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Austrian 1908 Crown Jubilee Cross


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Next added to my collection is a Austrian 1908 Crown Jubilee Cross for Civil Servants.

 

Quotes from elsewhere:

 

On the 2nd of December 1908 Kaiser Franz Joseph I celebrated his 60th Crown Jubilee. In a similar fashion to the celebrations held ten years previously, special commemorative decorations were instituted and awarded to honor all manner of service to the Kaiser and the country. The decoration itself was designed by the famous medal designer Kammermedailleur Professor Rudolf Marschall (1873-1967) and was based on a so-called Tatzenkreuz (a cross similar to that used by the German Iron Cross), of about 37 mm diameter, with a wreath of laurel leaves between the arms. On the obverse the cross bore a round centerfield, about 20 mm in diameter, depicting a portrait of the Emperor's head and on the viewer's left side the small inscription "FRANC.IOS.I." and - only in some cases - on the right side the very small designers mark "R.Marschall". On the plain rear side the two years "1848 - 1908" on two lines.

 

These crosses were made of gold plated brass by many different firms over several years in large quantities so it is little wonder that several variant patterns do exist on today's collector market. For example they can vary from 36-37 mm and from 25,8 to 26,8 g but in the final analysis each collector himself has to decide which is a variant pattern and which is not. There are only 2 clear variant patterns which can be verified by contemporary black and white photographs: Variant 1 with highly polished cross arms like small mirrors and Variant 2 with an additional engraved line along the outer side of the cross arms - some manufacturers additionally inlaid this engraved line with black enamel to achieve a better appearance.

 

The award of such a cross was entered into the personal files and displayed on the decorative retirement documents ("Abschied") if these were awarded on an individual's retirement. However a specific award certificate was not issued on the bestowal of the award. The crosses were normally presented without boxes or wrappers but the different firms sold innumerable variants to account for individual taste and expenditure. It should be noted that these crosses were so common and also so inexpensive that most of the recipients obtained one and often additional crosses at their own expense.

 

The Civil Servant Medal is distinguished by the colour of the ribbon in solid red

 

 

Instituted on the 14th of August 1908 (published on the 16th of November 1908) for all officials of any civilian branch of service. The cross was worn on a typical tri-fold 40 mm wide plain red ribbon. This cross was awarded to all male or female officials of all branches of the civil service (with the exception of the ministry of foreign affairs) and employees and workers of state owned companies who were on active duty on the 2nd of December 1908 and had a minimum of 3 years of service and to all those who were not on active service on that day but had fulfilled as a minimum 10 years of service during the period between the 2nd of December 1898 and 1908. In all cases the individual had to be over 21 years of age. If the recipient had qualified for the military cross, the award of the civilian cross was not permitted..

 

While this exact version is civilian and not military, I quite like it for a few reasons. First the medal itself is quite sharp looking, the wreath around the bust with the cross is a nicer presentation than a standard circular medal. Further, in true Austrian fashion it is award as an affinity to the ruling Emperor. The Austrian empire being so much more of service to the Hapsburg family than necessarily nationalism.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Nice decoration, I got mine in the 60s, almost mint and it cost next to nothing - from a well-known and reputable dealer in Portobello road. I very much like Austrian orders and decorations, but haven't got very far. Too many irons in the fire. k.u.k. Austrian militaria is very much underpriced and underrated.

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