Napoleonic Era Awards Of All German States

[Stogieman]

Hi Daniel! Merry Christmas to you and your family. Excellent Medal Bar!

[Wild Card]

Daniel,

That is a very nice pair (post #25). Is that Red Eagle a full sized or reduction piece? Also, can you tell me what the difference is between the Prussian medals with the rounded end cross arms and the squared ones?

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Chris,

The Red Eagle is a full size one.

The campaign medals with the round arms are the firs issue from 1813 and 1814.

The King did not really like them and the later issues made in 1815 had the squared ones.

Best regards

Daniel

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

Because the concept of campaign medals was quite new at this time, the several states, once caught up in the spirit of the cause, tended to take some different approaches.

One of the most unique and, in my opinion, pleasing examples came from Baden, which awarded a medal with a bar, or bars, on the ribbon signifying by year the appropriate campaign(s). This field service decoration (medal) was instituted in 1839 and was awarded through 1871. There were seventeen bars awarded with this medal - eleven of them for the Napoleonic campaigns.

Following is an example with a bar for the campaigns of 1809-10 which has been posted before; but it seems appropriate to show it again here.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Baden 1809-10 bar.

[Wild Card]

Following with our theme. In 1818 Anhalt-Bernburg instituted it?s decoration for the Napoleonic campaigns. In the style of this medal it?s sister state, iin 1839 Anhalt-K?then, introduced it?s medal(s) which is also made of blackened iron.

Aside from the royal cypher on the obverse, the main difference between the two is that the Anhalt-Bernburg medal took a ?one size fits all? approach by showing the years 1814-1815 while Anhalt-K?then produced a series of seven medals, showing the appropriate year, or combination thereof, for the individual recipient.

Following are pictures of an 1815 medal from Anhalt-K?then.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

Edited December 27, 2005 by Wild Card

[Wild Card]

1815 Anhalt-K?then medal.

[Wild Card]

In 1850, Waldeck joined the party by issuing a decoration for her surviving veterans of the Napoleonic campaigns. This one is also worth a mention because, again, it shows a unique approach.

This medal shows the royal cypher on the obverse and a laurel/sword pattern on the reverse within which is engraved or impressed the appropriate year(s) for the individual recipient. It is worth noting that this medal was again used in 1862 to honor the veterans of 1849, with that date engraved on the reverse.

Following is a Napoleonic campaign award with the dates 1813 and 1815.

Wild Card

Edited December 27, 2005 by Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Waldeck Napoleonic campaign medal.

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

Having covered most of the formats of the Napoleonic campaign medals, I will finish with something quite different. At the risk of violating forum rules, I would to present two British (Gasp!!!) medals; but first, some background.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the British army contained ten regiments and six battalions known as the King?s German Legion (KGL). These units were fully integrated into the British table of organization; and when the British Waterloo medal and Military General Service medals were instituted, the men in the KGL were eligible on a basis equal to their British counterparts.

The Waterloo medal was founded on 18 June 1815. It was awarded to anyone who took part and all soldiers present and was the first campaign medal awarded to the next of kin of men killed in action.

Through the tireless efforts of The Duke of Richmond, the Military General Service medal was founded on 1 June 1847. It very much follows the theme of the Baden award presented above in that it consists of a standard medal and appropriate bars; but in this case the bars represent victorious battles from 1793 to 1814, rather than years. Although there was a total of twenty-nine bars, with many of them representing victories in places such as Egypt, Malta and North America, the men of the KGL were eligible for seventeen of them. There were two men who received the highest number of bars (15) to an individual, one of whom, Daniel Loochstadt, served in both the 60th (British) regiment and the KGL.

True to British custom, both medals have the recipient?s name and unit impressed on the rim. Below are examples of each - a Waterloo medal to Pte. Henry Sondmacher of the 4th Line Batt. K.G.L. and a Military General Service medal with eight bars to Friederich Neumann of the 2nd Line Batt., K.G.L.

Edited January 1, 2006 by Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Waterloo Medal.

[Wild Card]

MGS medal.

[joe campbell]

wild caed-

i've been educated with these posts.

most interesting and with beautiful

photos to boot.

MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

joe

[Wild Card]

Thank you very much, Joe.

I have enjoyed every moment, or I should say, hour of preparing it; and have learned a bit along the way myself. Hopefully, it has enlightened others to some of the other areas of Imperial German collecting.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Bob Hunter]

That MGS with clasps is a knockout!

[notned]

I agree too Bob! its certainly a unique piece!

Thanks Wild Card ( sorry but do not know your real name...)

for showing us this beauty and educating us

cheers

Paul

[saschaw]

To get this nice thread up...

Did I overlook it or is this thread missing the most common one?

Edited April 18, 2008 by saschaw

[saschaw]

It's the example of "HEINR. SEGGELKE. CORP. 2. LIN. BAT.", unfortunally missing the suspension:

PS:

might someone please tell me what those are going about nowadays in this condition? I think I'll sell it, as it isn't from Baden, is it... ;o)

Edited April 18, 2008 by saschaw

[saschaw]

My actual reason to get the thread up is this medal I had in post today: a French Waterloo medal!

I never saw that one before nor heard of it. Do you know it? I assume it isn't an award but just a memorial medal that someone chose to wear - it comes even with an old ribbon. It's about 42mm and from silvered bronce with a "BRONZE" punch in the rim.

[saschaw]

And the whole thing...

Someone knows what it is, maybe even what those cost about? Thanks in advance...

[Ulsterman]

Very unusual, but I'd wager it's from @1865 when they put up some of the monuments. No idea what they're worth but i reckon on eBay somebody would have to have it as a unique piece for more money than I'd pay.

By the way, the Brunswick ones go for @ $250-$350 these days, although with a broken suspension I reckon $100-$150.

Edited April 18, 2008 by Ulsterman

[NavalMark]

Also still missing in this thread.... silver medal for volunteers from Frankfurt 1814. Not my special field of interest, but i could not resist and gave her home for some time in my collection.

Navalmark

[NavalMark]

....

[VtwinVince]

Great information, gentlemen. I've thought of "getting into" Napoleonic items, but keep getting sidetracked into other areas. My 3XGreat Grandfather fought at Waterloo, and I have a nice portrait of him wearing the ribbon of the Prussian 1815 medal in his buttonhole.

[Kapitular]

After the thread "Woman awards" another very interesting thread!

I can add some pieces of my former collection of german awards. These pieces are still available, but only in exchange with rare decorations of Oldenburg, house order and bars.

I start with the "Erinnerungskreuz f?r 1814/15" from Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: