Been collecting these things for sometime, thought I'd post a few I'd had cased. Our own Bill Warda does the casing for me and a great job he does.

Gary

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Here's a silver plaque, awarded for a competition using crossbow.

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Got this piece for Christmas, must be doing something right.

Ludwig I believe.

Wow, what a great display ! Gary, that watch chain is awesome to say the least

Great medals, Gary, and a great display case from Bill.

Amazing!

John

really nice items you have there,,,reeks of top quality,,,i like them,,,

Superb items well presented.
Thanks for showing.

Thanks guys, I'll dig a few more out over the weekend.

Gary

Gary, Now that i have moved, I have more room for these medals, so go ahead and send them. Always enjoying good shooting medals. Thanks for showing. James

Fiddling around with the camera and re-shot these two old prizes, some might remember them? The lower example was the first nice shooting medal I ever saw, quite some years back, bought it from Don Falk. I never had any real intention of collecting these things, heh, go figure ...

Thanks and good collecting!

Bill

Hello Gary,
as usual nice displayed pieces.
Abraço.
Frank

Bill,

Very nice medals as always! You have incredible photography skills.

Gents,

Mike, thanks ...

This just arrived for my shooting medal collection. Got this from fellow collector and friend 'hdmarley,' Dustin Johnson. This Third Reich example is dated 1934 and is in lovely condition. Perfect enameling and all the frosted, 800 silver-work is near new. Never seen this particular pattern before either so that's an additional bonus for me. And if that weren't enough, it's still attached to its orinal green/white Saxon neck ribbon.

Wishing everyone a good spring/summer collecting season.

Best!

Bill

That's a great medal mate, a bonus that it still has it's original ribbon.

Gary

Very enjoyable Gary!

Bill sure does great work!

Thanks for showing!

Bill thats something really neat!

Thanks for sharing!

PVON

Thanks for the positive replies, glad you enjoy them too!

B~

Gary, I like them all, but especially the award for crossbow. I have the crossbow and would love to find an award like this to go with it. Bill, You always do a great job with the cases and makes the displays really stand out. Nice to have my morning coffee while looking at items such as these. More please... James

James,

Your kind thoughts are appreciated, gracias!

I agree with your thoughts on morning coffee completely, there's nothing like the tranquility of a good cuppa joe while reviewing some nice collectibles - one of my favorite things. Sunday mornings are even better as we usually brew up some Costa Rican java, love that Arabica beanage!

I've been going through some old snaps and tuning them up a tad ... hope you won't be cross if I post some that may have been posted before? I still get a kick if someone else enjoys looking at these things too. I might post a few that don't necessarily belong in the imperial forum, but hey, what the heck, no? Mostly pics of either my own or my old buddy Gary's collections. Hope I won't be breaking any protocol..?

Let me see what I can conjure up ...

Best!

B~

Bill,

It's always an absolute pleasure to view your posts. Can't wait to see more. Thank you.

Well Gents,

It's Sunday morning, I've got a nice strong cup of Costa Rican coffee here and got some photos ready to go ...

... hope you enjoy!

Bill

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Willi:

Wunderbar!

Hans

Holy Balls!!

Bill,

You have always shown top shelf items in this forum...

These are no exception!!!

Very nice!!!

Rich

Bill, I am having that morning cup of coffee and enjoying the views. I like them all, but especially the 1935 schutzen chain. If someone wants to collect a variety of art, then collect the hunting and shooting medals (if you can find them). Seldom see two pieces alike and each has a story to tell. thanks again for sharing and hope to see more the next cup of coffee you have. James

Dankeschön meine Herren !

A few more to go with that nice, strong cuppa ...

cheers ~

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ooops, make that six ... found one more.

Bill, Better than watching the Masters on TV. I did not know you collected the chains and those are nice ones. Many thanks for sharing. James

The last two are definaely my favourites, I can't get enough of these things, they are tough to find in this condition, thanks for showing Bill, what about old Ernst Barth then!!!!!!

G

Gents,

Glad you're enjoying the sights ... thanks!

I'll see if I can post some shots of the Ernst Barth chain in time for Sunday morning coffee.

Best!

Bill

Wow Bill

Outstanding looking stuff!

Gotta love the chains!

Thanks for sharing such beautiful stuff!

