NSDAP 15-Year LS Decoration

[Tom Yanacek]

Hi Tom,
Very nice cross, matches mine exactly, this is my favorite maker of this medal due to the very distinctive lettering font and that lovely shade of blue, In my opinion, this maker made one of the highest quality examples of this medal.
I post the reverse of mine next to the reverse of yours to show those uniquely distinctive letters - except I had to pay more than double than you did for my example....

Hi mloppkit,

Thanks for your comments and for posting a picture of your example.

You are so right. The lettering on this type is very unique.

Best regards,
Tom

[colin davie]

A 15yr cross was found marked "30" on the ring (M11/30 = Souval) and M1/154 on the bottom of the case.. this provided for the first time proof that RZM M1/154 was Souval, that number was a mystery for along time.
C

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Colin,

I don't think that mystery is solved yet. We have only found 1 Souval cross in an M1/154 case and as you these cases can easily be switched. Unfortunately, I know of two other M1/154 cases that both had unmarked crosses in them, and the crosses themselves were not the Souval design. Therefore, I feel it is too premature to link Souval to M1/154 with any degree of certainty. I think all we can say for sure at this point is that M1/154 was a Vienna-based company, but that is it at this point.

Tom

[colin davie]

The boxes with M1/154 exist, so here are the potential makers...


M11/1 Steinhauer und Lück, Lüdenscheid... M1/63
M11/2 B. H. Mayer Kunstprägeanstalt, Pforzheim... M1/170
M11/3 Ferdinand Hoffstätter, Bonn am Rhein... M1/15
M11/4 Alfred Stübbe, Inh. H. Tegge, Berlin.. M1/46
M11/5 Gustav Brehmer, Markneukirchen.. M1/101
M11/6 Paul Meybauer, Berlin... M1/21
M11/7 Foerster und Barth, Pforzheim... M1/77
M11/8 Eugen Schmidhäussler, Pforzheim... M1/128
M11/9 Schwertner & Cie., Eggenberg b. Graz... M1/155
M11/10 Deschler & Sohn, München... M1/52
M11/11 Grossmann & Co., Wien... M1/130
M11/12 F. Jungwirth, Wien... M1/152
M11/13 Friedrich Orth, Wien.. M1/153
M11/14 Gebrüder Jäger, Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... M1/143
M11/15 Karl Wurster, Markneukirchen... M1/134
M11/16 Carl Poellath, Schrobenbausen... M1/103
M11/17 L. Chr. Lauer, Nürnberg... M1/13
M11/18 Heinrich Ulbrichts Witwe., Kaufing b. Schwanenstadt... M1/148
M11/19 Wilhelm Deumer, Lüdenscheid... M1/120
M11/20 F. W. Assmann & Söhne, Lüdenscheid... M1/17
M11/21 Josef Hillebrand, Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... M1/142
M11/22 Ferdinand Wagner, Pforzheim... M1/8
M11/23 Hans Doppler, Weis... M1/159
M11/25 Fr. Keck & Sohn, Pforzheim... M1/93
M11/26 Karl Pichl, Innsbruck... M1/158
M11/27 Rudolf Richter, Schlag b. Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... M1/139
M11/28 Konrad Seibotb, Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... M1/162
M11/29 Simet & Co., Wien... UNKNOWN
M11/30 Rudolf Souval, Wien... UNKNOWN
M11/31 Karl Wild, Hamburg... M1/92
M11/32 Oswald Posselt, Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... UNKNOWN
M11/33 Fritz Zimmermann, Stuttgart... M1/72
M11/34 Frank & Reif Stuttgart... M1/102
M11/35 Argentor-Werke, Wien... M1/156
M11/36 Richard Simm & Söhne, Gablonz a. N. (Sudetenland)... M1/137
M11/39 Karl Hensler, Pforzheim... UNKNOWN

4 unknown M1 makers, everyone else can be discounted from making this box, which presumably at one time contained medals.

M1/153 is known to be based in Vienna and M1/155 is known to be based in Vienna, so indeed Vienna looks likely.

Simet Vienna
Souval Vienna

Posselt not Vienna
Hensler not Vienna

A correctly RZM marked M1/154 box has been found with a known correctly RZM marked Souval medal. Why correctly mark the box and not medal?

There are unmarked boxes, those IMO will be the ones that used to contain unmarked medals, that makes sense.

The evidence that M1/154 is Souval, whilst not 100% definite, is VERY strong.

The list above is taken from the net, there were simple spelling mistakes in some names which I corrected from memory, some others might be wrong, but from memory it looks good.
C

[colin davie]

The info posted by BassD elsewhere regarding Hoffstätter was interesting in that they made the Mothers Cross in bronze and silver, but not gold, makes you wonder how many of these guys here even had permission to produce the enameled long service awards of the NSDAP and not just the bronze.

I don't have access to my own computer, hence having to find a maker list, does anyone know offhand when these awards came into being in relation to the RZM? The unmarked awards and boxes.. are they for sure pre-RZM? Certainly would dis-spell an unmarked medal being in a marked box.
C
p.s. what to make of Hoffstätter marked gold M.Cross cases? LOL what a mess

[Seigfried]

Working on it

Seigfried, can we see the medal that came in that Deumer-marked carton?

Thanks

Tom

No probs

[Thomas Durante]

Thanks John, absolutely gorgeous Deumer in wonderful condition.

Tom

[dirtfisherrob]

Hi guys,

Here is a NSDAP 15-Year Long Service Decoration that I won in a recent auction. The winning bid was only $240, so this was a super bargain IMO. What I like best about this, more than the medal itself, is that it came with a 230mm length of original ribbon. These days, the original ribbons are harder to find than the medals themselves. The medal shows some wear and age, but there is no enamel damage. The weight of this example is 40.1 grams. The suspension ring is unmarked.

Best regards,
Tom

Beautiful piece. Is the 230mm a "standard" length of ribbon for this award? Was there a standard length?

[Tom Yanacek]

No probs

Hi John,

Superb example. Thanks for posting it.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Beautiful piece. Is the 230mm a "standard" length of ribbon for this award? Was there a standard length?

Hello,

I would not say 230mm is necessarily "standard". I think the lengths of the ribbon can vary to a degree and maybe that was dependent on the specific manufacturer or supplier.

But medals that were issued in paper packets, and non brooch-mounted medals that were issued in cases or boxes, came with a long length of ribbon. IMO, the ribbons will consistently range in length from 230 to 300mm.

Best regards,
Tom

[dirtfisherrob]

Hello,

I would not say 230mm is necessarily "standard". I think the lengths of the ribbon can vary to a degree and maybe that was dependent on the specific manufacturer or supplier.

But medals that were issued in paper packets, and non brooch-mounted medals that were issued in cases or boxes, came with a long length of ribbon. IMO, the ribbons will consistently range in length from 230 to 300mm.

Best regards,
Tom

Thanks. I was wondering because my 15 ribbon is only 120mm.

[Tom Yanacek]

Thanks. I was wondering because my 15 ribbon is only 120mm.

Hello,

Here is another example that I have. The overall length of the ribbon on this one is 110mm. It was obviously cut down from the longer length that would have originally come with the medal.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

closer look at the medal:

[Seigfried]

Beautiful piece. Is the 230mm a "standard" length of ribbon for this award? Was there a standard length?

I've just measured my 'loose' 15 yr ribbon - it is exactly 25 cm long.

[gauost]

Great looking medals and good information -

Heres mine mounted in a medal bar -