Imperial German medals

[jusmct]

Hi
Can anyone tell me the name of a good book that covers Imperial German and German state Medals and awards from about 1870 to the Freikorps era ? Thanks
Joe T

[Imperial-German]

There is supposed to be a good catalogue (in german) which lists all the states etc and has prices. I think it is produced every year.

[Mike Dwyer]

I believe the catalog being referred to is Orden & Ehrenzeichen by Nimmergut. It comes out every year and now has some color photos in it instead of only black & white. You can probably find it on line.

[Imperial-German]

This years for sale on Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Deutsche-Orden...QQcmdZViewItem

[jusmct]

book

This is great but i don't speak or read German. Any out there in English ?

[Eric Gaumann]

This is great but i don't speak or read German. Any out there in English ?

Sadly there's not.
Considering the market for these items there really should be.
There's a few books about high-end items like the EK and the PLM....but there's nothing about your run of the mill Imperial German medals in big fat glossy color.
Your best bet is hanging out in forums such as this.
Sorry for the let down.

[Dave Danner]

There isn't a good book. The best source in English for information on Imperial German decorations is the late Neil O'Connor's seven volume study of Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in World War I. The volumes covers every state and include lots of photos and background information. The only flaws are:

1. Their focus is WW1, so nothing about prewar awards or states that ceased to exist, but since you mentioned 1870, you probably aren't as concerned about states like Hannover, Hesse-Kassel and Nassau.
2. Their focus is aviation, so 75% of the books is biographical information on the aviator recipients (not really a flaw, since it adds color to the awards, but if you are looking for information on non-aviators, you won't really find it).
3. Again, their focus is aviators, who were mostly junior officers and NCOs, so the focus is decorations that such men would receive. So not as much on higher grades of decorations, homefront merit awards, etc.
4. The books are on WW1 decorations. There is nothing on pre-WW1 campaign medals, long service awards, or commemorative medals.

The second-best resource in English is, as EricFG notes, forums such as this one and GMIC. This is especially so in the case of campaign medals and long service medals, since those aren't really treated elsewhere.

The third-best resource, all modesty aside, is probably my website. However, as with Neil O'Connor's work, my focus is combat decorations, so with limited exceptions there isn't much information on higher grades of orders or on campaign, commemorative and long service medals. I am also in the middle of trying to update a number of the pages, but my firm doesn't pay me to goof off writing html, so I can only do work here and there.

There are also a number of good English language articles on a variety of topics on Andreas Schulze Ising's Imperial German Orders, Medals & Decorations website.

[Tim Tezer]

There is one book in English, which may worth tracking down:

"Medals, Ribbons, and Orders of Imperial Germany and Austria" by D.G. Neville, Balfour Publications, Huntingdon, UK, 1974.


I do not own this book, so I can't tell you how good or how complete it is. I use a variety of German-language references. Although my German is awful - I can barely form a sentence - I find that once you learn the terminology and common phrases related to the hobby, you can breeze through auction catalogs and reference books without too much difficulty.

My personal favorites are "Die Ehrenzeichen Des Deutschen Reiches" by Hessenthal & Schreiber, which covers medals but not orders, and the aforementioned books by Neal O'Connor.

I also have the 5-volume Jorg Nimmergut series, "Deutsche Orden & Ehrenzeichen Bis 1945." You'll hear a lot about how flawed and full of errors and ommissions this expansive series is, and that's all true. However, there is still no other reference that covers the entire scope of the German States' awards for all periods up to 1945, with such comprehensive illustrations. Trouble is you have to work at knowing where the mistakes are, and at over 1,200 euros for the whole set, most people wouldn't be willing to commit to this series.

There are a number of books in German that cover specific states, such as Gerd Efler's book on Waldeck & Pyrmont, and these are among the finest books in the field. Collectively, they could still add up to a big chunk of money, and you'd still have some big gaps in your reference material. There is no single magic book.

Tim

[Imperial-German]

Medals, Ribbons, and Orders of Imperial Germany and Austria there are three copies on abe books.