PVON

I never tire of looking at shooting awards. Great items you guys are showing.
Most of mine are from the 30's on but here is a 1928 example.

Hmmm, wonder who got me started collecting these?

--dj--Joe

This is a superb thread! I just stumbled upon it and wanted to view the photos so badly that I just reactivated my account here. Superb items Gary and Bill!

Willi

Stenn Shooting Club Chain ...

Gentlemen,

First I'd like to welcome Willi Zahn back to the forums and thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I trust you'll find some of our threads interesting and enjoyable. For those who might not know Willi, he is a long time collector and specialist in the area of German Fallschirmjäger.

Joe, hmmm ... yes, I wonder who that could be? Let me know if you're ready for a few more?

Got your Sunday morning coffee ready? As per Gary's request I've posted some snaps of an interesting shooting chain from the small town of Stenn, which is east of Schönfels, in Saxony. The gilded links are shaped like small shields, each engraved with the name and date of that years shooting king, or Schützen König. The earliest date is 1875 and the latest entry is 1938, a span of 63 years. The chain was initially paid for and presented to the club by Ernst Barth, a gentleman who was celebrating his membership anniversary on September 10, 1899. This sentiment is found nicely hand-engraved on the reverse of the large, blue/white enameled cross. It's interesting to note that the club was inactive and didn't have a "king," during the war years from 1915 - 1919, and once again for some unknown reason in 1930. The last date is 1938, ending before the onset of World War II, on September 1, 1939.

That's about it for now, hope you might enjoy the Ernst Barth chain and wishing everyone a good Memorial Day holiday.

Best!

Bill

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Bill

Wonderful chain and in my opinion the best you have, I never cease to be amazed when I look at it.

It seems we both had the same idea for this Sunday morning, here are my new additions. All to the same shooting club, Wilmersdorf Schützen Gilde which is a suburb of Berlin, now known as Charlottenburg/wilmersdorf. All the medals are dated betwen 1925 and 1938 though none of them are named, only the clubs name.A couple are for the ladies the remainder for the Gentlemen of the club. These pictures are of a couple of 4 medal sets, this is the first time I have owned a medal bar like these with shooting medals.

Gary

Gary

These are all with their original neck ribbons apart from the small medal at the bottom that is court mounted.

Gary

Gary and Bill. You guys are killing me. I thought i had some nice schutzen medals, etc. but it is wonderful to see pieces that I do not have. "Watch for the mailman with empty boxes with pre addressed delivery name and address." I find the schutzen medals and everything related to the period and occasion simply works of art. Like going to the museum each morning with my coffee. Thanks again for showing. SUPER PIECES. James

Oh my! After seeing these last few posts I may never be the same again. Chain and bars and neck ribbons, oh my!

--dj--Joe

Some fine looking items!

Enjoy looking at the items you guys find!

Thanks for showing the goods!

PVON

Gents,

Been a while since we had any new shooting medal posts, I think we're way overdue..?

Here's a good-looking starburst with a black enamel central disc, having a gilded shooting insignia. At over three inches from tip-to-tip, the hollow-body star is mounted to its original neck chain which is completely intact. No engraving to discern the exact date or event, but nicely marked with the maker's initials, "E.P.H." There's also a small "weep-hole" located at the bottom reverse, which is normally a further sign of good construction practice.

The best thing about this fine unit is that it was given to me at the Max Show as a gift by my old buddy Baz, who knows I really enjoy these things. How can you beat that..?

There's absolutely nothing better than having old friends in our hobby. Thanks again mate !!

Hope you enjoy checking out this fine unit. Looking forward to seeing any examples you might care to add.

Best regards and good collecting to everyone!

Bill

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Bill, Gary, James, Thank you for showing your collections of shooting related medals. It's such a pleasure to see such great craftsmanship.

James, I know you've shown your rare shooting chain before, but I really think you should post it to this thread as well. If I can ever find the time I'll post mine as well, but I'm sure it'll be awhile . Thanks.

Great stuff in this thread!!
As some of you know I collect catalogs, here are a few shooting prize, medals etc.. pictures from three catalogs I have. I do have a few more. It has been a long road to digitize my catalogs as I have the equipment but not the time yet. Regards: James

Damast, I think I have that Catalog. Thanks for showing it.

