Insanely rare WW1 German items...

[Chris Boonzaier]

I have this in here simply because it can be anything, does not have to be a medal, or helmet, or documents ...... or even expensive for that matter.

There are some things we have that are insanely rare.... but sometimes pretty cheap because noone really cares about them.

Here is one such item... A Patent to the FMK. These were civilians who were given an officers rank and formed a small boat flotille. Each of these "Officers" had to supply his own boat and mechanic and were at the disposition of the military.

This is from a group split on Ebay, I was outbid on a lot, wanted to keep it togethere... anyway, just got this and his EK2 doc.

This is one of about 130 patents to officers accepted in the small boat fleet. They did security patrols on Rivers and lakes, along the coast and were spread accross all fronts.

Not an item that would reallyexcite the masses... but rare.

[joe campbell]

a very rare variation on a common theme....

no one seems to be able to 'splain it,

but all seem to like it.

joe

Edited February 13, 2006 by joe campbell

[joe campbell]

reverse.

[David Gregory]

I am surprised we have not seen more in this thread so far.

The two items below have already been shown before, but that does not detract from their rarity. They both belong to groups and are not single "lost" documents.

Hessen Kriegerehrenzeichen in Eisen. As a bravery award for front-line service with only some 2000 bestowals, it makes the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross look common by comparison:

Mecklenburg-Strelitz Kreuz f?r Auszeichnung im Kriege, "Tapfer und Treu". In terms of numbers awarded, this is theoretically a little more common than the Hessen document shown above, but still very much in the "hens' teeth" league for rarity:

The groups to which the above documents belong, as well as a couple of L?beck Hanseatenkreuz groups (which you do not see every week), will have to wait until I have done a bit more homework on their recipients.

Don't be shy, show your rarities, whatever they might be!

[Stogieman]

Nice thread guys. Some true obscurities here! Anybody else??

[Tom Y]

Nothing too exciting at first glance. A scarce but hardly rare telegraph buckle.[attachmentid=27585]

But take a second look [attachmentid=27587]

Apparently the crown and the wreath were 2 separate dies so the same factory could make Prussian, Bavarian, and Saxon buckles. Made on a Mondy morning or a Friday afternoon?

[joe campbell]

tom-

my vote is for the monday morning

"good lord, i've got a hangover...." group.

it is a rare buckle with an exceptionally rare

glich. love it!

joe

[Chip]

OK,

Here's something that should be extremely common. Issued to every soldier to see field service and yet this one that turned up on ebay this past year, is the first Salzbeutel that I have seen in over 40 years of collecting imperial German. Anybody else got one?

Chip

[Bob Hunter]

...or the day after Fasching.

[Tom Y]

Chip's Salzbeutel reminded me of this bag for an egg grenade. It came with an EK in it a few years ago & has been languishing in a cigar box. It's silk, so rather delicate to start with, and I can't imagine too many people wanting to keep one.

[David Gregory]

Chip's Salzbeutel reminded me of this bag for an egg grenade. It came with an EK in it a few years ago & has been languishing in a cigar box. It's silk, so rather delicate to start with, and I can't imagine too many people wanting to keep one.

Tom,

From the words printed on it, I think that may have started life as a booster charge used in conjunction with shrapnell rounds.

Whatever it is, it is certainly at the very rare end of the "insanely rare" scale.

David

[Tom Y]

Tom,

From the words printed on it, I think that may have started life as a booster charge used in conjunction with shrapnell rounds.

Whatever it is, it is certainly at the very rare end of the "insanely rare" scale.

David

As in powder bag? That would explain the silk, and I imagine most of them were incinerated.

[David Gregory]

As in powder bag? That would explain the silk, and I imagine most of them were incinerated.

Tom,

Yes, I think so. It still makes a lovely purse to protect the outside of a fragile egg grenade.

I imagine there are quite a few munitions collectors who would cheerfully donate a part of their anatomy to obtain something like that which will only have survived by being stored very carefully.

David

[Chip]

Tom,

I think David is correct about what your bag is. My question is about the 10cm M14 marking. Wasn't that an Austrian gun? I have a brass cartridge case marked "10,0cm M14" with Austrian acceptance stamps.

Chip

[Chip]

Chris,

OK, here is an insanely rare piece of wartime insignia. It's a Feldgrau Scheinwerferzug sleeve patch, which, according to Kraus, was approved in 1917 for all contingents, but only the Saxons are known to have worn it. Kraus has a line drawing of it, in which the patch is shown upsidedown and with minor incorrect details. It was most likely based on the written description. This is the only one I have ever seen or heard about. It has a string through it, which I believe is the string that once secured the paper Probe tag.

Chip

[Chip]

Here is another insignia, which I would consider rare, just because it was only worn by a single company and this is the officer's version (not many officer's to a company!). This is the short lived Minenwerfer sleeve patch, which was used in 1915 only and discontinued with authorization of the new M15 MW shoulder straps with unit numbers. Paul Pietsch drew a number of patterns from different units for an article in Zeitschrift f?r Heereskunde (which is reproduced in Kraus). I have never seen an example other than in period photos.

Chip

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is another insignia, which I would consider rare, just because it was only worn by a single company and this is the officer's version (not many officer's to a company!).

That is indeed a nice one!!!

Minenwerfer are second only to machinegun units on my Favourites list when it comes to buying EK docs :-)

[Ralph A]

Wilhelm Groener's wife's photo album.

She's seen at top-center. Is that Willie beside her?

http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/groener.htm

[Ralph A]

[Paul R]

What a bar!

[JensF.]

This is the bag for the extra propellant for the austrian 10 cm M14 field howitzer:

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/10cm_..._walkaround.htm

Chip's Salzbeutel reminded me of this bag for an egg grenade. It came with an EK in it a few years ago & has been languishing in a cigar box. It's silk, so rather delicate to start with, and I can't imagine too many people wanting to keep one.

[Tom Y]

This is the bag for the extra propellant for the austrian 10 cm M14 field howitzer:

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/10cm_..._walkaround.htm

I guess I'll hang onto it til Boonzaier gets an M.14

[joe campbell]

this is a Wilhelm II presentation EK 2.

onyx(?) layering silver, and with a presentation

case which i have not photo'd.

obverse

[joe campbell]

reverse.

joe

BTW, this is very similar to the construction

of the 1871 Frauen und Jungfrauen Kreuz.

Edited November 30, 2006 by joe campbell

[Tom Y]

reverse.

joe

BTW, this is very similar to the construction

of the 1871 Frauen und Jungfrauen Kreuz.

Did I ever mention that I'm an expert on semi-precious stones? You should send it to me for analysis