Little "Big" merit crosses & medals

[Claudio]

Dear imperialoids,

There are quite a few medals or small merit crosses given to NCO or soldiers, which are not desirable or less know to the big public, but very rare indeed for numbers of bestowal. Many of them have a very delicate and well thought design.

I am posting the first for you a medal of a little German State. This Duchy disappeared from the German map when it was taken by the Kingdom of Prussia after the Campaign of 1866.

This medal was given to all in 1909 still living NCOs and soldiers (3'228 times awarded). The silver medal is much rarer and it was given only to officers (less than 30!).

Enjoy and don't hesitate to post your little "BIG" medal...

Ciao,

Claudio

Edited December 22, 2005 by Claudio

[Claudio]

Another nice little "Orden des Ehrenkreuz, Verdienstkreuz 2. Klasse" from the small state of Lippe-Detmold, only 699 times awarded!

Edited December 22, 2005 by Claudio

[Claudio]

A nice Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse in Gold of the Duchy of Brunswick (Braunschweig). Only 1'859 times awarded. With the marks S 585 of Hofjuwelier Friedrich Siebrecht. Enjoy...

[Mike Dwyer]

Very, very nice, Claudio!

I'm afraid my old eyes had trouble reading the first medal you posted. Was it from the Duchy of Nassau?

Edited December 22, 2005 by Mike Dwyer

[landsknechte]

I am posting the first for you a medal of a little German State. This Duchy disappeared from the German map when it was taken by the Kingdom of Prussia after the Campaign of 1866.

This medal was given to all in 1909 still living NCOs and soldiers (3'228 times awarded). The silver medal is much rarer and it was given only to officers (less than 30!).

I have what may be an example of that decoration on a ribbon bar:

[Bob Hunter]

Thanks, Claudio, this should develop into a very interesting thread. I'm curious what was the small state that was absorbed by Prussia after 1866?

Now I have to go root around in my stuff to see if I have anything that meets your unique requirements.

[Bob Hunter]

Thanks, Claudio, this should develop into a very interesting thread. I'm curious what was the small state that was absorbed by Prussia after 1866?

Now I have to go root around in my stuff to see if I have anything that meets your unique requirements.

[W McSwiggan]

I'm betting on Nassau & hoping to win a prize!

The medal would suffice...

If not - thanks for posting regardless, Claudio.

Thanks, Claudio, this should develop into a very interesting thread. I'm curious what was the small state that was absorbed by Prussia after 1866?

Now I have to go root around in my stuff to see if I have anything that meets your unique requirements.

[Ulsterman]

I have posted it before, but here is my "big" small one:

[Claudio]

@ Bob: sorry, I forgot to mention that the first medal I posted is from Nassau.

[Bob Hunter]

Thanks, Claudio. I'm not sure of the award numbers on this cross but I believe the Silver Merit Cross of the White Falcon Order qualifies...if not I can always delete the post.

[Claudio]

No, please by all means show more and don't dare delete your post. It's a great little-big bar!

[Bob Hunter]

Claudio, I don't know if I have any more rare ones...I think you have the rest in your collection.

[Bob Hunter]

Claudio, I think this is the smallest bar with the biggest medal that I have in my collection.

[Bob Hunter]

...and the reverse.

[Wild Card]

Claudio, I think this is the smallest bar with the biggest medal.

Agreed!

Wild Card

Edited December 23, 2005 by Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

For this thread, I would like to present a silver merit cross to the Hannoverian Ernst August Order. I suppose that you could consider it to be rare in that there were fifty awards of this decoration - far fewer than the higher knight?s crosses

The main reason that I chose this piece, though, is that Claudio?s post #2, the Lippe-Detmold merit cross, offers us an excellent opportunity to compare the two. It has long been speculated that they are identical except for the center medallions. Since both were, as I understand it, made by Carl B?sch, this is a very likely possibility.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Silver merit cross to the Hannoverian Ernst August Order

[Stogieman]

I was wondering if you'd remember your SBM Bob!

[Claudio]

Hi Bob!

I've got one, too!

[Stogieman]

Nice one Claudio! Did it come with anything else, or just the solo? Bob's is actually a small grouping...

[Stogieman]

I'll add this one in with a caveat. it is certainly a "big-little", but I have never been real keen on whether it was right or not.... The price to simply evaluate it was too high.

[Stogieman]

I had always felt that the bar/mount itself was probably real. But probably missing the Military=Ehrenzeichen 2. Klasse. Now that's not a problem in and of itself to fix... but the MEZ1 looked very real, but I could not get bigger/clearer photos to really see what was what and ending up having to pass for safety's sake. If the MEZ1 was real, I would have ended up with a nice bar to fix and an exceedingly rare loose piece.... sigh....

[Bob Hunter]

WOW! Claudio, that is a very nice sharply defined strike! When I use the term crisp to describe condition I refer to medals like yours.

[HeikoGrusdat]

@stogieman: is this the bar from nordwind on militariaweb?