I hope this is the right place to place this announcement:
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I am posting this on the forum on behalf of my friend, who was recently robbed of his collection of rare militaria. On Wednesday, November 21, 2007 he was transporting truly an extraordinary collection of medals and documents from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">Prague</st1:City> to <st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City> on his way to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1New York</ST1</st1:State>. Inexplicitly instead of putting the items into his carry-on bag, he placed all the collectibles into his luggage, which he locked it and checked it on (British Airways) BA flight 855 to London Heatrow. After a short meeting in the City, he continued his trip to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1New York</ST1</st1:State>’s JFK (BA-183). Upon arrival to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1New York</ST1</st1:State> he found out that all the locks on his suitcase were clipped off and the contents were riffled through. Unfortunately, most of the collection was gone. He filed a report with the NYPD and BA, however there is very little they can do. The investigation is especially tough because it will have to be done in the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Czech</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Republic</st1:PlaceType>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region> and the <ST1<st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></ST1.
Obviously, my friend is absolutely devastated as the centerpieces of his collection are gone. Consequently, I am trying to do whatever we can to help. He put together a list of the items (see below). The descriptions are not the most detailed they can be, but will have to do. Unfortunately, he never took any photos of the collection, so that makes things even worse.
I don’t know anything at all about medals (although every time I saw the PlM, I was unable to talk), so any questions you may have I will have to pass onto the owner. This said, I do saw the Harzer photo collection many times and can positively ID most of the images.
Anyways guys, any suggestion, help etc. you can offer would be of great consequence. Perhaps someone who experienced a similar loss can give us some advice. If you have an idea what auction houses and internet auction sites may deal in this type high end collectibles, please do not hesitate to contact me. It was also suggested that the items are in the possession of someone who has no idea what they have and might try to put everything on eBay or a similar auction site. Thus if you come across anything that may resemble the items from the list PLEASE contact me ASAP.
<O</O
Thanks a million,
<O</O
Mark
e-address: grafwartenberg@yahoo.com
Phone: 1-310-570-2213
1) World War I - Pour le Mérite Order with Oak Leaves (In German: Orden Pour le Merite mit Eichenlaub); often referred to as Blue Max. The highest Prussian military order, which became obsolete at the end of World War I.
This piece was originally awarded to Fieldmarshal Prince Leopold of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Bavaria </ST1</st1:State>on August 9, 1915 (with subsequent Oak leaves on July 25, 1917). This is one of at least three PlMs (two of them were in gold), which belonged to Prince Leopold.
This particular piece is gold of hollow construction with baroque style suspension loop. The blue enamel is exceptional with no die flaws, chips or imperfections of any kind. Although there are no manufacturer’s marks, it was suggested that the decoration was made by Johann Wagner & Sohne in <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. The badge is approximately 54 mm tall and does not have a ribbon.
The set also includes an Oak Leaf cluster in gold (In German: Eichenlaub). This was most likely a privately purchased or custom manufactured version made by a jeweler. It is partially polished, measuring about 17 x 20 mm, convex and hollow back. The ribbon has been replaced with two thick gold loops, one small circular and the other longer and elliptic. The larger of the two is marked with 900 and Gebrüder Hemmerle vorm. Elchinger, München.
The order was accompanied by a photograph, historical documents and private correspondence between Fieldmarshal Prince Leopold of Bavaria to his son Colonel Prince Georg of Bavaria, dating from 1916 to1918 (about dozen pieces). The undated original photograph was taken in the Baltic region of the Eastern Front. It shows the Fieldmarshal together with commanding officers from the 2. Bayerische Landwehr-Division. The obverse is signed by all present. The document lot is a virtually complete documentary of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, including military correspondence from Erich von Falkenhayn and Max Hoffmann among others (about 30 pieces). All paper items were stored in protective transparent folders.
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2) World War II – unnamed Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 (In German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The highest military order of the Third Reich, which became obsolete at the end of World War II.
The order has an iron center with silver frame, inscribed L/12 800 on back of the top arm of the cross. This manufacturer’s mark corresponds to C.E. Juncker of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. Nearly a text book example weighing 33.3 g. Also this set includes an Oak Leaf cluster (Eichenlaub) with frosted silver surface and polished edges, weighing about 6.3g. The Oak Leaves are inscribed on the back 900 and SiLBER L/50 for Gebr. Godet & Co. of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. It came with original, 23 cm long, section of the ribbon. Both the cross and the oak leaves display minor wear and contact marks. There is a small (approximately 2mm long) brownish discoloration on the front side of the top arm.
<O</O
3) Four private letters sent in 1940 by Captain, later Major, Helmut Wick to a friend stationed in occupied <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Paris</ST1</st1:City>. One of the letters included a postcard size photograph of Wick with his wife and presumably their infant child. The obverse of the photograph has a long inscription and a developer stamp from Berlin-Wilmersdorf. All letters and the photograph were stored in protective transparent folders.
<O</O
Approximately eighty unpublished private photographs from the personal collection of Waffen SS-Oberführer Walter Harzer (1912-1982) covering the period 1943-1944. The images are of various sizes; some are inscribed, and mostly mint, without any flaws or album residue on the back. Majority of the photographs chronicles the 1944 operations in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ukraine</st1:country-region>, with about 20 percent taken after the Allied invasion in <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Normandy</ST1</st1:State>. Nearly all of the photos show Harzer (several of them are with Willy Bittrich and other high ranking Waffen-SS officers).
