unkown medal

[merdock]

Hi All,
I don't visit this neek of the woods often but i need help in identifing this medal ,picked it up from vet source this week with the iron cross shown as well as 2 machine gun corps cap badges and a piece of trench art.
The medal feels and looks like real gold any clues to what it is or value would be much appreciated.

Merdock

[merdock]

backs.

[Volkbert]

Merdock, it seems to be a commorative medal for the 100th anniversary of the I hannover 74th infantery regiment.

What do you mean with vet source? You can't have this from a vet directly because all WWI veterans are gone I think.

[Christian L]

yes, the one is a iron cross 1. class from ww 1
and the other on is a medal for rememberance the existence of the infanterieregiment for 100 years
hope i could help christian

[merdock]

Hi, sorry they came from his widow,
but i'm sure all 1st war vet are not dead yet,do you think it's gold sure feels and looks like it,any idea as to value.
Merdock

[Eric Gaumann]

To test for gold.

I doubt it is real gold. I can't imagine a commemorative medal being struck from the real thing. But who knows, it might be KWII's personal medal.
Years ago I worked in a pawn shop (here in the US) and it was an absolute neccessity to have a way to tell real gold from fake. The test entails scratching the item, lightly, on what I considered to be like a knife sharpening stone and then dropping a couple drops of some sort of special acid on the scratch marks. If the ensuing reaction turned the correct color the item was real. The down side to this test is the scratching as it wears off a slight bit of the metal on the item. It has to be done in an inconspicuous spot.
I dunno if you've place like pawn shops in your part of the world. If so you might give them a try. Or better yet the opinion of an experienced jewler might help.
Hope this helps.

[AOK4]

The regimental medal is made of bronze or brass and is gilt. Value is about 30 Euro. I got my information from a small, recently published catalogue about regimental medals 1871-1918 (although 1871-1914 would be more appropriate as a title).

Jan

[merdock]

Hi,
Thanks for the info ,
Merdock

[Tony Farrell]

It's very, very nice. It's a pity some of the other Imperial medals were not manufactured to this standard. You got them off his widow? Blimey, there's even less of them about than veterans!

[merdock]

Hi Tony,
Yes its a pity all medals are not to the same standard and such a low value medal.
the old lady was a little younger than her husband but she was in her late 90's i know of one locally that's approx 110 the last i saw of her.
I take it from your location and your icon that you live in the same cesspit of the world.
Merdock

[Kai-Steffen M.]

the last WW1 veteran i knew was one of the brothers of my grandfather on my mothers side- he was born 1899 (my grandfather 1909) and died in his 101st year in 2001- imagine that: 3 centuries of life! when i was a kid i was always very afraid of him- he only had one eye and one arm- but except that his health was quite good till the end- when i grew older i had some interesting discussions with the old man

gruß,
KSM