Buy treasures for a reduced Buyer‘s Premium
Own a similar product you want to sell? We are here for you at +49 8541 9053699
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.
As usual, we offer a full right of return for originality within the withdrawal period for items that are offered in cooperation with MEDALNET APPRAISAL SERVICES.
HOW CAN I PAY FOR MY ORDER?
You will receive an e-mail confirming your successful bids the day after the auction has ended. In your personal my ratisbon's you will be able to inform us about your most convenient payment method for this order or tell us about an alternative shipping address.
If we don’t hear from you within 24 hours, we will send an invoice choosing the payment and shipping options which we think are the most comfortable ones to you. If you decide to change your shipping or payment method after receiving your invoice, just drop us a line or visit my ratisbon's/ORDERS for any more details.
Choose your payment method when ordering and submit your order. Once your order has been received we will send an invoice including your shipping costs and your payment instructions.
After receiving the invoice, the order must be paid within 7 days.
Please contact us to discuss layaway options.
To learn more about paying at ratisbon's, please see your FAQ pages.
HOW DO YOU SHIP MY NEW TREASURES?
We usually send out orders within 1-3 working days after your payment has been received. In most cases, we are faster than this! We will inform you when your goods are being dispatched and provide a tracking number, In addition, you can always check your order status at my ratisbon's/ORDERS. Delivery times will vary depending upon the delivery destination and type of shipping service you have chosen.
If you prefer to have your order shipped to your work address or a friend during your absence, we will happy to arrange this for you. Send us an email letting us know about your new shipping address and we will be happy to send an updated invoice to you.
OUR GUARANTEE!
We only offer collectables which to the best of our specialists knowledge are authentic. About 15% of all consignments are returned to the consignor after extensive research due to authenticity issues.
Unlike traditional auction houses we do offer a full right of return. If you are not satisfied with what you won or bought, you may return it within 14 days. Please inform us and we will instruct you on how to return the goods. For more information, please visit FAQ pages.
Important note: Cancelling bids after an auction may disappoint the consignor, who like you is a collector. This situation is easy to avoid. We encourage you not to bid on any collectable if you are unsure if it fits into your collection. Ask us to cancel your bid 24 hours prior to the end of an auction to avoid this situation.
Cross in gilt silver and enamel.
This prototype cross was made by Zimmermann in Pforzheim during World War I. Unlike every German state Mecklenburg had knowingly almost no order decorations with swords. The orders statues from September 15, 1884, mention that the grand cross could be awarded with swords. The Grand Duke may have felt compelled to extend honoring military personnel by creating new and more elaborate grades of the order.
The cross differs as follows from the normal commander decoration:
a) Reverse medallion with cypher FF IV for Friedrich Franz IV.
b) attached silver gilt swords through the cross center
c) laurel leaf within the crosses arms
It is extremely rare to encounter prototypes for any order decoration. Zimmermann was known to produce orders and decorations for a multitude of states before 1918 and had the means to create those very efficiently. Besides this commander cross, also Military Merit crosses are known to exist utilizing the same laurel leaf applications. The Order of the Wendish Crown was awarded with swords during WWI.
Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III. of Mecklenburg Schwerin notified Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg Strelitz in a letter dated June 10, 1884 about his plan to follow through with his father’s idea to create a new order to fulfill the need for awards to foreigners, the Griffin Order. He posed the question to whether he would follow suit to issue this order in unison with the house of Schwerin. Friedrich Wilhelm denied on June 23, 1884. Schwerin however created the order on September 15, 1884.
The order was finally adopted in Strelitz 20 years later on August 22/23 1904. The order could be awarded by either state or as a joined award. The order consisted of four grades, Grand Cross, Grand Commander and Commander Cross, Honor Cross, Knight Cross.
The Grand Cross could be awarded with swords for war merit as well as with diamonds. It could also be awarded with diamonds just as the commander cross. Awards of this kind are not known. The star of the grand cross was initially to be worn on the right chest but was moved to the left chest in 1902. The knight cross could be awarded with crown from 1904 on. The Cross is a Maltese cross in red enamel with a round center showing a griffin looking to the left. The star is either a silver eight (grand cross) or four-pointed one (grand commander) with a round center consisting of an outer wreath showing the golden motto over red enamel: ”Altor Adversis” (exalted over adversity) over a golden laurel leaf with a golden griffin in the center looking to the left.