Beau Newman

Also posted this on the Lippe-Detmold topic but, these will work to revive this one, as well - Lippe 2nd Type Leopold Order, 3rd Class with a Red Eagle 4th and a Russian 1904/05 Red Cross Medal. A really unusual combo.

I thought I would revive this topic with this little mini chain. The center award appears to be a 2nd Type Leopold Order, 3rd Class. The Red Eagle 4th is not unusual but, the Russian 1904/05 Red Cross medal is. With so few of the Leopolds awarded and the unusual Russian connection, is an ID possible?

The only one I know of was written by William Hamelman in the '90's. It's pretty basic and the photos aren't that great but, it does cover WWI, WWII and the 1957 versions. I'm pretty sure it's out of print and used copies can be hard to find.

The Hessian War Decoration in Iron below the Iron Cross 1st would lead me to believe that he was a Hessian or served in a unit with a Hessian connection.

An unusual one for the Olga Order on Women's bow ribbon: A Hesse Phillip Silver Cross w/Crown: A custom case for a Saxe-Weimar EK pair: Saxe Coburg Ernestine Silver Medal w/Swords & Knight 2nd w/Swords: Lippe-Detmold 1st Type Honor Cross 4th Class:

Schwarzburg and Saxony:

No marks anywhere on it. The spinner is made from a thin brass plate that was originally silvered but, only traces of the plating remain on the back side. There is no noticeable separation to the frame. The beading on the front shows a decent amount of wear so, I wouldn't be surprised if this hadn't seen some well done refinishing at some time although, there is no sign of rust pitting under the paint.

This one just showed up. It has spikes added to the reverse to prevent the cross from turning when worn. This appears to be a custom job and not a regular production feature.

It looks like it was silvered after it had already been pretty well worn.

#4 appears to have a center medallion and is slightly smaller than the other awards. It may well be the Wurttemberg 1st Class Long Service Cross.

Given the order of precedence, I would assume that it is a Turkish bar.

Odd to see the Saxe-Weimar non combat award in with all those combatant pieces. There's probably an interesting story there.

This has been posted elsewhere but, it fits the topic:

This Ernestine Commander is a little beat up but, not many awarded.

As I understand it, the Wilhelm's cross was an award for merit and not a bravery award. Even the awards with swords are considered non-combat awards to military personnel. The non swords awards with the "KRIEGS VERDIENST" reverse were awarded for home front service directly related to the war effort while the blank reverse style was awarded for public welfare service.

I noticed in the current issue of the JOMSA that long time dealer Tim Eriksen passed away recently in California. Tim had been in poor health in recent years but seemed to always make it to the shows. For those of us who knew him, Tim was always a great guy to talk to and was very generous with his extensive knowledge of Orders & Medals. He was always one of the guys whose opinion I respected the most. He will be missed personally and in the hobby community. Please keep his wife and family in your thoughts.

These were privately made commemorative pieces that were made for the 25th Anniversary celebrations in Germany and even in the immigrant communities in the US. There are dozens of variations of these for the various towns and provinces. Most that I have seen with ribbons are usually suspended on a cheap red/white/black one or on a state color ribbon.

"Eisenhauer" was a quality designation and does not necessarily mean a damascus blade. "Damaststahl" or "Echt Damast" were used on damascus blades and were often used in addition to Eisenhauer. A damascus blade will almost always be unplated and show the pattern in the steel.

Detlev Niemann's book identifies this as the Prussian Honor Cross, 1st Class of the Organization of Prussian War Participants 1914-1918 (Prussian Krieger-Bund).

I was able to find the catalog. Here is a scan of the photo. A matching Breast Star (Lot 106) Sold for 3,400.

Neal O'Conner's book gives a total swords and lions awarded of 72 between 1870 and 1907. This was based on Eric Ludvigsen's research (Eric was unable to find records between 1907 and 1914). He also shows a total of 53 for 1914-18 based on Kleitmann. There were also 29 with swords, crown and lions awarded between 1870 and 1889. This class was abolished in 1892.

Sotheby's sold one in 2000 (Sale L00572, Lot 105). It was a Wilhelm II issue and had a dimension of 60.4mm, no crown. It sold for 6,000 pounds. They have pretty good archives on their site so, you may still be able to find it there.

People ask me all the time about collecting as an investment. I tell them that most collectibles are pretty lousy investments, if that is all they are looking for. If you are buying and selling at auction, you pay a 15-20% commission when you buy and another 10-15% commission when you sell. Storing your collection can require anything from a good size gun safe to a good size room. It can take years to liquidate a collection once you decide to sell. People who collect do so because they are collectors and get something out of it that others get from water skiing, traveling or any of the many hobbies that we take up. If you happen to break even or make a few bucks in the end that is gravy but, not the point of it all.

What I understand is that recipients were expected to wear them at all times while in uniform by regulation.

This is the book by Moser. It also lists the Wurtt. recipients of the PLM and the MVO but, not the Friedrich Order, for some reason.