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World War I vet's Imperial German bringbacks in ammo box


Bob Hudson
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1 hour ago, BILL THE PATCH said:

mazing, in picture #16 what is the coiled up wire looking things?

 

That's on my mystery list (along with the glove and most of the decorations).

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6 hours ago, BILL THE PATCH said:

in picture #16 what is the coiled up wire looking things?

 

It looks like a wire 

pair wrapped in what looks like paper: Maybe comm wire - his unit "matained lines of communications to the front."

 

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5 hours ago, manayunkman said:

Anything in the first aid kit?

 

It is empty, but has some metal clips inside:

 

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I had the pleasure of showing this to a very knowledgeable WWI collector who came by today. He started looking the cans of buttons and found these in one can:

 

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Some nice cockades with a couple of good ones.

 

The round buckle is an army officer.

 

Looks like some moisture got in the box.

 

Im sure that wire was used some way in his everyday mission.

 

 

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Kurt Barickman

Different symbols on the buttons and belt buckles denote the different states they were from; similar to US National Guard units that could be mobilized in time of war as was the case in Imperial Germany once it was united in 1871. Treu Fest are from Bavaria if my memory serves me correctly. Keep doing show and tell! The different cockades also from different spikes with the front plates being different also denoting the different German states; Saxony, Prussia, Baden-Wurtenberg, etc.

 

Kurt

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So at some point it looks like someone rescued this from water damage and separated everything into different cans?

 

The belt hooks with lions are Bavaria, crowns Prussia both are common.

 

The cockades seem to follow the same pedigree black and white is Prussia and blue and white is Bavaria both are common but you have a Bavarian reserve officer one that isn’t too badly damaged and a couple of other nice ones including the Prussian 2 piece helmet cockade which might have come off the same helmet as your front plate you have for sale.

 

Your buckles are also Bavarian and Prussian.


Looks like our vet found a picking ground.

 

I hate to imagine what that ground looked like.

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This lot looks like veterans association, organizational, railroad pins, wheels with wings, an orb with claw broken off a helmet front plate and misc.

 

There is of course the Iron cross, wound badge, dog tag half and 2 military service medals.

 

A very nice watch fob in the upper left corner which I think is the nicest thing there.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, manayunkman said:

I hate to imagine what that ground looked like.

 

His daughter said he got them on the battlefield, but one never knows. She was the one who sorted buttons and other items in the cans and had wrapped the other items in shipping paper. She numbered each: I think that must have been for  an inventory list, but I haven't seen it. 

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1 hour ago, FriarChuck said:

The black and red cockades are for the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.

 

Friar

Thanks. I noticed a few of the smaller ones are bent in the same manner, as shown in this photo. 

 

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15 hours ago, sundance said:

Great to have that photo.

 

Yes, it personalizes it. I have four photo/postcard albums from him I've only skimmed through. That one photo was loose and felt out onto the floor.

 

I can imagine he would have gotten a kick out of knowing that things he brought home from that war would have people all over the world oohing and awing over a century later. 

 

He really did create a time chest that provides a glimpse into what was of interest to a doughboy. 

 

Speaking of time and its passage, I got this all from his daughter who is about my age, 70. She and I are what they call "baby boomers" but her father was born 131 years ago and was 52 when Pearl Harbor was attacked (my dad was 13). The timeline feels a bit compressed!

 

As was pointed out to me yesterday, each of these items has had maybe 3 owners: me, the veteran and his family, and some German or Prussian soldier. 

 

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Well I'm a boomer also and time and it's passage fascinates me. I've got 2 boys in their mid thirties. They were both in their early 20's when my Pacific theater Dad passed away. I think it's neat to know that when they are in their 60's they will remember their grandfather who fought in a war 100 years earlier. Does that make sense? 

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What happened to the Imperial Navy Buckle that you showed in one of the first group of photos on page #1 when they were shown inside the box? It's not shown in the close up photos you took of the buckles, 12-postings above on page #2.

 

I was curious if it was maker marked on the back side, as I have a large collection of Imperial buckles.

 

What a great find, congratulations Bob.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Alan

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10 hours ago, Alan Schaefer said:

What happened to the Imperial Navy Buckle that you showed in one of the first group of photos

 

A local WWI collector (who actually knew what all this stuff was) bought that.

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