<O
</O<O</OI am posting this on the forum on behalf of my friend, who was recently robbed of his collection of rare militaria. On Wednesday, November 21, 2007 he was transporting truly an extraordinary collection of medals and documents from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">Prague</st1:City> to <st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City> on his way to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1
New York</ST1</st1:State>. Inexplicitly instead of putting the items into his carry-on bag, he placed all the collectibles into his luggage, which he locked it and checked it on (British Airways) BA flight 855 to London Heatrow. After a short meeting in the City, he continued his trip to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1New York</ST1</st1:State>’s JFK (BA-183). Upon arrival to <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1New York</ST1</st1:State> he found out that all the locks on his suitcase were clipped off and the contents were riffled through. Unfortunately, most of the collection was gone. He filed a report with the NYPD and BA, however there is very little they can do. The investigation is especially tough because it will have to be done in the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Czech</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Republic</st1:PlaceType>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region> and the <ST1<st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></ST1. Obviously, my friend is absolutely devastated as the centerpieces of his collection are gone. Consequently, I am trying to do whatever we can to help. He put together a list of the items (see below). The descriptions are not the most detailed they can be, but will have to do. Unfortunately, he never took any photos of the collection, so that makes things even worse.
I don’t know anything at all about medals (although every time I saw the PlM, I was unable to talk), so any questions you may have I will have to pass onto the owner. This said, I do saw the Harzer photo collection many times and can positively ID most of the images.
Anyways guys, any suggestion, help etc. you can offer would be of great consequence. Perhaps someone who experienced a similar loss can give us some advice. If you have an idea what auction houses and internet auction sites may deal in this type high end collectibles, please do not hesitate to contact me. It was also suggested that the items are in the possession of someone who has no idea what they have and might try to put everything on eBay or a similar auction site. Thus if you come across anything that may resemble the items from the list PLEASE contact me ASAP.
<O
</OThanks a million,
<O
</OMark
e-address: grafwartenberg@yahoo.com
Phone: 1-310-570-2213
1) World War I - Pour le Mérite Order with Oak Leaves (In German: Orden Pour le Merite mit Eichenlaub); often referred to as Blue Max. The highest Prussian military order, which became obsolete at the end of World War I.
This piece was originally awarded to Fieldmarshal Prince Leopold of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1
Bavaria </ST1</st1:State>on August 9, 1915 (with subsequent Oak leaves on July 25, 1917). This is one of at least three PlMs (two of them were in gold), which belonged to Prince Leopold.This particular piece is gold of hollow construction with baroque style suspension loop. The blue enamel is exceptional with no die flaws, chips or imperfections of any kind. Although there are no manufacturer’s marks, it was suggested that the decoration was made by Johann Wagner & Sohne in <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1
Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. The badge is approximately 54 mm tall and does not have a ribbon. The set also includes an Oak Leaf cluster in gold (In German: Eichenlaub). This was most likely a privately purchased or custom manufactured version made by a jeweler. It is partially polished, measuring about 17 x 20 mm, convex and hollow back. The ribbon has been replaced with two thick gold loops, one small circular and the other longer and elliptic. The larger of the two is marked with 900 and Gebrüder Hemmerle vorm. Elchinger, München.
The order was accompanied by a photograph, historical documents and private correspondence between Fieldmarshal Prince Leopold of Bavaria to his son Colonel Prince Georg of Bavaria, dating from 1916 to1918 (about dozen pieces). The undated original photograph was taken in the Baltic region of the Eastern Front. It shows the Fieldmarshal together with commanding officers from the 2. Bayerische Landwehr-Division. The obverse is signed by all present. The document lot is a virtually complete documentary of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, including military correspondence from Erich von Falkenhayn and Max Hoffmann among others (about 30 pieces). All paper items were stored in protective transparent folders.
<O
</O2) World War II – unnamed Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 (In German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The highest military order of the Third Reich, which became obsolete at the end of World War II.
The order has an iron center with silver frame, inscribed L/12 800 on back of the top arm of the cross. This manufacturer’s mark corresponds to C.E. Juncker of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1
Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. Nearly a text book example weighing 33.3 g. Also this set includes an Oak Leaf cluster (Eichenlaub) with frosted silver surface and polished edges, weighing about 6.3g. The Oak Leaves are inscribed on the back 900 and SiLBER L/50 for Gebr. Godet & Co. of <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1Berlin</ST1</st1:State>. It came with original, 23 cm long, section of the ribbon. Both the cross and the oak leaves display minor wear and contact marks. There is a small (approximately 2mm long) brownish discoloration on the front side of the top arm.<O
</O3) Four private letters sent in 1940 by Captain, later Major, Helmut Wick to a friend stationed in occupied <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1
Paris</ST1</st1:City>. One of the letters included a postcard size photograph of Wick with his wife and presumably their infant child. The obverse of the photograph has a long inscription and a developer stamp from Berlin-Wilmersdorf. All letters and the photograph were stored in protective transparent folders.<O
</OApproximately eighty unpublished private photographs from the personal collection of Waffen SS-Oberführer Walter Harzer (1912-1982) covering the period 1943-1944. The images are of various sizes; some are inscribed, and mostly mint, without any flaws or album residue on the back. Majority of the photographs chronicles the 1944 operations in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ukraine</st1:country-region>, with about 20 percent taken after the Allied invasion in <st1:State w:st="on"><ST1
Normandy</ST1</st1:State>. Nearly all of the photos show Harzer (several of them are with Willy Bittrich and other high ranking Waffen-SS officers).
Welcome to the world of airport and airline security. That goes for customs and the post as well. 
Compared to what your friend had I am transporting junk but never let even an EKI in my luggage.
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