Austro - Hungarian Medal Bar - Opinion needed!

[Ves]

Hello fellas.
I just got this medal bar together with a bunch of other stuff. Unfortunately I don't know anything about medals and badges,I am mostly a helmet collector. The only thing I assume is they are Austrian and probably WW1 period. Would you please tell me what kind of medals are those and their value? Any info is appreciated.

Best regards!
Ves

[HPL2008]

The medals on the bar are, from left to right:

• Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd Class, Prussia)
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (Honor Cross for Combatants, German Reich)
• Landwehr-Dienstauszeichnung II. Klasse (Landwehr Long Service Award 2nd Class, Hesse)
• Magyar Háborús Emlékérem (Hungarian War Commemorative Medal, Hungary)
• Kriegserinnerungsmedaille mit Schwertern (War Commemorative Medal with Swords, Austria)

The wearer was a German; more precisely, a reservist from Hesse who had fought in WWI. We can date the bar to the 1934 to 1938 period. (The Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer was instituted in 1934, and after the 1938 annexation of Austria, the Austrian decorations were no longer categorized as foreign and the Austrian medal would have been worn right after the Ehrenkreuz.)

[HPL2008]

The decorations on the medal chain are, from right to left (= top to bottom when worn):

• Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd Class, Prussia)
• Hausorden von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern (Hohenzollern House Order with Swords, Prussia)
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (Honor Cross for Combatants, German Reich)
• Roter Adler Orden mit Krone (Red Eagle Order with Crown, Prussia)
• Dienstauszeichnung für Offiziere (Long Service Award for Officers, Prussia)
• Centenarmedaille (Centenary Medal, Prussia)

The wearer was a long-serving Prussian officer who had fought in WWI. I am not sure about the respective classes of the Hohenzollern- and the Red Eagle Order, as Imperial-Era awards are not my area of expertise.


The enamel shield badge with the white-and-black streamers is a membership badge of the Prussian State Veterans' Association.


The cross on the red-white-and-blue ribbon is the Československý válečný kříž 1939–1945 (Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 - 1945).

[Ves]

The decorations on the medal chain are, from right to left (= top to bottom when worn):

• Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd Class, Prussia)
• Hausorden von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern (Hohenzollern House Order with Swords, Prussia)
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (Honor Cross for Combatants, German Reich)
• Roter Adler Orden mit Krone (Red Eagle Order with Crown, Prussia)
• Dienstauszeichnung für Offiziere (Long Service Award for Officers, Prussia)
• Centenarmedaille (Centenary Medal, Prussia)

The wearer was a long-serving Prussian officer who had fought in WWI. I am not sure about the respective classes of the Hohenzollern- and the Red Eagle Order, as Imperial-Era awards are not my area of expertise.


The enamel shield badge with the white-and-black streamers is a membership badge of the Prussian State Veterans' Association.


The cross on the red-white-and-blue ribbon is the Československý válečný kříž 1939–1945 (Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 - 1945).

Hello HPL2008
Thanks for your full info and the comment. I really appreciate it. I know this forum is about a history,not appraisal. Sorry for the question,but do they have any value? Are they rare ?

Best regards!
Ves

[BrodieBartfast]

As stated before, the best way to ascertain the market value of an item is to jump into the Web and do some searching. Turning up similar medal bars should not prove too difficult, and it will give you a good head for rough market values. This will benefit you in the long run, whether you're buying or selling.

B.B.