Beau Newman

The reverse.

This MSH Silver Medal is on an Austrian Style trifold ribbon on a wire frame. Were these awarded to Austrians during WWI? If not, did the Saxons ever use this style of mounting at an earlier period?

The size of the crown doesn't really concern me. It is identical to the examples in Nimmergut. There is a bit of roughness at the sides of the crown where the hinged attachment points were finished off but, no worse than on most other pieces I have seen with articulated crowns. The overall workmanship and construction of the piece is nearly identical to the other Reuss crosses I have seen. My primary question with this group is the odd combination. I believe the pendants are OK but, I'm not convinced that the mounting is original.

Definitely silver gilt.

The EKII looks to be one of those frequently seen coming out of Latvia on ebay.

The reverse:

I recently got this group. All the pieces look good. The mounting shows no sign of being played with and shows good age. It just seems to be a rather unusual combination, especially in the absence of other awards. Unfortunately, Reuss records are nearly nonexistent. I know the Reuss 3rd Class w/crown and swords was considered a Captain grade award while the Wurtt. Gold Medal was awarded to junior officers and very senior NCOs. Any thoughts?

Vizefeldwebel Weber aus Heimersheim, 2./118 Unteroffizier Lazar aus Hindenburg, 7./118 Vizefeldwebel Liebig aus Ullersdorf, 12./118

It appears to be OEK 3009. Per Nimmergut, 166 awarded between 1897 and 1918 (including 3 to women). Original issue pieces should have the engraver's name "K. SCHWENZER" below the bust. The ribbon is black with two yellow stripes (just the opposite of the Bravery Medal). I hope this helps.

The cross itself is not particularly flat. The wreath, however, is much thinner than on later pieces. I thought I would post a photo to show the difference in size between this early cross and a WWI era 1st Class w/Swords:

Although the proportions on the ribbon are a little different than usual, I really don't have a problem with it. The case looks to be the early, rounded type and may have been originally made for a 1st Type Albert Knight, which was somewhat smaller than the 2nd Type Knight, 1st Class.

FWIW - His campaign bar combination indicates a good possibility of wartime service in the Gardekorps.

The possibility that he had a wartime commission had occurred to me given the 2nd Class Zahringen. I always assumed that the award of the 1902 was more or less universal, due to the large number awarded. You learn something new every day here!

Nimmergut shows both a 25mm version in copper and a 29mm version in "War Metal". The latter is probably a late and post war version. Of course, all kinds of private "Spangenstucke" versions are possible.

According to Angolia's "For Fuhrer & Fatherland", time spent either in the military, police or the Labor Service counted towards the award.

The reverse:

I've had this Zahringen group for a while. The Oldenburg and Lubeck awards are common in Navy groups. He was obviously an old timer, with the 1897 medal and the 25 yr. LS Cross. He must have had some connection to Baden but, no 1902 Jubilee. To top it off, the bar has a Stuttgart maker's label. But, with no Wurttemberg awards, this was likely his home later in life when he was a Civil Servant. Does this combination point to a particular branch or unit?

Since we're showing mini/big brother sets:

Although I knew the 15 yr. Prussian LS was unusual, it never occurred to me that an enlisted group could be narrowed down to this degree.

The MSH Medals have always interested me. The Golden Medals are almost never seen. It makes me wonder how many of the actual gold examples ended up in the melting pot during the inflation of the 1920's. The Silver Medal has never received the respect I think it is due by the collecting community. While not rare, it is certainly a scarce award that represents a significant achievement by the original recipient.

That must be the same one. Nimmergut shows the type without the catch as awarded from 1915-17 and the type with the catch as 1917-18 and notes that both were made by the Koniglich Wurrtembergische Munzamt Stuttgart. He also shows two other examples by Meybauer and Godet (private purchase?).

Tony Colson had one with the clasp many years ago but, that is the only example I have seen outside of Nimmergut.

Nimmergut lists the following official bars: TAKU, SEYMOUR-EXPEDITION, TIENTSIN, PEKING, PEITANG-FORTS, LIANG-HSIANG-HSIEN, KAUMI, TSEKINGWAN, HALGAN, HUOLU, KITCHOU, HOPHU, FOUPHING and NAN-HUNG-MEN along with several unofficial bars. If you can find a copy, OMSA published a monograph on the campaign medals of the Boxer Rebellion in 2000.

The reverse: Note the seam between the crown assembly and the top of the cross. The fakes tend to be made in one piece. Also note the step at each sword attachment point showing the difference between the thin bronze swords and the body of the cross. Another feature to look for is the dimple at the top of the pin.

In recent trips to the Show-of-Shows and other military shows, I have been struck by the number of fake pinback Wilhelm's Crosses can be seen. Since only about 150 were awarded, original pieces are rarely seen for sale. I looked many years before I found an example that I was comfortable with: The fakes seem to be much thicker and flatter than the originals and are made from a lighter colored bronze. The crown on an original is made from two thin sheets of bronze which gives it a three dimensional look. The swords are made from much thinner bronze than the body of the cross.