Austria-Hungary Long Service Cross for 18 Years - opinion please!

[djn]

Dear collectors!

I would like to hear your opinion on this Long Service Cross:

Pictures from the Internet

I wonder if this is original cross?

If I'm not mistaken Cross for 18 years was awarded between 1867-1890... Usually have decorations from that period such "attachment for tag":

Picture from the Internet

Is it possible that at that time(1867-1890) produced this decoration in both formats?

Thank you!

Dejan

[trakkles]

I have also seen this crosses at ebay,

and I have no good feeling if I look at the whole finish,

it is strange that all crosses from the seller looks the same unbeautiful colour of the basis cross.

I don´t like the crosses.

regards daniel

[cimbineus]

Gents,

As far as I know the XVIII medal existed from 14-4-1867 to 5-8-1869, just a bit more than for two years. Let me help you with two more types of that award:

Different types in this case could easily mean different makers, so, they could exist in parallel even during that short period of time, I think.

As for your question, I do not like that medal either. That cross in the picture reminds me a much later one, but the whole medal looks like a gadgeteer-made ugly piece.

Let me show you the back of the first medal in my picture, since it is interesting because its unique “maker-mark”.

Regards,

cimbineus

[tifes]

Hi everyone,

just my opinion based on my own experience and literature study but definitely not written in stone.

The very first picture of 2nd class 1867-1869 (1890) is having cross-type from last issue 1913-1918. It could be private-made and unofficial decoration for pensioned veteran who wanted to show his long service on public (it's very theoretical and more wish-to-be) or and that's much more possible, just fake to make the price higher. 18 years Long Service Cross is the most valuable decoration from all LSCs for rank and file therefore is faked quite often.

So-called mixed types could be seen in case of LSC which continued through different issue periods. It concerns LSC (rank and file) for 12 and 24 years and LSC (officers) for 25 years.

18 years LSC was bestowed in the period of 1867-1869 as mentioned in discussion and it is known only with so-called "Durchzugsöse" (sorry, no exact translation to English possible, "pass-through attachment" ???). Such a piece is on second picture of original post of "djn".

Regards,

tifes