Hello Gents,
Hope everyone is making the best of this long, miserable winter and finding some goodies for your collections. All this snow shoveling and rotten driving conditions are starting to take their toll on many of us, I'm sure.
On a lighter and brighter side I'd like to share a recent find that some of you might enjoy. Here goes ...
German - Nordhausen Mayor’s/Magistrate's Chain of Office (Livery Collar)
Early neck chain that came from the Thurber estate in Providence, Rhode Island. Tilden-Thurber was one of the finest jewelry retailers for many years and specialized in estate jewelry of the highest quality.
The chain and all the connecting links are all gilded and reflect extra-fine details throughout. The two larger link assemblies that support the outside left and right portions of the central medallion are graduated in size, with the largest being attached to a pair of acanthus-style mounts on the medal. The medallion is 65mm in diameter and 5mm thick. The obverse portrays the relief silhouette of the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III, "Gründer der Staedteordnung." This translates to "founder of municipal ordinance." Cast into the base of the neck are the stylized initials of the artist, "KF.” and “FEC." Below this are the Roman numerals MDCCCVIII, or 1808. Below that the artist's name again, "K. Fischer FEC. 1844." The top center portion of the medal is decorated with an intricate castle wall that has five towers. There is a central archway in the wall that is open through the design. The reverse exhibits a fine rendering of the crest of Nordhausen, with the wording, "Magistrat zu Nordhausen." At the base are the Roman numerals, MDCCCXXXI, or 1831, flanked by small decorative flourishes on either side, each having a small five-pointed star located above that.
Nordhausen is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Nordhausen district and the urban center of northern Thuringia and the southern Harz mountain region. World War II brought much harm to Nordhausen: in the nearby KZ Mittelbau-Dora 60,000 forced laborers had to work in the arms industry and in April 1945, most of the city was destroyed by Royal Air Force bombings with 8,800 victims (more than 20% of the population) and the loss of most of the historic buildings, which made it the most destroyed city in Thuringia in WWII.
Nazi rule led to the destruction of the synagogue during the Kristallnacht in 1938. The Jews either emigrated or were deported to the death camps. The Mittelbau-Dora Nazi concentration camp, established in 1943 after the destruction of Peenemünde, was located on the outskirts of Nordhausen during World War II to provide labor for the Mittelwerk V-2 rocket factory in the Kohnstein. There were 60,000 forced laborers, of whom 20,000 died due to the bad working conditions, starvation and diseases. Furthermore, there were 10,000 forced laborers deployed in several factories within the city. 6,000 of them were interned at Bölcke Kaserne working for a Junkers factory.
Earlier on August 24, 1944, eleven B-17 Flying Fortresses of Mission 568 bombed the airfield at Nordhausen as a target of opportunity. On 11 April 1945, the Americans occupied the town and on 2 July, the Red Army took over. A special US operation, led by Maj. William Bromley, was meant to recover V-2 rocket parts and equipment. Maj. James P. Hamill coordinated the rail transport of said equipment with the 144th Motor Vehicle Assembly Company, from Nordhausen to Erfurt (Operation Paperclip). On 18 July, the Soviet administration created the Institute Rabe to develop Soviet rocket technology on the basis of the substantially more sophisticated V-2 rockets.
The city was declared open for looting for a couple of days by US-American command, due to the connection of the city with the nearby concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora. This is when the chain was most likely taken by US troops, according to Dr. Wolfram G. Theilemann, current director of the State Archives.
The good Herr Dr. Theilemann is presently helping me with further research and photographs, which I'll add when and if such material can be found in their records.
If anyone here can add further info or comments it would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks and good collecting to one and all !
Bill
