Order Of Albert The Bear, Commander/ Hausorden Albrecht des Bären Komtur/ Kommandeur

[Nr16Lueneburg]

Hello gentlemen!

I just wanted to share my latest acquisition with you because I have not seen another one on the forum.
Its the Order Of Albert The Bear, Commander grade.

At first I bought it because I thought it is a nice reproduction, but it's the real deal!
Nice pieces are still out there on flea markets and Garage sales.

Only 500 of those were awarded.

You can see that it's worn. The scratch marks from the ribbon ring are clearly visible.
Ribbon and Ring are missing but it's still a very beautiful piece in my opinion!

Thanks and greetings from northern Germany!

[Nr16Lueneburg]

If anyone has any information about the exact timeframe when this exact one was made, please let me know! Because it was awarded from 1834 to 1918 and I've read that small changes were made over the years. Maybe it's possible to narrow down the date when it was made.

[VtwinVince]

These are an incredible minefield, and have been massively faked over the years. I am no expert on Anhalt, but would like to see detailed photos of this piece before making any comment.

[Nr16Lueneburg]

Of course I can post more detailed pictures of the medal, as soon as I'm home.

I've shown the piece to a dealer near me, who has handled some originals over the years and he gave thumbs up and was interested in buying it from me, but I want to keep it.

Give me a couple of hours and I will post some pictures.

Are there any specific details which are important to see?

Thanks and regards!

[VtwinVince]

The suspension loop, the lettering, the bear and the edges of the medal would be great.

[Chopperman]

I wish I could help here but I have never seen or handled an original
in person and I rarely see them posted.

I hope it turns out to be the real deal.

[Nr16Lueneburg]

Good morning from Germany!

Sorry for the delay but I wasn't able to upload the photos yesterday.
Here are some shots of some of the details.

I hope we can work with that.

I've compared a lot with pieces from reputable dealers and found some exact matches.

If you need more photos, please let me know!

[Nr16Lueneburg]

Ps it shows true signs of wear, especially on the ring loop. The darker spots for example between the letters are dirt, that should be gone, as soon as it was cleaned by an ultrasonic cleaner.

I've found that piece on a flea market in northern Germany. The seller was an old coin collector and sold lots of coins and paper money, postage stamps, silver, antiques and other collectibles.

He also had some military items, for example reservists pipes and bottles and beer steins from the late 1800s. Everything on his table was original as far as I was able to verify.

Everything came from his and his father's personal collection.

I know that this doesn't proof anything, as reproduction items can sneak into every collection, but I've wanted to let you know just for context.

The two pictures I've added are from a German seller specialised on early imperial German items. He has one medal like mine in his shop.

Thanks for your time!

[VtwinVince]

I'm not convinced regarding the quality of this piece, and the gilding. It could be the photos or lighting. I would highly recommend posting images over at the SDA, where there are some real specialists in Anhalt. I only have a merit medal of the order in my collection, so I am hardly in a position to make a final judgement.

[Nr16Lueneburg]

Thanks a lot for the recommendation for the SDA VtwinVince! I've created an account on the forum and already posted the medal. I am sure that I can get a definitive answer on that forum!
As soon as the review of the medal is done I will let you guys know!