Thanks Ron ! Took a long time ... more than 30 years.
Sometimes it's the little things that are special.
This Red Eagle-Order 4th class is such a gem. Although the Red Eagle-Order existed already in 18th century, the swords were donated first time in 1848 on the occasion of the revolutionary struggles in Prussia and Baden.
During 1848/1849 about 230 4th classes with swords were awarded. The decoration had to be returned after the death of the holder, upon request the family could keep the order against reimbursement of the value, the General Order Commission calculated about 15 Reichsmarks for this one.
In 1854 the design changed and the colour of the eagle from purple to carmesin red, and the next awards took place in 1864 during the German-Danish War.
So it is realy rare, i have seen 2 or 3 in 30 years of collecting.
Thanks for reading and looking,
kind regards
Markus
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