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MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES
This item was examined and validated in cooperation with MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES. Our team’s knowledge base received the most competent boost for orders and decorations for imperial orders and decorations with the help of Bernd Kruse and Andreas M. Schulze Ising. Andreas and Bernd are held in high regard with collectors around the world. With more than 50 years of experience in the field of order decorations and medals, they are seen as competent and independent experts.
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The case to the commander star with swords is a typical World War I made case. With green velvet and white silk interior it shows a leatherette finish with golden imprint of the order and its class on the lid. The reverse is labeled by the ribbon manufacturer C.E.Kunath and the gold smith to the order’s chancellery G.A.Scharffenberg.
A unique opportunity to acquire this case since the star with swords was only awarded 17 times in total.
The Civil Merit Order was created by King Friedrich August of Saxony on June 6, 1815. He wanted to create remembrance of his return from internment by the allies in Berlin and to reward those that stayed true to him during that time. The King personally reserved the right to award his order. Initially the order was supposed to be awarded to citizens only in three classes: Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander Cross (Komturkreuz) and Knight’s Cross (Ritterkreuz). A golden and silver medal were unofficially added as a 4th class.
Those classes provided the basis for a series of changes made over the whole existence of this order. The Grand Cross and Commander Cross were identical in size. The cross was designed a Maltese cross in gold with white enamel. The spaces in between the cross arms have crown of rue segments inserted. The Medallion is white enameled featuring avers the coat of arms surrounded by the inscription:”FRIED.AUG.K.V.SACHSEN.D.7.JUN.1815”. The reverse medallion is white enameled with the inscription: ”FÜR VERDIENST UND TREUE” (“For Merit and Fidelity”) surrounded by an oak leaf wreath. From 1828 foreign recipients showed the inscription: “DEM VERDIENSTE” (“For Merit”). The six-pointed grand cross star shows the reverse of the cross medallion with the inscription for either citizens or foreigners.
On June 7, 1849, the Commander Class was split into two clsses. There was now a 1st class with star (four pointed) and 2nd class cross without star.
On September 24 of the same year the order was elevated to the general merit order and was called “Verdienstorden”, Merit Order. The already in 1847 issued Kleinkreuz “Small Cross” was officially adopted on the same day and integrated in-between the Knight’s Cross and Merit Medal.
On March 18, 1858, the Kleinkreuz was renamed into “Ehrenkreuz des Verdienstordens”, Honor Cross of the Merit Order.
October 29, 1866, marked the day of issuing swords for military merit for all classes.
On December 9, 1870, the Swords on Ring followed for those receiving a decoration with swords to an already received identical class without swords or those that received a civil upgrade to an existing military award (for example: being awarded a knight cross with swords to an existing knight cross without swords or being awarded a Commander Cross 2nd Class without swords over a knight cross with swords).
On January 1, 1876, the Knight Cross was split into two classes, the Knight’s Cross 1st class and the Knight’s Cross 2nd class. The second class lacks the crown of rue segments and is made from plain silver. Further, the Honor Cross was abandoned and could be traded for the newly created Knight Cross 2nd class. In addition, the golden Merit Medal was dropped from the lineup and no longer awarded; recipients of the golden medal were allowed to trade for the newly created Merit Cross (Verdienstkreuz). From now on all classes could be awarded with and without swords.
On February 23, 1891, the Grand Cross and the two Commander Classes would be surmounted by a royal Saxon crown. The Grand Cross star was from now on an eight-pointed star.
On November 17, 1906, clarity was finally given to the Swords on Ring. Saxony followed the mainstream rule. Swords on Ring were shown when upgrading from an existing military decoration with swords to the next higher class awarded for civil merit without swords.
One special grand cross featuring the Geneva cross was awarded to Prince Johann Georg of Saxony in 1915. The Red Cross or Geneva Cross was attached to the breast star above the medallion and in-between the crown and medallion of the cross.
Saxony tried early on to take cost out of the manufacture of their orders. The Civil Merit Order was already made from gilded silver since 1905. Three-piece center medallions were consolidated into two piece constructions starting April 8, 1910.