! Tim

Hi farmer, Are you sure about that? I was given the impression that the Leopold Orders with the "I" in the center were indicative of products made by Gustave Wolfers, much like those with a "II" (example below) were produced by Heremans of Brussels. If that is incorrect, then I think several members would like to see some evidence ot that, I know I would. If I remember correctly, there was a fairly recent article written (OMSA?) on these orders and I am not sure what might have been said either way. Anybody else? Here's one old thread that previously discussed this, there were a couple more. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30663&st=0&p=289168&hl=heremans&fromsearch=1&#entry289168 Perhaps this is a good time to readdress this topic and update our information? Tim :cheers:

and the "S". This one has a snap attachment on the ribbon btw. Tim

Does anyone know how many different strikes of this medal were made? I have two, one marked with an "R" and the other, an "S" on the rim. Thanks, Tim "R"

Hello Josef, No worries my friend, understand people have different schedules/commitments. We'll just have to wait and see at this point and hopefully...and if not, I will return it. On a positive side, his PIC's are not the best on items and on the negative side, the quality does not appear to be as nice as other originals I have seen. The waiting game begins. Tim :cheers:

Hi Josef, I had PM'd you five days ago on this one and didn't hear back, so went ahead. Now, I have to wait and get it in-hand to find out for sure. I don't know if the ring has marks or not at this point as I cannot see under the ribbon and the seller didn't know or want to check it. Hopefully it will look better in hand, just have to wait and see at this point. Thanks though. Tim

Hi Richard, Yes, I will not know for sure until I get it in hand, but I also think it's going to be good news. Appears the seller is not really that knowledgeable on these awards. He had also listed a nice Karl bronze Signum Laudis and wasn't aware the rim was stamped "bronze" until I had asked about it and even then he had to loop it. He's sure the merit cross is original; time will tell. Thanks, Tim

Hi Dieter! I posted a couple of days ago and am not sure what happened to my original post, but Congrats again! I think you got a real beauty here and have not seen many of these in this condition. Checking my old file PIC's, only one other cased example and the ribbon was even more worn. So..lucky dog! Tim :beer:

I also wanted to point out that the Leopold I centers can rotate. Appears this clay is pasted to both the front and reverse centers and once dried will keep the two centers orientated to one another. So, if you see PIC's of an item (i/e: for sale) where the centers appear off-center, then chances are you will be able to rotate the centers back to the original position. I have seen some that rotate freely, while others are very stiff, but they do move. Just be careful!! I don't know if this applies to the French LOH as well, as I have not needed to check one yet. Tim

Hi farmer, As the thread is slightly over a year old since posting several of these questions/comments, some may not reply here anymore. Good information regardless, especially for anyone that does stumble across the thread or want to know more on these awards. Tim Not a Belgian Leopold order here, but a French Legion of Honor and you can see an example of this jeweler's clay:

Hi Kev! Yes, I am going to take the chance and get it. Hopefully it's the real deal and if not, hopefully no issues returning it. Considering the costs being asked by several dealers, this one was about half and if authentic, a good deal IMO! Thank you again and either way I'll post some good PIC's of it once I receive the piece. I am always guarded on Austrian ODM's, as some really nice copies of various awards are out there, some of which are simply amazing in quality and workmanship. We need good examples of all these original variations so others can compare when searching. Thanks again! Tim

Hello Kevin! First, thank you for coming through! Much appreciated. Beautiful examples you show! Regarding your question on if the enamel is an insert or not, I honestly don't know as I do not have the piece in hand yet. Actually, I expect to pay for it later today and was hoping for more "assurances" prior to sending payment. The seller offers a 14 day inspection/return policy and I don't normally renig on my promise to pay; just if it was in fact not good, I thought I would inform the seller and avoid the return costs and hassles altogether. The only PIC's I have are the ones posted. With that said, it appears the crown enamel is inlaid similar to that on the cross arms, but I may be wrong here and won't know for sure until I have it in-hand. Based on the other examples you show, I might tend to think this one is silver plated. In my eyes, it doesn't appear to be zinc, nor does it have that old luster and varying patina that real silver has on your examples. Again, I may not know until I actually hold it. The seller stated he doesn't want to play with the piece to check for any markings, so... Do you see anything that immediately stands out as WRONG? Thanks again! Tim

I would imagine that some must still exist, either in museums or very private collections. I heard or read somewhere that these were supposed to be passed down to the family members upon the recipient's death and not required to be returned to the government. Any truth to that? It's a sharp looking medal and the honor to have been one of the few to actually get the award! Tim

Okay, no repsonses yet. Let me ask something else. Are all of these marked on the suspension ring? Are they all "silver", or were other metals also used on these silver Merit Cross? Tim

Hi Paul. Instead of retyping all of it here; try this link: http://www.medailles1914-1918.fr/rubans-tableau5.html#TchŽcoslovaquie If you click on the ribbons for these, it will show the various attachments authorzied. As for the special or unusual devices, I would expect somewhat the same we see on the period French and to a lessor degree Belgian and US, just a personalization of badges indicating campaigns, battles, or units served. Tim

A little closer look. I have no idea if the ring is marked at this point. The enamel patterns look similar to those of Vinc Mayer of Wien, but I really haven't a clue on these. Legit? Thanks again, Tim

I don't see a lot posted on these and wondered if this one is okay? Are there things to look out for on these? Understand there are variations between makers and have noticed different patterns under the enamel and crown. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Tim

Thought I would add this post-WW1 Czech Volunteer Cross seeing one has not been posted yet. Tim

We are closer and I just received my first two items yesterday. I now feel better about opening this up to others as I know the guy is legit and will not rip anyone off. So, if I don't get some more individual shots emailed, I will just post the group shots and approximate prices based on a few items I have asked about. It will be up to those interested to work any specific deals. In the meantime, here are two nice looking War Cross and I am very happy with these. Tim

Hi Elmar, Yes, agree, someone trying to make this up. If they were trying to make a Große Militärverdienstmedaille, then they must have forgotten that these were physically larger than the standard versions and the wreath were of the same mold and not separate pieces. They were also gilted with the coin and not enameled green. First one I seen this way. I know originals are very rare and would be quite expensive. Tim

Hi, Okay, I wasn't sure if the differences indicated any timeline or award period similar to what we see on the French ODM's (I/e: star indicates 4th Republic). Thank you! Tim