Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1870 Veteran’s Medal Bar

[Chris Boonzaier]

Greetings from Rick

Thanks to a member of the Traveling Museum, this interesting bar came by to be Epsonized for sharing with you all. Hopefully of particular interest to seeheld:

In first place, the HUGE, heavy Merit Medal in silver awarded from 1872 to 1918. Oddly, the obverse bust was not changed with the final Grand Duke’s image and titles. This Medal is 41mm in diameter and a hefty 30 grams of silver…

quite a contrast with the medal in second place.

The Kriegerverein Medal was bestowed from 1899 to 1918. It was designed to reflect the 1813/15 Military Merit Medal. Only 29mm x 24mm and a mere 10 grams of silver, it is dwarfed by the Merit Medal.

The owner and I are hoping that it MIGHT be possible to identify the original recipient once seeheld’s massive labours on the-Schwerin Rolls are completed. This could, we hope, be one of those cases where what is NOT on this bar narrows down the suspects list. As a PAIR, these two were not at all common.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here are some nifty close-ups of these awards:

I went through the 1906 –Schwerin Staatskalendar, figuring that was a good year to pick because civil servants would have “glass ceiling-ed” at levels likely to have received their maximum awards. There were 143 Silver Merit Medal holders and 31 Kriegerverein Medal holders. Only TWO held both, and neither could be THIS man, since both had other awards.

But that sort of odds may mean this medal bar does turn out traceable, some day.

The 1913 Staatskalendar added 1 holder of both but none of those 3 could have been the wearer of this medal bar. In 1913 there were 117 Silver Merit Medal holders and 36 (both figures including the pairs, 2 of whom were the same in 1906) but I was simply counting singles versus pairs, so don’t know how many were new holders and how many had retired in the interim. At least half, if not more, of the Kriegerverein Medal holders had NO other award. Most 1870 veterans would have been retiring about then.

Thanks to the owner for sharing and to … for posting since I am not online. Rick Research

[Chris Boonzaier]

last

[Chris Boonzaier]

real last

[seeheld]

Hi Chris,

thank you for sharing this wonderfull medal bar. I have seen this beauty in Vienna already, but I lost the auction... :banger:

Unfortunately here is no possibility for identification, because I have found 10 person with the same combination of medals.

Sorry for that...

The Kriegervereins-medal is rare, but with a number of more than 200 arwarded pieces not so rare for a mecklenburgian medal.

The hugh silver merit medal was more than 1000 times given out...

Best regards from China

Seeheld

I'm still interessted abaout this bar... :whistle:

[redeagleorder]

Hi all,

Not to hijack this thread or anything, but does anyone know how many gold merit medals of mecklenburg schwerin were awarded, and what would be a reasonable price to pay for one?

Thanks for your time,

Matthew

[seeheld]

Which one?

Regards Seeheld

[redeagleorder]

The second gold type, awarded from 1872 to 1918

[seeheld]

more than 200...

Price: around 4000,- Euro

regards Seeheld

[redeagleorder]

There is one thing i'm not clear about, was the merit medal awarded for military or civil merit, or both?

[seeheld]

mostly civil persons, but military persons got this medal too (for scientific merite)

military merite are not a reason to get this decoration

regards from China

Seeheld