Imperial medal assistance please

[Steve Flanagan]

Bought a large batch of items at this past weekends show. Among them was this nice medal bar. Can you assist in identification of the two medals in the middle please!

[Don D.]

Hi Steve. They are both awards from the Hohenzollern dynasty.
#2 is the 3rd class Honor Cross with swords.
#3 is the Silver Service Medal.

[Steve Flanagan]

Medal bar

Thanks Don, I was about to pull out what little hair I have left!

[Dave Danner]

Just to be a little clearer, they are awards of the Principality of Hohenzollern, located in southwest Germany and now part of Baden-Württemberg. They were a Catholic line of the Hohenzollerns separate from the Protestant line which became Kings of Prussia and Emperors of Germany. By World War I, they had already lost their sovereignty within the Empire, but the prince still retained the right to award his House Order of the Honor Cross, mainly to members of his regiment, Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40.

The Silver Merit Medal with Swords was typically awarded to enlisted men and junior NCOs, while the Honor Cross 3rd Class with Swords was awarded mainly to lieutenants. So this medal bar represents a soldier commissioned during the war.

The Golden Merit Medal with Swords, by the way, was typically awarded to Vizefeldwebel and Offizier-Stellvertreter and equivalent ranks. With this decoration, the wartime manufacture was not great, and the gilt wash tended to fade out over time. So I'd take a closer look at your bar to see if it was a gilt one that has faded.

It doesn't really change the story. He either received the medal as a Gefreiter/Unteroffizier or Vizefeldwebel, and was commissioned and received the cross as a Leutnant der Reserve. Or, if an active officer, the medal as a Fahnenjunker/Fähnrich and the cross as a Leutnant.

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Just to be a little clearer, they are awards of the Principality of Hohenzollern, located in southwest Germany and now part of Baden-Württemberg. They were a Catholic line of the Hohenzollerns separate from the Protestant line which became Kings of Prussia and Emperors of Germany. By World War I, they had already lost their sovereignty within the Empire, but the prince still retained the right to award his House Order of the Honor Cross, mainly to members of his regiment, Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40.

The Silver Merit Medal with Swords was typically awarded to enlisted men and junior NCOs, while the Honor Cross 3rd Class with Swords was awarded mainly to lieutenants. So this medal bar represents a soldier commissioned during the war.

The Golden Merit Medal with Swords, by the way, was typically awarded to Vizefeldwebel and Offizier-Stellvertreter and equivalent ranks. With this decoration, the wartime manufacture was not great, and the gilt wash tended to fade out over time. So I'd take a closer look at your bar to see if it was a gilt one that has faded.

It doesn't really change the story. He either received the medal as a Gefreiter/Unteroffizier or Vizefeldwebel, and was commissioned and received the cross as a Leutnant der Reserve. Or, if an active officer, the medal as a Fahnenjunker/Fähnrich and the cross as a Leutnant.

Very informative.

[ww1czechlegion]

Hi Steve,

Beautiful and hard to find medal bar, congratulations!

I recently picked up a single unmounted 3rd class Honor Cross with swords for my collection of EK2 equivalents for Junior Officers. They are a very beautiful cross indeed.

Best Regards,

Alan