Ultra-rare Lippe-Detmold Leopoldorden cross with crown 1st model

[Solomon]

Hi gents,

before I have to sell it, I just want to share with you an ultra-rare order, which you can hardly find on the market.

It´s the

Lippe-Detmold Leopoldorden cross with crown 1st model

This order was awarded only 6 times between 1908 and 1910.
In 1910 prince Leopold IV. decided to change the design into an enameled version with blue cross-arms.

This version is a silver cross and the background of the enameled rose in the center is gold.

Unfortunately there are some copies on the market...so just be aware

Best regards

Roman

Edited March 31, 2017 by Solomon

[dedehansen]

Thanks for showing us this genuine and extremely rare Leopoldorden.  

Kind regards

Andreas

[Claudius]

A good looking 1st Class!  Thanks for showing.

[webr55]

Very rare and very beautiful!

[Alpha Draconis]

Remarkable item!!

What would be the price of this beauty?

Best regards

Joseph

[Chris Liontas]

Was this a royalty merit award?   What were the criteria for its award?   I've never seen this one before.  Thanks for sharing! 

[Solomon]

@ Joseph

As a Lippe-Detmold collector, I have to answer "priceless", of course.
There are so many (expensive) fakes especially of this rare order in the market, that you hardly can define a right pricing.

In general I would guess 3,500 - 4,500 USD for a proofen original piece.

 

@ Chris
This order was awarded by duke Leopold IV. zur Lippe-Biesterfeld, beside the usual house-order.
It was never awarded with swords and the criteria were (according to the statues) extraordinary merits related to the prince and his family or to the principality Lippe-Detmold itself.

By the way...I forgot to show you his original home :-)

[Great Dane]

Can a fake also be made from the 'new design' with the enamel removed or would they differ in more ways than just the enamel?

/Michael

[Alpha Draconis]

Thank you Roman for your answer, and thank you even more for showing us the case of this order, which is presumingly even rarer than the order itself!?

Roman, how can we tell the original from a copy? Is there difference other than gold centre? Maybe in weight or something else?

Michael, if I unerstood you correctly, I believe you can't make an old version by removing enamel from new version. The back of the new design is flat and smooth, and back of the old one is bumpy

Nice topic of a such a rare order!

Best regards

Alpha D.

[Solomon]

@ Alpha D.
Very difficult to answer.
Apparently there are many more fakes on the market, than original pieces.
I added a scan of the detailed rose (the background is gold) and the letter L.
The fakes I know (sold on ebay and at a known trader) differ especially here from the original pieces.
A third criteria might be the crown, but this is difficult to fix in a scan.

@ Michael

The first model without enameled arms were officially only produced by Carl Büsch, Hannover.
So all should look more or less the same.

But I can confuse you know even more...I also have a 2nd piece here...an original one, but clearly made by Godet, Berlin.
It differs especially in the letter L and the crown.
Luckily I had access to the archive...Godet delivered in 1910 exactly 10 pieces to the prince, but these ones weren´t awarded anymore, as the prince decided to renew his Leopold order and changed the cross-arms to the blue enameled one.

My piece has exactly the same designed letter L between the arms and the same needle-system like the official 2nd model.

It might be a unique piece and without this knowledge (delivery etc) I wouldn´t have bought it for sure.

BTW, with the switch to the 2nd model, the prince also officially switched from Büsch to Godet.

 

Sorry for the confusion :-P

 

[Great Dane]

Amazing!

Thanks for showing

/Michael

And glad to hear you can't create an old (non-enamel) version by mutilating a new enameled version.

[Alpha Draconis]

Hello Roman

Thank you for clear things out!! I have never heard of Godet made order, and this one is even more beautiful than the official one!!! Just love the Godet "L"

So, are those 10 Godets also selling for the same price even if they are not bestowed? How many Godets survived if you know?

Kind regards

[Solomon]

Well, good question...to define a right market-price might be not possible.
I assume, that this one might be even the only one, which survived.

In general it is a very rare order with very low numbers of awards...
even difficult to say, how many Büsch-awards are still around.

I´m still missing a picture of a person, who is wearing this 1st model.

Regards
Roman