Old Style Ribbon Bar: Immaculate For A "Dirty Job" Officer

[Guest Rick Research]

This came back with me from my recent 8-state tour of the Research Cyborg Collective, Seymour Circle, and Upper Confederacy Branch of the GMIC.

What immediately caught my attention on this purely Prussian bar was the Crown Order (4th Class as it turns out)in 2nd position rather than the usual Red Eagle Order 4. The long service ribbon in 3rd place was then only used for officers' XXV or XX years long service crosses-- and would "normally" have earned someone with that seniority a Still Breathing RAO4.

Well, that and it is IMMACULATE, and I have always gone home with sweet-talkin' pretty bars.

This one will also be memorable for the story behind it:

I happened to be passing Jeff Floyd in the aisles and he mentioned that it had JUST gone up at the table next to his. Knowing my... inclinations... he figured it would be of interest to me. Uh, yeaaaah. It had walked into the show, been bought by the dealer, and literally not 4 people had passed by before I snapped it up. EVERYBODY Most Pleased, you betcha. Many thanks to my Official Unpaid Picker!

Meanwhile, many rows over at the show, a slightly bigger and more ornate bar had been languishing (for 4 years as we found out later) at... $900!!!!!

(It never ceases to amaze me how somebody who knows nothing and could not tell you what the ribbons ARE arrives at prices....)

As it happened, Paul and I were at the table admiring THAT babe, before being told the price... and wondering whose elbow would be sharper before we both walked away muttering. I don't usually encounter... "competition." MIGHT have gotten UGLY there....

But then there I was mere moments later, rounding the corner brandishing this at Paul--

the look on his face was like those credit card commercials on TV-- "priceless."

he was trying to calculate whether I'd

a) gone insane and paid that price... or

b) been called back by the dealer weary of packing and repacking and gotten the Ribbon Bar Buy oOf The Year!

Ahhh, the stories behind our goodies!

And the original wearer? Well, there were some strays, but the most common recipient for this combination was a Feuerwerks-Hauptmann. I am assuming that the absence of the 1895 EK oakleaves and battle bars means this pre-dates that year. It certainly pre-dates the 1897 Centenary Medal.

So alas, I cannot get it down to fewer than 2 suspects in 1894... and working backwards, about a dozen or so possible owners. Most eventually got an RAO4 too, the 1897, and so on.

But it was worth every penny of what I did pay for it...

[saschaw]

Nice found... but I thought... "no shows for Ricky" ?!

Did any of you catch a photo of this US $900.- bar? Would love just to see... but not to touch, I fear I could not even afford this.

Cannot be your bar as well an Oberst's or General's who has yet (at least) RAO2E and got stuck on his ooold KO4 or KO3? Not that I could offer you a possible wearer, but I don't see anything to exclude this 2nd possibility. ;)

[dond]

I saw that bar but decided to finish my run through the show before buying anything. Then I ran into Stephen Previtera and Paul who told me Rick was there and I had to meet him. Next thing I know Rick whips that baby out and I said dang, I was just looking at that a couple of minutes ago. I probably walked right past Rick on his way to check it out.

[Les]

........ and Upper Confederacy Branch of the GMIC.

"Confederacy"? The "Confederacy" was never recognized by any sovereign nation during the period of armed rebellion (1861-1865) against the United States, or afterward. Not one.

That said, nice bar.

Edited August 1, 2009 by Les

[Steve K.]

It was great to meet the 'other' Ricky. I'm glad to see you got something Imperial to go home with you (..besides Paul C.). Wish it could happen every year to have informal discussions at ol' chantilly....but I know that drive is tough. Until next time perhaps...

Cheers,

Steve

[Claudius]

Show? What show(s) did you visit?

[Guest Rick Research]

In my 8 state tour Ah stopped by at the militaria show in Chantilly, Virginia. Old Times there ARE forgotten since I had thought it was a Civil War show and saw ZERO 1861-65 at all.

But DID get to meet many of you guys from the mid-Atlantic and Upper Confederacy and was very glad to have been able to do so. Don't get out here much from The Island what with floods and winter's heavy burdens and all.

My belated apologies to those of you like Steve who I was going to PM my regards to on my return, but ran headlong into technical problems finally identified as entirely my own HAL-2001's and NOT the new and improved GMIC's.

Back-- I now hope to as "normal" as normal gets for me.

Sascha-- I considered the jumped over KO3 with RAO2mE idea, but didn't happen to turn any up that had that, from my 1890 on Lists. There were odd temporary (2 year time span) fellows like a cadre staffer at the Old Soldiers' Home who also had this but as a "normal" group, seemss to have been confided to the Feuerwerks career.

[Claudius]

In my 8 state tour Ah stopped by at the militaria show in Chantilly, Virginia. Old Times there ARE forgotten since I had thought it was a Civil War show and saw ZERO 1861-65 at all.

But DID get to meet many of you guys from the mid-Atlantic and Upper Confederacy and was very glad to have been able to do so. Don't get out here much from The Island what with floods and winter's heavy burdens and all.

My belated apologies to those of you like Steve who I was going to PM my regards to on my return, but ran headlong into technical problems finally identified as entirely my own HAL-2001's and NOT the new and improved GMIC's.

The reason I ask is that there was "sortof" a militaria show in the Badger state and would have been very surprised if you traveled this far, to see so little...

HAL-2001: you have to really worry when it starts talking back to you; OPEN THE POD DOORS HAL! "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

[Guest Rick Research]

Been cogitating upon the alternative suggested by Sascha, and finally worked out a list of 8 potential Generals who had bumped their Red Eagles up to their necks while leaving behind a Crown 3-- common before 1900 but freakish afterwards.

Of the 8 who ended up with such combinations--and ENDED is the right qualifier:

5 didn't make General/move their RAO3 mit Schleife "off bar" until AFTER 1895 and

3 got their Red Eagles as retirement presents.

So while they show as having the combinations, none are likely to have worn ribbon bars in retirement.

Back to Feuerwerks Captains and KO4s, not KO3s-missing-RAO2mE's. :beer: