I recently obtained this Pour le Merite and would like some feedback from WAF members. If you will stick with me, I will present all I know about it, including the maker. Below are photos of the obverse and the reverse. Because of the method of construction, I believe that we can establish the time period of the cross. It is of hollow gold design. This cross has been tested as to gold content, and is 585 parts gold, which is 14K. Don D. has graciously agreed to moderate this thread. It may take me a couple of sessions to get my info and pictures posted.
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The most striking thing about this PlM is the size and design of the eagles. You may have noticed that they are proportionally much larger than "standard" Wagner or even Godet PlM's. I am using a retail Wagner example as a comparison. -
Measurement comparisons are as follows:
Hollow Gold PlM vs Wagner
Width: 57.65 mm vs 51.02 for the Wagner
Height: 57.00 mm vs 50.40
Weight: 25.7 g vs 18.8 g
Ribbon loop Weight: 1.8 g vs 1.6 g
Diagonal 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock arm top tip to bottom tip: 61.0 mm vs 54.1 mm
Thickness: Arm end metal 2.42 mm vs 2.10 mm
Brandenburg Eagles: Tip of tail to wingtip: 23.35 mm vs 14.02 mm
Widest wing span side to side: 15.07 mm vs 10.84 mmComment
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I am sure you are anxious to see more angles. There may have been a grommet in the pie-slice suspension to protect the edges of the thin metal surrounding the hole at one time, but there is no evidence of it now. The top edge of the pie-slice is narrower than a Godet and is unmarked.Comment
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Interesting piece. I'm no authority on PLM's, so others can chime in, but it reminds me of early pieces from the Napoleonic period, or even earlier, with the oversize eagles and somewhat crude lettering.Comment
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Before I show the rest of the parts, I will say that the construction is magnificent. The enamel is flawless except for a couple of air bubbles around the letter i on the 6 o'clock arm, which are not visible to the naked eye, but are caught by the camera. The color is a shade lighter than the deep blue of the Wagner retail piece. The flaking in the middle of the cross is a testament to the fragile nature of pre-1916 hollow crosses and their enamel. It is flaking where it is the most thin on both obverse and reverse. The lettering and crown are simpler and slightly less crisp around the edges than Godet or Wagner examples, and are a different "font" if you will. The ribbon loop is the same color gold as the rest of the cross. I am assuming it is also made of the same gold.
The eagles have extremely long tails and are very detailed. The attachment to the cross is flawless. A seam cannot be seen. My first impression was that the eagles were solid, but a seam is visible on the underside of a couple of the wings, indicating that the eagles are also hollow. The mouths are not cut open because of this. The tongue is visible.
There is a weep hole visible in the crotch of the bottom arm, but it seems to be covered with a small bit of enamel. The maker's mark is located in the same place as a wartime Wagner. I will reveal it shortly.Comment
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I will post pictures of the edges. First the 3 o'clock arm. There is a spot visible in the photos where metal has been ground off for testing. Unfortunately, this was done twice. You can see that there is no weep hole in this arm.Comment
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The 9 o'clock edge, also with no weep hole.Comment
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Thank you for your comments, Vince. I did not see your post, as I am still uploading. It does remind me of earlier crosses. When I reveal the maker's mark, that will help set the timeframe. This cross borrows simple design and lettering from Wagner and more elaborate eagles from Godet. It does not have the 5 tail feathers of the Godet, nor the straight tail feathers of Wagner. It borrows the pie-slice suspension from early Wagners and all Godets.Comment
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Obverse lower eagles and enamel with damageComment
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Reverse enamel showing damage and eagles.Comment
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I'll try those reverse pictures again.Comment
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The maker's mark and weep hole on the 6 o'clock arm. Maker's mark is now visible, dating this cross and opening speculation.Comment
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We have discussed JH Werner as a retailer or finisher of Wagner-made crosses, but not as a maker in their own right. The maker's mark is exactly as on the Wagner piece which formerly belonged to Erickn, which has been discussed on this forum. It is marked as Wagner would mark its crosses. I am taking this cross at face value as an authentic JH Werner piece, but I could be wrong.
JH Werner opened shop in Berlin in 1870 and was mainly a gold and silversmith. The firm became a house jeweler to the Kaiser's court and began making awards in 1888. They are known to have made the Iron Cross 1st class, the Gallipoli Star, the Red Eagle Order, and the Order of the Crown. It is possible and entirely plausible that they may have had a limited run of hollow (pre-1916 rules) gold PlM's. It would not make sense for them to tool-up and only make one example. My question is: has anyone else out there seen another specimen like this one, or is it one of a kind? Because of its size, it may have been commissioned by someone in the court or for a foreign leader. Because of the construction, I would say that it is pre-1916. I do not think that JHW ever meant to compete with Godet or Wagner on a large scale. No ribbon or presentation case were included when I obtained it. I am going to match it with a late war authentic ribbon that I purchased several years ago.
This piece came out of a collection in (the former Republic of) Georgia. There was no story as to who it may have belonged to. Because of that location, I am tempted to think that it may have been made for or presented to an Ottoman, Bulgarian, or Austro-Hungarian ally leader, but this is all speculation on my part. I am out of time posting now- I will be back on later.Comment
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A bit more history and then I will indulge in a bit more speculation. Restrictions on gold began in 1916 with the rules on how silver gilt was to be used in order construction going forward. Post war, with the upheaval in Germany, it would have been very difficult to go back to gold for construction of post-war replacements. Silver even became short in supply. The Treaty of Versailles mandated that reparations from an already bankrupt Germany be made in gold. The climax of this period of economic instability was the hyperinflation and restructuring of the economy in 1923, when there was a ban on use of precious metals. The previous owner of this PlM guessed that this was a post-war replacement piece, but I am saying that because of the history, the methods of construction, the suspension, and the materials used, it would almost have to had been made pre-1916. Another possibility is that it was commissioned or made as a replacement for a veteran of the Prussian (German) Wars of Unification, either 1864, 1866, or 1870-71. This design is certainly different than others that would have been available at the time if one wanted to be a trend setter. I will post more later in this thread on the history of JH Werner.Comment
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