Question about ww1 Austro- Hungarian war Comm Medal and Bavarian Cav pic

**stalheim56** · 10-02-2010, 02:57 PM

Hi First I would like to share a pic of Bavarian Calvery men who have been presented with Bavarian 3rd class Merit crosses ,the one on far right has an EK11 .Secondly I noted a Austro - hungarian war medal go for £35 on ebay because seller said it was rarer as it was in Bronze admittedly it had nice triangular ribbon ,however I post pic of mine also bronze the question are they not all bronze?

**crazy horse** · 10-02-2010, 03:11 PM

looks like brass to me, I read the other day that Germany had made the last payment on their punishment for ww1, didn't Austro- Hungary start ww1 after Franz Ferdinand got shot? btw nice medal

**stalheim56** · 10-02-2010, 03:19 PM

Hi Crazy horse no definatly bronze I have added pic where you can just about make out bronze written.

**crazy horse** · 10-02-2010, 03:55 PM

yeah, i was saying it looks bronze too me, but if they are all bronze, i don't know, that is the 1st one i have seen.

**oradour** · 10-02-2010, 07:48 PM

Stalheim56, they were all bronze, that is, a silvered finish on a bronze base metal, however as on all things with a "silver" finish/wash it can and does wear off, leaving the bronze base metal as the main colour. There were two versions of the "Hungarian War Medal" , (NOT an Austro-Hungarian award, it was instituted 14th November 1929 when Hungary was a seperate country), a combatants and a non-combatents, the combatants having the crossed swords behind the coat of arms and a helmet on the reverse (as yours does ). The medal displays on its face the Hungarian coat of arms with "St Stephens" crown above, the reverse shows a steel helmet on combatants version, and the words "Pro Deo et Patria 1914-1918" (for God and country) on both versions. I show a medal with all of its silver finish intact. Hope that helps. Thanks for showing the photograph of the Bavarian cavalrymen, proudly wearing their newly awarded " Militar-Verdienstkreuz III Klasse mit Schwertern " !
Prost ! Steve.

**stalheim56** · 10-02-2010, 08:04 PM

Hi Many thanks for your answer every where they are mis described as Austro-Hungarian ,so they are all bronze ,just goes to show how mis representation made seller a extra few pounds,also is their anything needed to make ribbon into triangular shape a stiffener or support as i wiill need to try and shape length of ribbon into triangle shape.

**oradour** · 10-02-2010, 08:14 PM

Stalheim56, its not a simple case of folding the ribbon into an inverted triangle, "Austrian style ribbons" were constucted with a "hook and eye" metal fitting, these fittings were permanently attached to the ribbon at its top and bottom, and when folded and fastened together thro the medals suspension ring, they formed the distinctive style. I shall try to photograph my EK II which has this style of ribbon. By the way....the full name of the Hungarian War Medal was, " Haborus Emlekevem Kardokkal es Sisakkal " !
Prost ! Steve.

**Richarddwh** · 10-07-2010, 11:10 PM

They were also issued in zinc with a silver colour wash which tends to yield a bubbling finish to the surface of the medal. They are of course lighter in weight than their bronze counterparts. They were produced from 1929 up in to the WW2 era which I presume accounts for the decline in materials used.

Certainly from the ones I've handled the bronze medals tend to be struck more cleanly than the zinc ones. Interestingly some are marked bronze on the helmet side as shown at the start of the thread and others marked on their rim.