Anhalt Marie Cross

[pinpon590]

Hi !

I want to present you my last purchase : a Marie cross, from duchy of Anhalt.

This has been created by Duke Friedrich II on 10 january 1918, as a merit cross for women, during wartime (nurses etc.). The cross took the name of his wife, Marie from Baden, duchess of Anhalt. The cross is made from silvered white metal. On the obverse of the cross, we can see initials : some books said they are "M F" for "Marie Friedrich", but, I better see "M A" for "Marie and Antonia" (Antonia from Saxony Altenburg, mother of Duke Friedrich II). What do you think about it ? I post a close up of the cross :

On the upper arm, we can see a crown, and on the lower arm is the year of creation : 1918.

On the reverse of the cross, we can see arms of Anhalt on the medallion.

I don't know how were awarded, but with a creation so late, the number will be low I think !

Does someone possess other cross like it ?

:cheers:

Edited February 7, 2011 by pinpon590

[medalnet]

Not inclined to use strong words, I will just say: "hXXXX XXXXt"

Congrats!!!

[Wild Card]

:jumping: Yes - damn nice!

Rare, unique design, well executed....

That’s what it’s all about.

Congratulations!

Wild Card

[pinpon590]

Thank you gentlemens !

Yes, an unique design, quite modern I think !

Does someone have reference book specifying number of award (even approximate) of this nice cross ? Or are the records defenitively lost ?

And what about initials : more I watch them, more I'm convinced of it's MA... and not MF (as Alec A. Purves is saying in his book The Medals Decorations & Order of the Great War)

:cheers:

[Schießplatzmeister]

Thank you gentlemens !

Yes, an unique design, quite modern I think !

Does someone have reference book specifying number of award (even approximate) of this nice cross ? Or are the records defenitively lost ?

And what about initials : more I watch them, more I'm convinced of it's MA... and not MF (as Alec A. Purves is saying in his book The Medals Decorations & Order of the Great War)

Hello:

Klietmann and Scharfenberg do not list any award totals in their expert works regarding the awards of Anhalt. It therefore seems that the answer is unknown. There could not have been many awards in any case.

Best regards

Edited February 8, 2011 by Schießplatzmeister

[joemiller]

Thank you gentlemens !

Yes, an unique design, quite modern I think !

Does someone have reference book specifying number of award (even approximate) of this nice cross ? Or are the records defenitively lost ?

And what about initials : more I watch them, more I'm convinced of it's MA... and not MF (as Alec A. Purves is saying in his book The Medals Decorations & Order of the Great War)

The best book I have found on this award is "Die Orden und Ehrenzeichen der Anhaltischen Staaten" by Gerd Scharfenberg. This is an excellent book about all of the awards of Anhalt. It includes 8 pages on the creation of the Marie Cross with excellent photographs and extensive excerpts from original documents. In regard to the two questions you raised, Scharfenberg says the obverse initials are F for Friedrich and M for Marie.(page 304). He also writes that as with most Anhalt awards, the records of awards were lost after the archives in Dessau were lost in a bombing during World War II. He does postulate that the cross was only awarded between April and September 1918.

[Dave Danner]

In case anyone is still interested, there were 64 awards. 25 nominations were turned down (abgelehnt), and 39 others were pending (unerledigt) when the Duke abdicated. No awards were made after that point. I have seen a letter from a Krankenpflegerin returning home at the end of 1918 who spent the entire war at or near the front and asked if she might be considered for an award, as she had nothing to show for her service. The reply in January 1919 was basically "sorry, too late".

Regards

[pinpon590]

Hi !

Thank you for these informations !

I don't thought it was a so rare award...

[pinpon590]

In case anyone is still interested, there were 64 awards. 25 nominations were turned down (abgelehnt), and 39 others were pending (unerledigt) when the Duke abdicated. No awards were made after that point. I have seen a letter from a Krankenpflegerin returning home at the end of 1918 who spent the entire war at or near the front and asked if she might be considered for an award, as she had nothing to show for her service. The reply in January 1919 was basically "sorry, too late".

Regards

Where do you have found the informations ??

[Guest Rick Research]

I guess Dave's on the road again. He has been (among many other places! ) at the Anhalt archives, on a one man Rolls collecting expedition accumulating more material than since the Seymour-Ludvigsen-O'Connor trips 20+ years ago.

When our very own research Indiana Jones returns, there should be much rejoicing at all the tens of thousands of never published awards to be transcribed. Well, THAT part won't be so much fun!

[saschaw]

Another "ancient" thread probably worth being "bumped up"?! The complete list of awardees, by the way, was published more than ten years ago(!) by Eike Lehmann and late Dr. Gerd Scharfenberg! If you're interested, it's even available online as a pdf file on the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde homepage.

 

Also, here's two pictures of a Herzoglich Anhaltisches Marien-Kreuz that did "visit" me last year...

 

 

[saschaw]

For those of you who might not have noticed by now: The Marien-Kreuz, unfortunately, is among the many awards that are heavily faked, for maybe just some months now. Currently, one not too nice example is available on ebay. Caveat collector!

 

 

[Orden-Anhalt]

The one from Sascha Wörscher is a real one and it’s in my collection! 
yes the fakes by ebay is a nightmare…

[saschaw]

Good to see you around here! Much better than seeing, again, a hand full fakes on ebay!

 

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by saschaw