Bill, Have you found the maker of your nice medal? At first I thought it was the famous Ernst Peter Hecht from Leipzig, who was a coin and medallion master of his day. But I believe it's the wrong time frame for your medal.

Bill,

I thought I added more information in the post above until I re-read it. Sorry about that. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I believe it came from the wholesaler, Ewald Porcher from Hannover (E.P.H). Notice there is no period after the H. Thanks

James,

Many thanks for your great contribution to the thread. It's always a pleasure to see the many patterns and options that were being offered at that time. The listings for the 1934 - 1936 Schützenorden is especially neat, it seems there are more than just a few different TR marked awards to be found out there. I especially like the pages with the chains that show the different link styles.

Mikee, thanks for the info on Ewald Porcher, of Hannover. I tried German Google but came up empty-handed. I'll do some more homework and try to come up with something on his company.

You guys are tops ... best regards!

B~

Gents,

First of all I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Philadelphia! For those of us who celebrate the tradition it's a well-deserved holiday to be grateful for everything we have, to include our families, friends, jobs and the bounties of our dinner tables.

I'd also like to take time to thank our good friends here on the forums who freely give their worthwhile advice and assistance to all of us when we need a helping hand. You guys are what makes this hobby extra-special.

Here's an interesting shooting king's chain I recently added to my collection that I thought you might enjoy taking a look at. Many of the chains we're familiar with have a medal or link with an individual's name added for each specific year. This one has the names of the top marksmen that span almost ten years time, engraved on a reverse, central silver disc. As you'll see the name of the shooting club is "The Wild Hunt," from the district of Niederrad. Niederrad is a city district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ostbezirk Süd and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Niederrad-Nord and Niederrad-Süd.

The chain is made of leightweight, stamped silver components and has a gilded, central wreath and crown device mounted to the main starburst. The links are comprised of die-stamped squares that are decorated with alternating laurel leaves and crossed rifles over targets in an Art Deco style. Lots of nice gilding left on the center which adds a good contrast to the silver parts.

Hope you might enjoy this neat Weimar-era memento from a German shooting club.

Best regards and good collecting!

Bill

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A happy Thanksgiving Bill to you and yours. To all viewing too.

Nice looking unit Bill. Would the club have retired it at the end of 29 and started another?

--dj--Joe

Great addition, Bill, on this Thanksgiving Day in the United States of 'Merica. In the Great White North, we celebrated Thanksgiving in October.

John

Wow Bill, I really like that one and can imagine being proud to wear it. The schutzen pieces are truly a work of art. I have to keep a picture of that one to look at. Thanks again, James

Gentlemen,

Thanks to one and all. Becky and I had a nice quiet Thanksgiving lounging and snoozing with our two cats, Booboo & Peachy. The kids were off to Key Largo to spend some time with relatives, fishing and relaxing in the sun.

Joe, I'd say this chain was retired after ten years and then on to the next one. Possibly a case of frugal expediture of the club's funds, or simply the ease of wearing such a light chain as opposed to clanking around with a heavy, cumbersome, solid silver example? Maybe the size of the club had something to do with decision to choose this option, too? At this point it's anyone's guess, though, whatever the original reason it's interesting to see an example that covers a decade of historic importance in Germany. It looks as though this one ended on quite a sour-note with the stock-market crash of 1929.

Always a pleasure sharing with you guys.

Best!

Bill

Bill,

Very nice! I can't tell you how much I enjoy these chains. It's a window into the past and I know you understand the great importance of these historical chains which are the most prized possession of every club. There still is to this day a shooting club of the same name and place and could very well be the same club. Their club history states it began in 1903 and in 1953 they commemorated their 50th anniversary with a very nice bronze medal. If this is the same club, your chain is a big part of it's history. Are there any marks that would give us a clue to it's maker? Thanks.

Mikee,

I'm glad we share the same interests in a good many things besides the military side of the hobby. There are lots of other traditional ethnic and cultural aspects that go hand-in-hand with those facets. To me, the shooting club Orden, Abzeichen and chains are a fabulous way to explore and appreciate German history.

No maker markings to identify the chain, other than the club name and district, Niederrad. I'll bet if I got in touch with the club there might be someone who either recognizes or is related to, one of the family names engraved on the chain. I'm still not really sure how these pieces get away from some of the clubs, especially when there are no TR markings on them so that they had to be given up?

