DSWA officer's bar w/ clasps

[landsknechte]

This beauty just arrived today, formerly of the Don Frailey collection:

[landsknechte]

[landsknechte]

[landsknechte]

(Apologies for the cruddy macro photography on this one.)

[Chris Boonzaier]

I thought Don Frailey was a huge Kriegsmarine collector? Did not know he did Imprial stuff as well?

[landsknechte]

I thought Don Frailey was a huge Kriegsmarine collector? Did not know he did Imprial stuff as well?

Apparently, he had a respectable collection of colonial, China, and DSWA stuff. Rumor has it that some of his medal bars are soon to hit the market.

[Guest Rick Research]

That's a PEACH of a bar, and quite unusual in 25mm size, since I'd say it's wartiume. One for the "second Edition!"

Don has THE outstanding collection of Colonial German and German navy (all periods) in America. I've got photos he sent me in the '70s and '80s that put the 2002 Siebentritt collection to shame.

We used to be in fairly frequent contact, but I haven't talked with him for years. If anyone IS in contact with him, for the love of God steer him away from Thies!!!!

And if anyone IS in contact with him, please have him get back in touch with me-- he still has "my" Admiral B?ning's framed Austrian Anschluss ballot and his second Werner TWM. Thanks to Don, I was able to reunite the B?ning group (except for--wouldn't you KNOW It--his ribbon bar which has gone missing), which he had sold to somebody who sold it to somebody who split the group in half. I got both halves, and will always be grateful for him to steering me to the auction selling that second part.

[landsknechte]

That's a PEACH of a bar, and quite unusual in 25mm size, since I'd say it's wartiume. One for the "second Edition!"

Don has THE outstanding collection of Colonial German and German navy (all periods) in America. I've got photos he sent me in the '70s and '80s that put the 2002 Siebentritt collection to shame.

We used to be in fairly frequent contact, but I haven't talked with him for years. If anyone IS in contact with him, for the love of God steer him away from Thies!!!!

And if anyone IS in contact with him, please have him get back in touch with me-- he still has "my" Admiral B?ning's framed Austrian Anschluss ballot and his second Werner TWM. Thanks to Don, I was able to reunite the B?ning group (except for--wouldn't you KNOW It--his ribbon bar which has gone missing), which he had sold to somebody who sold it to somebody who split the group in half. I got both halves, and will always be grateful for him to steering me to the auction selling that second part.

Actually, Don passed away in 2006 from what I understand. I bought this bar from Ed Anderson, who mentioned that he had some 20 or so more colonial medal bars that were going to be coming his way in the near future. I'll PM you his email address, since I don't know if he'd want it published on a forum.

--Chris

[Guest Rick Research]

I am VERY very sorry to here that. Don was a great guy.

[landsknechte]

I am VERY very sorry to here that. Don was a great guy.

There's a very real chance that I may have met him at some point along the line, knowing that we've both frequented some of the same shows. In all honesty, I can't put a face to the name though.

[landsknechte]

I'm still something of a newcomer to the history of DSWA... Would the ribbon in 1st place be more likely to be a 1914 EK, or a MEZ?

[Guest Rick Research]

Very definitely an EK2. Little ribbon bars didn't come in until 1915.

Chances are this was a "short-timer" brought in for the

surge

in the Hottentot-Herero War and then went back home to his regiment in Germany rather than staying on in the colony's Schutztruppen.

As a "pure Prussian" this is not traceable.

But since that is the Crown-Order-specific device in the middle...

4th Classes with swords in the years when most were for SWA =

1904: 101

1905: 159

1906: 238

1907: 162

which kind of puts rarity in perspective-- even though those are almost half of them given out for colonial campaigns!

[landsknechte]

Very definitely an EK2. Little ribbon bars didn't come in until 1915.

Chances are this was a "short-timer" brought in for the

surge

in the Hottentot-Herero War and then went back home to his regiment in Germany rather than staying on in the colony's Schutztruppen.

As a "pure Prussian" this is not traceable.

But since that is the Crown-Order-specific device in the middle...

4th Classes with swords in the years when most were for SWA =

1904: 101

1905: 159

1906: 238

1907: 162

which kind of puts rarity in perspective-- even though those are almost half of them given out for colonial campaigns!

Makes sense. I knew that the ribbon bar was post-1915, but didn't know the likelihood of EK vs. MEZ vs. MEZ + EK on the buttonhole. Frankly, I'm rather curious as to whether any related medal bars might surface out of the same collection.

[Guest Rick Research]

I know that he sold the medal bar of COLONIAL (China and SWA with "zippered" bars there were so many) St Henry Knight Lucas Kirsten (a WW1 St Henry Commander) years ago and himself for ever afterwards, but Don was mainly a documents and uniforms guy

along with swords...

paintings...

those 4 foot long windup tin battleships from circa 1900...

and anything and everything related to SMS Emden.

[landsknechte]

Just to double check my understanding... Gross-Namaland + Oranje = 1906 ?

[Guest Rick Research]

"Gross Namaland"(1905-06) is one of the two most common bars, the other being "Hereroland" (1904-05). It was part of the "surge" in overwhelming forces.

"Oranje" was for operations along the river of that name, December 1905 to March 1906, with about 4,000 members of the Schutztruppen involved.

[landsknechte]

That's a good sign, I was getting in the ballpark.