The scarcest unofficial medal on a bar EVER!

[Eric Stahlhut]

Who has seen another of these?

[Eric Stahlhut]

[Eric Stahlhut]

either this veteran's verein was very poor, or they decided to use pieces from a zeppelin. the planchet is a thin uniface piece of aluminum.

[Guest Rick Research]

And he paid money to have it professionally mounted!

[Paul R]

What is that?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Good question... what is it....

[saschaw]

"L W V" stands presumably for "Landwehr-Verein", the M. for the city, well rather village. No chance to get to know which exactly, with thousands of villages with M. I guess it's more likely from Prussia. It hasn't Prussian but "Reichs" colors, but though an e.g. Bavarian or Saxon club would rather have used it's "own" state's colors for the ribbon.

[Eric Stahlhut]

"L W V" stands presumably for "Landwehr-Verein", the M. for the city, well rather village. No chance to get to know which exactly, with thousands of villages with M. I guess it's more likely from Prussia.

yep, that's what i have always thought--it's funny that the cross was never "upgraded" to a better design. the owner must have been somewhat proud of this cross, as rick points out.

in any case, a not-so-good attempt at a "vanity award". it's more like a "hey, let's go use up some scrap metal and whip up a cross for our verein award"!

[Paul R]

I bet that it is almost a "one of a kind" piece these days. Very interesting bar.

[Eric K.]

I like it!!! It's so out of place on a medal bar it's almost ridicules.

Eric

[Les]

"L W V" stands presumably for "Landwehr-Verein", the M. for the city, well rather village. No chance to get to know which exactly, with thousands of villages with M. I guess it's more likely from Prussia. It hasn't Prussian but "Reichs" colors, but though an e.g. Bavarian or Saxon club would rather have used it's "own" state's colors for the ribbon.

M might stand for something like a "Marine" or even "Mattrosen" as in Marine (or Mattrosen) Landwehr Verein. The Imperial navy was recruited from all over the Reich. Navy units did not wear a state cockade, only the single national one.

The Flandern medal next to it hints at a possible connection also. There were two Mattrosen land-based divisions that fought in the Ypres area. Up along the coast near Zeebrugge and Ostende were bases for air and naval units.

Les

[saschaw]

That is NOT a "Flandern medal" but the war memorial medal of the Kyffh?userbund, given to all members of the club who fought in the war - and it seems those were millions...

[Kev in Deva]

I have this "unknown" piece on one of my bars

Kevin in Deva.

[Eric Stahlhut]

here's another one (11 years later)