Do you think I should get in touch and ask them? It would be interesting to hear what happened, however, I'd feel miserable if they wanted it back ...

Best!

Bill

Bill,

You don't have to tell them anything if you wish not to. But no doubt, if it's part of their club history they will want it back. I'm sure they will negotiate on price, but if you don't wish to return it then that's that. You can always leave it to them in your Will or sell it to me lol. Club history can be very detailed information. So I would first ask them for their club history, but key in on specifically references to the names of their Shooting Kings. Most if not all clubs have a list of all their shooting kings. If it matches your names and dates, then you know.

Some clubs had to sell off important pieces for various reasons, some lost parts during festivities etc. and others taken during conflicts. They went to great lengths for the most part to protect and hide them during bad times only to be forgotten and then found and returned. Some of the much older clubs only allow their chains to be worn on special occasions and then back to the bank vault due to insurance requirements. Others have placed their older chains in Museums and then only worn on special occasions. Thanks.

Mikee,

I'll give it a go and let you know what happens ...

B~

Bill

Thats so nice!

PVON

Fellas,

Thanks for your positive comments.

Mikee - I tried emailing and even gave them a phone call with no results. Maybe disbanded or joined another larger club, or possibly just not interested? Whatever the case I'm still very happy with this unique little chain.

Looking forward to my next find.

Best!

B~

Bill,

I believe they're still active and it would be nice to get some history to go with your chain. But if they won't answer the door what else can you do, you tried. A really nice chain find Bill. I'd be happy with it as well and I can't wait for your next find. It's very interesting history how these types of chains came to be.

Gents,

I'm pleased to present a recent acquisition to my collection of shooting chains, a 1913 example from the city of Berlin. The most unusual feature of this one is the fact that the annual competitions took place throughout the entire World War. Many clubs suspended the events during the years of conflict during both wars and many times those years will be missing from the consecutive dates. In some cases we may find just one or two "war-years" listed and then cancelled, however, here we find all the inclusive years listed from 1914-1918. Perhaps due to the fact that Berlin was so far behind the front-lines in the First World War?

I'd like to thank my long-time friend Gary Southgate for helping me add this splendid example to my collection. I consider myself a very lucky man to have a good friend like Gary, many thanks mate!

Best regards to everyone and good collecting !!

Bill

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Bill,

These are such a treat to see. Have you been able to research it yet? Mine also comes from Berlin and is very heavy. If I can find the time to photograph it I'll post it. Thanks.

Hi Mikee,

Haven't had time to check into that yet, just completing the deal for the Nordhausen Amtskette. Hope you'll get a chance to post your chain soon, looking forward to it.

Best!

Bill

Gents,

Here's a handsome shooting medal we don't see very often, a 103 year old Bavarian example. The obverse features a bust of Prinz Alfons, protector of Bavaria. The reverse details the event as the 300th anniversary festival shooting competition, held in Dachau, in 1911. The heavy medallion is made of silvered-bronze by the firm of C. Poellath of Schrobenhausen, and is nicely detailed.

Hope you guys are all well and working on your collections.

Best regards!

Bill

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Bill,

Another very nice medal. You sure can dig them up and I really like that one! I think I have two shooting medals from this period, but they don't even come close to yours.

I finally found some time to post my Bird Chain which came from a Berlin shooting club called "Frei Borussia" which means Free Prussia. It has a lot of history to Berlin, Castle Schönholz and the owner Hans Retschlag. The chain dates from 1905-1931. Hope you like it and thanks for looking!

.

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Mikee,

Now that's impressive!

Thank you for taking time to share your lovely chain with us, I've never seen a pattern quite like this beauty before. Is that the original case, too?

This has to be the most intricate König's chain I've seen to date, just so much to capture the eye and imagination. The mixture of gilded and silver appointments adds generously to its regal look. The complex combination of crowns, eagles and shooting motifs are a feast for the eyes. It must have been a tedious undertaking just to assemble and connect all the links properly.

On top of the great design and construction the condition is simply marvelous. From here it looks like the day it was made, no doubt a result of proper conservation over the years.

Truly a joy to behold ...

Well done sir Mikee, well done.

Best regards from Philadelphia!

Bill

So many beautiful pieces shared here. Too much for words from me.

Thank you all.

--dj--Joe

Another old favorite of mine.

--dj--Joe