Schießplatzmeister

Hello Scott: I like the piece that you show. It appears to be a period piece that comforms in detail to known originals by Wagner. It should command a slightly lower price being unmarked however. I have seen later copies (purchased by recipients) in mounted medal groups, but they are rather crude compared to the WWI-era pieces. I used to own a piece that was identical to a "textbook" Wagner piece, except that it was marked "938" on the lower arm and had no other markings. I hope that you find this information useful. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Everyone: From the outstanding book by our very own "Kapitular", there were 3,685 of these medals awarded. It does not mention how many were struck however (probably slightly more). I would like to thank Tom for sharing these outstanding and scarce medal groups. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Christer: These fellows are using a captured French Saint-Etienne or Mitrailleuse mle 1907. It is interesting to see the improvised mount using a carriage wheel! Apparently, these weapons were rather horrible to use in practice (design faults caused stoppages often). You can see one of the soldiers in the photo with a strip of ammunition (there were 24 and 30 round versions). Perhaps the French soldiers allowed the "capture" of this weapon for these unsuspecting enemy troops to use. All joking aside, a very nice photo of an interesting weapon! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Andy and Rick: Rick, you are right of course (as always). This fellow was undoubtedly dead (next time I should pay attention!). A strange and uncommon document ideed! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Andy: You are correct. This is an abstract of information from his official war records verifying that he was awarded the EKII on November 1, 1914. The 1883 listed after his name is indeed his date of birth. This is a very interesting document and not often seen. It appears as though he somehow lost his original EKII award document and had to re-apply to the War Ministry to get this abstract confirming the award. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello All: I believe that "revisionist history" is human nature when writing from the "losing side" after the gun barrels have cooled. No one wants to admit that their side did not reign supreme on the battlefield overall. No one wants to personally admit defeat. It's the old "I really didn't think that it was a good idea" type of statement after it is all said and done. If things had turned out differently, would these folks be as vocal? I believe that most folks accept their lot and things bigger than themselves. May God bless the souls of all of the soldiers who fell during the Great War. They marched off for God, King (for some Countries), and Country with cheers! If only we had as many folks with their fortitude and conviction today! (Don't get me wrong, there are a good many of our "boys" "over there" right now who have plenty of conviction and fortitude!). Sorry to digress! Thank you for your patience! "SPM"

Hello Motorhead: I am guessing that this fellow had the 2nd Class Landwehr decoration. Since there is a hook on the back, it had to be one of the "fancy" enamelled types with the ring suspension. Too bad that it is gone I really like this group. The bars are really nice (and real!). These troops under v. Werder really did a lot of hard fighting. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello folks: The ribbons look like they were made yesterday. This bar would be very pretty in the dark with a UV light! The hinges for the pins and pin catches are not of the proper style for a Godet mount of this period. Also, I would expect a gray backing. Further, there would be not legitimate reason that the EKII was "added" to the bar, therefore, the pin hinges should be at the end of the bar, not starting where they do. It would be a much shorter discussion to talk about what is "right" with this bar (not much!). It was put together very recently! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Scott: I will also chime in (although a bit late!). From the scans, the piece looks good and looks to have an original piece of ribbon. This is definately not one of the known copies that has been circulating. I believe that you have purchased an original piece. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Charles: This is a very nice ribbon bar for an enlisted soldier (NCO). The first position ribbon is for a Bavarian "Bravery Medal" (gold or silver) as it came to be known later in the war. At first, it was officially called the "Milit?r-Verdienst-Medaille" (Military Merit Medal). Unfortunately, almost everyone who received the first award on your ribbon bar also received the other awards (MVK, EKII, Bavarian long-service award), so it is not possible that this can be identified without some supporting documentation. Whoever he was, he did something rather important which led to his receiving the "Bravery Medal". Congratulations on owning such a nice field ribbon bar! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Paddywhack: Yes, the Bavarian Government did continue to authorize combat awards after the abdication of the throne. However, these awards were for actions prior to the armistice, for awards which were recommended, but never made prior to the end of the war. There are of course Max M?ller's posthumous MMJO and other high-level awards. I have also seen post-war (~1919) MVK award documents which have the Royal header removed and have a printed seal with the crown removed. I am not aware of any awardings (of Royal awards) that the Bavarian Government made for Freikorps actions. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello again Gordon: A merry Christmas to you! I remember seeing your early stepped-core 1813 EKII when you posted it awhile back. As I recall, it was a very nice piece indeed! I see no reason why these don't possibly belong together. It is entirely possible that a recipient could be awarded these three (3) awards during his career. He could have been an officer and gotten the EKII in 1815, then later retired as an officer with twently-five (25) years of service. Then, at some point as a civil servant of some sort, he would have received the RAO IV. All of these awards were possible during a normal lifetime. All of them are rather uncommon, and one would have to go to a bit of trouble to find them to "create" a group. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello again Gordon: Thank you for sharing images of these very nice and scarce pieces. An original Prussian Officer's 25 Year Service cross from this period is also rather difficult to find! I'm just the slightest bit curious now what the "keeper" is, if these are the pieces that you are discarding! Congratulations on owning these. You will have no trouble selling the RAO IV. Best regards, "SPM"

