LIFESAVING MEDALS
Good websites about lifesaving medals (in German):
http://www.die-deutschen-orden.de/
http://www.feuerwehr-orden.de/
http://ordensmuseum.de/
German monarchies (1802 - 1918)
Prussian wearable lifesaving medal, instituted in 1833 and the forefather of all German (wearable) lifesaving medals.
The lifesaving medal was originally instituted in the kingdom of Prussia in 1802 as a large, non-wearable award. In september 1833, king Friedrich Wilhelm III decided that a hero who had saved a life should be publicly recognizable by a wearable award and instituted the small lifesaving medal, which bore his portrait until 1918. Also in 1833, the earlier large medal was redesigned and henceforth was awarded as a lifesaving medal second class.
The Prussian medal shown above is the third type (of a total of four), made and awarded between 1875 and 1907.
The first model (1833 - 1864) had a five-pointed star above the head on the obverse, the word "König" was spelled "Koenig". The second version (1864 - 1875) had a little flower with 4 petals, shaped like a +. The third version is shown above, with a flower with FIVE petals. The fourth version (1907 - 1918) is very similar to the 3rd (Click here for a comparison).
The obverse always shows the portrait of Friedrich Wilhelm III, king of Prussia and founder of the award, whereas most other federal states put the head of the reigning monarch on their lifesaving medals.
All four types of the Prussian medal (plus the Prussian lifesaving medal during the Republic of Weimar) have exactly the same reverse. If the wreath is lighter than on the medal pictured above, the medal is always a privately purchased piece, not an officially awarded one.
Be careful, since a lot of these privately purchased pieces have a little star above the head on the obverse and the spelling "Köenig". However, that does NOT mean that it's an early (1833-1864) official type, contrary to what some dealers want you to believe.
Material: Ag (= silver)
Diameter: 25 mm
Weight : 7 g
Thickness (at the edge): 1,6 mm
Kingdom of Saxony (1806-1918), 6th and final model (1904-1918) of the lifesaving medal with head of King Friedrich August III. There was also a gold and a bronze version, both wearable.
The ribbon was plain white.
Material: Ag
Diameter: 35 mm
Weight : 21 g
Thickness: 2 mm
Third Reich (1933 - 1945)
Please remember that the lifesaving medal is an apolitical award for deeds of great courage in a civil context. The Third Reich medals on this page are shown for their historical value only, and are part of a wider study of German lifesaving medals throughout the centuries.
Third Reich wearable lifesaving medal, instituted in 1933. There was also a larger, non-wearable lifesaving medal second class.
This one is maker marked [half moon] 835 PR.M.BLN. (=Preußische Münze Berlin) and is therefore an officially awarded type. The maker mark should look exactly like the one in the picture.
On this picture you can see an original maker mark (1) and two maker marks which are fake in my opinion (2) , but this is disputed. (3) However, is definitely fake. Here you can see the obverse of the medals (1) and (2). Again, the first medal is definitely original, whereas the originality of the second one is disputed (pictures by Thomas Bendixen).
Material: Ag (835)
Diameter: 25 mm
Weight: 7 g
Thickness: 1,7 mm
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