Uncategorised Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[dond]

I saw this bar, sadly abused and perhaps monkeyed with yet I could not pass on it.

[dond]

The second medal is a 1st place shooting preis from Hesse marked 11 November 1891. I doubt it belongs on the bar but who knows? I'd think an LS medal would be more likely.

[dond]

But the real jewel, though battered is this.

[dond]

Even the Centennial medal has been repaired.

[Naxos]

I love it too!

[Chris Boonzaier]

Nice... I wonder what the story behind the bar is?

[ixhs]

Only a war merit cross and MVO on peacetime ribbon?

i don`t like the MVO and the bar too.

[dond]

Perhaps you can elaborate. These are the days I really miss Rick.

[Dave Danner]

It's not an MVO. It is an MVK. Before 1905, there was only one class of the MVK, and it had blue enamel like the MVO. The MVO's lower classes were the Ritterkreuz I.Klasse, gilt and enamel with flames between the arms, and Ritterkreuz II.Klasse, same as the I.Klasse but without flames. The MVK was the same as the Ritterkreuz II.Klasse, but silver instead of gilt.

After 1905, the MVO was reorganized with the Ritterkreuz II.Klasse as the 4th Class as we usually know it, silver with blue enamel and the flames, and the Ritterkreuz I.Klasse remaining as it was, but renamed the 3rd Class.

Also in 1905, the MVK was divided into the 1st and 2nd Class. It lost its enamel on the arms while the 2nd Class lacked all enamel. After 1913, these essentially became the 2nd and 3rd Classes and a new 1st Class was added in gilt.

The blue ribbon is likely for a long service. It would fit someone in a regiment like IR 47 with a Bavarian connection to receive Bavarian peacetime awards, too young for 1871 but probably retired or discharged after 1897 and too old or invalided to be recalled to active service in World War I.

ihxs, the combination doesn't bother me. Is you issue with the construction?

Dave

Edited June 4, 2014 by Dave Danner
fix typo

[dond]

Which LS medal do you think belongs there Dave?

[Dave Danner]

No idea. Probably an NCO's 21-years' service or 15-years' service decoration, but perhaps an LD2 if he went reserve before leaving service. If an NCO's DA, I suppose it would have been a post-1913 medal/cross which was substituted for a pre-1913 Schnalle when he mounted the medals.

There were a few Prussian regiments with a Bavarian connection. IR 47's Chef was King Ludwig III from 1886 to 1918. IR 52's Chef was Prinz Leopold von Bayern from 1885 to 1918. Crown Prince Rupprecht was à la suite KR 1 in 1914, but I don't know from what date. Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand von Bayern was Chef of DR 15 from 1897 to 1918. Prinz Alfons von Bayern was Chef of DR 5 in 1914, but again I don't know when he was named chief. Prinz-Regent Luitpold von Bayern was Chef of FAR 4 until his death in 1912. In all these regiments, both peacetime and wartime awards of the Bavarian Military Merit Order are found.

[dond]

Thanks for the info Dave.

[dond]

The clue lies in the bar itself. The shooting award was held in by a straight pin (yellow arrow). The medal ring for the missing DA is still in place (red arrow). Since the other medals are mounted so that the bottoms are level I measured from the bottom of the ring to a line across the bottoms of the other medals. The gap is 30mm. This rules out a cross type DA.