Rick: Very well stated! This sort of thing irks me too! There is no sense publicly identifying this piece in order for the seller to make money off it. This in no way serves collectors who have a genuine interest in these items. That being said, I do not believe however that there will be too many takers at the astronomical price at which this beautiful and genuine set of miniatures is being offered. The folks that are selling it seem to be a bit taken with their items and they apparently wish to retain most of them forever (considering the prices at which they are offered). Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Gordon: Well, to place a "value" on such a piece is rather difficult without seeing it. Wear, enamel chips, etc. can diminish the value considerably. A genuine piece in perfect condition would command a price of US$750-US$1,000 (or perhaps even more). These are beautiful pieces that don't come onto the market often anymore. I hope that this helps. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Jaba1914: I used to own a piece identical to this that was stamped "SILBER" and "900" on the ribbon ring. These pieces are made in an identical style to the period originals. I was not 100% certain that it was a pre-1918 award however, so the piece was sold in auction to a buyer in Germany over ten (10) years ago. I surmised at the time that it was probably a post-1918 piece, but a true "wearing copy". I have seen others like this for sale once in awhile. Unfortunately, there is no way to be certain regarding their period of manufacture. Of course, you know about the forgeries that came out a few years ago which have opaque green enamel on the laurel leaves (also, the laurel leaves are very thick). I have seen a few "convincing-looking" pieces appear for sale in auctions of a northern-German auction house within the last few years. I suspect however that they are merely expertly made forgeries. I consider the seller that is offering you this piece very reputable from my experiences with him. However, I personally will not purchase one of these pieces again unless it comes with documents, photos of the recipient, etc. (fresh from the estate of the family). It is like buying a PLM! The question is: How good are the copies that are out there? I'm sorry to not have better news or advice! MfG, "SPM"

Hello again Steve: Wow! A real pilot's badge! This is something that I will never have a chance to own in my lifetime. Congratulations! I believe that since Wilhelm G?dde was assigned to Kampfstaffel 19, he was probably not flying bombers, but was flying escort for bombing missions on the Western Front. It appears as though Kampstaffel 19 was attached to Bogohl 4. A fascinating grouping! Do you have a G?dde's Milit?rpa? or a photograph of him? "SPM"

Hello Steve: I couldn't help but notice the stamp "KGL. PR. BOMBENGESCHWADER 4 O.H.L.". This of course stands for "Royal Prussian Bombengeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung Nr. 4" or "Bogohl 4" for short. So this fellow was possibly a fighter pilot who flew escort missions for bombers at the Western Front. Congratulations on owning such a scarce document! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Rick: Thank you for showing the von Karpf document. I have von Karpf's Prussian Crown Order III document. I believe that Eric Ludvigsen also had a few documents belonging to v. Karpf. Eric had done a bit of research regarding all of the awards that he received and his career. If I recall correctly, wasn't he the commander of the S.M.S. Moltke at Skaagerak? I also recall that he was the commander of the Royal Yacht Hohenzollern at one point, and I believe he was a sailing instructor for His Majesty Wilhelm II. An impressive career to say the least! Best regards, "SPM"

Hello All: A very interesting challenge! The swords are not centered on either piece! The sword grips on the example on the left look like "Saxon" type grips. The grips on the swords on the right look properly "Prussian". ??????? "SPM"

Hello Saschaw: Yes, this fellow does very nice work! His field ribbon bars are rather nice looking, and almost convincing! I have seen him come up with a few ten (10) place bars that a first glance look good. Apparently, this fellow has a bunch of very good quality ribbon stock and assorted parts. I guess that he can afford a good attorney with all of the money that he makes from unexperienced collectors. Best regards, "SPM"

Hello Motorhead: I saw this today also. Thank you for bringing it to everyone's attention here. This fellow just doesn't seem to stop. There is no way that genuine bidders are bidding on the garbage that is actually purportedly for sale. I'm certain that he couldn't get the "fine print" any smaller (if he could have, he would have). Best regards, "SPM"

Hello SSG Luna: Thank you for sharing your photos and experiences of this fascinating monument. It brings back some fond memories, as I was there in January 2005 (seems like a lifetime ago now). At that time, there was no gift shop, only an Iraqi security detail. Those guys were great. They gave us a tour of Sadam's quarters behind the viewing podium of the parade area. According to information available on the net (Wikipedia/Global Security): the hands were actually modelled after Sadam's hands and the swords were fabricated by the German foundry H+H Metalform. The blades of the swords reportedly weigh 24 tons each. They were cast in Iraq and are "partialy composed of metal from guns and tanks of Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war". It is an awe-inspiring thing to see in person! Apparently, this monument has been slated for demolition (which began in February of this year) by the new govenment. However, the demolition was apparently seen as controversial and was temporarily halted. Thank you for your service! "SPM"

Hello Wildcard: Well, it looks like the time has finally arrived for all of us to sell our collections and retire! Best regards, "SPM"

Dear Kapitular: Thank you for the information regarding the bar. It is an excellent piece in outstanding condition! It really was a bargain for whoever got it (~$US 3,500). Best regards, "SPM"