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    Major Koepke-Medal Bar and Documents group.


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    Recently picked this one up, asked a couple friends on the forum for advice on it and they said it was very cool :)

    It arrived today from the dealer and want to see if everyone approves/if it looks ok :) since there are a lot of documents.

    I think it looks great and hopefully you guys enjoy it too :) Major Karl Adolf Paul Koepke was a Deputy Chief Executive of the Train Depot of the XIV Army, he served in China as well as South Afrika, all medals come with award docs. So I'd like to double check with the Document collectors as well as the medal bar experts to see if everything lines up now that it is here "in the flesh" so to speak I'd love to research this group further if possible but I'd like to double check :D (while I still have the return policy available if something is off)

    If you guys need a zoom in on any documents or have any questions don't hesitate to post :)

    Thanks all for looking in.

    I might have to post a couple pictures since there are a lot of documents in the set and it is taking a bit to upload them all

    Really enjoy the group so far and hope you guys do too :)

    To start off the medal bar:

    left to right, 1. Iron Cross 2nd Class (1914, awarded in 1916), 2. Order of the Red Eagle 4th class (awarded in 1903),3. Baden War Merit Cross (awarded in 1916), 25 Year Service Cross (awarded 1906), German Southwest Afrika Medal (Non-combat issue awarded 1907) China Campaign Medal(non-combat issue awarded in 1901), Jubilee Medal (awarded in 1897)

    DSCN8700_zpsa40369cd.jpg

    DSCN8701_zpsbf49ccf5.jpg

    DSCN8702_zpsa71eb4f5.jpg

    Reverse

    DSCN8703_zps96135fc4.jpg

    Edited by Rogi
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    First item, his Reise Pass,

    DSCN8707_zps6c51a5cf.jpg

    DSCN8708_zps7ca79f22.jpg

    DSCN8709_zps97a55e15.jpg

    With a photo, not of the full bar, but looks like pre Iron Cross and Baden War Merit Cross,

    DSCN8710_zpsc00ec220.jpg

    DSCN8711_zpsd92edcfa.jpg

    Something written on the very last page, opposite direction,

    DSCN8712_zps4955f11e.jpg

    Will have to redo this photo later as there is another word in the center that the flash obscured.

    Promotion paper, (has a very cool seal you can't see in the photo :(

    DSCN8715_zpsb8d0e13a.jpg

    Second page:

    DSCN8717_zpsea57b941.jpg

    and bottom of the page:

    DSCN8718_zpsf245336f.jpg

    Edited by Rogi
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    South-West Afrika Campaign medal doc:

    DSCN8753_zps69f399da.jpg

    China Campaign Medal Doc:

    DSCN8752_zps7d997646.jpg

    and Jubilee Medal Doc:

    DSCN8748_zps2ad3f23e.jpg

    Service record

    DSCN8724_zps03415f72.jpg

    DSCN8725_zpsb3a1db6e.jpg

    DSCN8726_zps164002bb.jpg

    That is it for now, most of the other stuff is a bit too blurry in the photos (I know I'm missing the 25 years and another service record (more official) plus 2 or 3 more promotion papers) but I'll try and post the other documents (yes there is more :D) sometime this week when my vision clears up. I hope these ones aren't too blurry :)

    Thank you all for your expert opinions and comments :)

    Edited by Rogi
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    An impressive grouping.

    The second medal is the Prussian Red Eagle Order, 4th Class.

    Kind regards

    Pierce

    Thank you for your kind comments Pierce and for the correction :D don't know what happened to me there :D changed to Order of the Red Eagle :D

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    Some other pages, not really sure what these are:

    DSCN8719_zps16ffd128.jpg

    DSCN8720_zps468c4e78.jpg

    Iron Cross 2nd Class doc:

    DSCN8764_zpsf42f66ba.jpg

    zoomed in

    DSCN8765_zps84d259e5.jpg

    DSCN8766_zpsee4ba062.jpg

    DSCN8767_zps10ad9a59.jpg

    Baden War Merit Cross Doc.

    DSCN8763_zps7579a870.jpg

    more documents:

    DSCN8721_zps10e421a4.jpg

    DSCN8722_zps5de4d8c7.jpg

    DSCN8723_zpsb41f316a.jpg

    Hello Rogi,

    I like this group very much.

    the content from the handwritten letter is:

    Zeugnis der Reife für den Zögling des königlichen Pädagogiums zu Putbus,

    maybe someone can translate it.

