Imperial Russia Unusual German/Russian combination on a miniature chain

[larsb001]

Friends, I have had this miniature chain for some time now but I'm wondering if this is a possible combination? You'll have the Prussian Red Cross medals in silver and bronze, a Saxon War Merit Cross for 1915 also related to War Aid/Red Cross kind of services, so far so good, but at the end you'll have the Imperial Russian 15 years service bar for civil servants on a Saint Wladimir ribbon.

The chain does not appear to have been messed with in any way, but if the forth should be an "exchange" made by the previous collector who owned it it's an interesting choice!

So is this a possible combination and under what circumstanses could this be possible?

Regards, Lars

[JapanX]

How things Lars?

Nice looking chain!

But is this combination possible?

Russian badges "За беспорочную службу" with XV were discontinued in 1859.

And then we have Preußischen Landesverein vom Roten Kreuz (introduced in 1898) and 1915 Saxon Cross on the very same chain.

We are talking about one damn long-lived person here

But maybe this is not russian, but prussian long-service badge (Prince Oskar with his badge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Oskar_of_Prussia ). Or replacement for such badge?

Best,

Nick

[922F]

A brilliant mini group! Expect that Nick correctly identified the long service award.

Does anyone know if full size or mini copies of the Saxon Kriegs-Verdienst-Kreuz, created by Friedrich August in 1915, have been made?

[larsb001]

Thanks Nick.

I was simply not aware of this Prussian long service award, but this would of course make much more sense. I cannot really recall having seen this but I have to go through some litterature. Interesting that it resembles the Russian badge so much!

And in this cases I've posted it in the completely wrong section, so Moderator, feel free to move this to the German section if needed.

Again, thanks.

[JapanX]

Think you might like this photo Lars

Wilhelm Leopold Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (12 August 1843 – 19 April 1916) a.k.a. Goltz Pasha

[JapanX]

[saschaw]

The badge Prince Oscar and Freiherr von der Goltz are wearing isn't a long service award, but a commemorative badge to Kaiser Wilhelm's silver wedding in 1906. They were awarded on the ribbon of the last Prussian order (not decoration!) the badge receipient - male or female - had received before, and on a plain white ribbon for persons that didn't yet have any Prussian order at all.

Check here for one of those: http://woeschler-orden.de/preu-en-erinnerungszeichen-zur-silbernen-hochzeit-1906-auf-wei-em-band

I'm pretty sure this miniature chain isn't as worn; at least that Russian badge doesn't go with it. Also, I can hardly imagine it was taken as a close enough for the Prussian wedding jubilee badge... too weird!

[JapanX]

The badge Prince Oscar and Freiherr von der Goltz are wearing isn't a long service award, but a commemorative badge to Kaiser Wilhelm's silver wedding in 1906.

Yep.

There is a short article about this Hochzeit Erinnerungszeichen

http://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de/deutsche-staaten/erinnerungszeichen-zur-silbernen-hochzeit-1906.html

[JapanX]

So it looks like it is put together chain after all ...

[larsb001]

It seems that I now have a nice but incomplete German chain and a loose somewhat rare imperial Russian miniature .

The only thing that bothers me is that if I had a chain with the first 3 awards and one missing, why would one complete it with THIS decoration, why not choose a 1914-18 War Cross or something similar and less expensive (on the collectors market)?

Thanks to all, Lars

[JapanX]

Very strange indeed!

Actually very strange.

You see, this badge for the irreproachable service during 15 years on St.Vladimir ribbon

[JapanX]

was issued (if I remember correctly) only until 1859.

Since 1859 this badge was awarded only with numbers XL +

Mystery become more and more mysterious