Ribbon bar of a poor guy???

[Daniel Krause]

Hi, what do You think about this ribbon bar?

Was this guy to poor to afford attachments or???

Best greetings

Daniel

[Daniel Krause]

and the reverse...

[Rick Research]

This is a very nice bar, I bet actually worn during World War One, because the Red Eagle and Crown Order ribbons suggest an officer of senior rank--and yet there is no Long Service Ribbon.

Despite the red backing, I'm leaning towards "navy" here, because if, as normal, this was a REO 4th and Crown 3rd, that would have most likely made this man an Oberstleutnant before the war--and of course a holder of the XXV Years Service Cross.

The combination of a Red Eagle 4th and a Crown 4th would have been more common for naval officers (the Kaiser's favorites) than army officers. I wish we knew if that Saxe-Ernestine on the end had swords (and what color!) or not. There are a couple of "maybes" in the February 1918 Marine Rangliste, IF all their awards were not then shown. But without devices--did this guy have a Crown on his Red Eagle? was that a peacetime or wartime Ernestine? We may never be able to identify him. He has deprived us of necessary clues!

Yes, this is strange to naver have had any devices. But since they weren't smaart enough to have punched holes through the metal backing for devices back that early, perhaps this guy was tired of having his ribbon emblems twist off every time he put his overcoat on and off.

I will show a south German double folded 11 ribbon bar in my article that I can trace the owner of. From his long service, it dates no earlier than March 1920... and he died in December 1923. Never had any devices on any of his ribbons either--and he paid extra for the doubled ribbons and hand work!

[stogieman]

I Like it!

Hi Daniel, a nice one, and real too! Maybe you're right, those swords and crowns would add up on this bar!