    Regards

    Andreas

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    I think the best very rough translation (at least for an American) is a high school final report card. Of course, this is not literal, but the US school system was and remains much different than the German system.

    Looking at the various subjects he is graded on religion, German, Latin, Greek, French, Hebrew, math, physics, ?? and geography and gymnastics, it is clear he received a "classical" education in what was once called a grammar school.

    No matter how one translate it, it is final evaluation from school.

    Andy

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    Thank you all for the kind comments :)

    Very interesting and intriguing :D that it has his high school record in here as well :D I will post some more docs later today :) very cool and thank you all for the translation :)

    Edited by Rogi
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    Thank you all so much, I re-did some photos, here are a couple more documents :D

    These are ones I can't make out right now (due to my vision) but I hope they aren't blurry :D

    #1 is this graduation document for something?

    DSCN8728_zps836156a9.jpg

    #2

    DSCN8733_zpsb5380846.jpg

    #3

    DSCN8736_zps3570fefd.jpg

    #4 Maybe school related, similar style to some previous ones?

    DSCN8737_zps7fa645f3.jpg

    #5

    DSCN8738_zpsabf3c17e.jpg

    Is this Personal Report (Service Record)?I believe its the army issue since it lists his positions from what I can see and Qualifications on the next page

    DSCN8739_zpsc51b0cab.jpg

    DSCN8741_zpsf15227e2.jpg

    DSCN8743_zps41008264.jpg

    Promotion to (Ensign?):

    DSCN8744_zps7f9f9fc4.jpg

    Edited by Rogi
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    #7

    DSCN8755_zpsf9a5c369.jpg

    #8

    DSCN8756_zpsb59bf444.jpg

    on the same page:

    DSCN8757_zpsc40fbef7.jpg

    #9 Order of the Red Eagle award Document:

    DSCN8758_zps7320c233.jpg

    Just couple more documents to go but I will re-take these photos tomorrow and post, thanks all for checking in and for all the help

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    Wow a wonderful group. :speechless1::love:

    I like a lot those complete groups, congratulation and thanks for sharing it.

    But I have also a little surprise for you :whistle:

    The commander of Koepke who signed the South-West Afrika Campaign medal doc, received also the South-West Afrika Campaign medal

    :jumping:

    Best wishes

    Karsten

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    Wow a wonderful group. :speechless1::love:

    I like a lot those complete groups, congratulation and thanks for sharing it.

    But I have also a little surprise for you :whistle:

    The commander of Koepke who signed the South-West Afrika Campaign medal doc, received also the South-West Afrika Campaign medal

    :jumping:

    Best wishes

    Karsten

    Wow, What a "small world" :) Thank you so much for sharing the document with us Karsten :D

    What a cool re-uniting

    Edited by Rogi
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    • 3 weeks later...

    Here we go, just a small update and 1 question, took some more pics in detail:

    Order of the Red Eagle Hallmarked with "Wilm" :)

    RSCN8779_zps5a542fbe.jpg

    and I pulled back the ribbon on most of the orders I could, just to take a small picture, then returned it to its place :)It has this very interesting ribbon on the backing, is this to signifying the recipient is from Baden, or something else?(took the photo from the EK 2)

    DSCN8780_zps48cf3bde.jpg

    Thanks all for any other comments and appreciated it a lot :)

    Edited by Rogi
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    • 8 years later...

    A remarkably complete group, with all that papers! However, despite I've already seen the bar in 2014, it took me until now to realize the Baden's Kriegsverdienstkreuz' ribbon is not the proper one...

     

    This looks much more like a Soviet "Order of Lenin" [Орден Ленина] ribbon?! Could not be, unless the bar was recreated much more recently to fit the group...

     

    :speechless1:

     

    Edited by saschaw
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    • 2 weeks later...
    On 14/08/2022 at 18:17, Simius Rex said:

    The incorrect ribbon used (...) is not the only problem this medal bar has.

    Well, now that you mention it... seems someone reconstructed the group, be it from Koepke's awards or just from lose medals, to fit the paperwork.

     

    What a shame... there's so many groups that have been "played" with.

     

    :(

     

    Edited by saschaw
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