German Awards - Order of Bertha Women's Medal of Merit

The Medal of Merit for Women of the Order of Bertha was established as a badge of honor along with the order on May 30, 1910 by Prince Leopold IV. donated. The classes were the Order of Bertha with Crown, the Order of Bertha without Crown, the Women's Cross of Merit and the Women's Medal of Merit. The Medal for Women's Merit was awarded on a priority basis to honored midwives. The design of the order was developed by the court jeweler J. Gaudet from Berlin, who also took over production until 1918. Since 1918, K. F. Simmerman in Pforzheim took over the production of all classes. In total, Godet produced 24 women's medals, 20 of which were awarded. K.F. Zimmerman made another 10 medals. They vary slightly in embossing and are about 1 mm larger.
The order was supposed to honor the worthy activities of women and virgins in public life. It was named after Prince Bertha's first wife. She was Princess of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld. The Order of Bertha was awarded with a crown only to the corresponding princess, that is, only 2 times. The cross without a crown was awarded on offer only to those women and virgins who earned themselves selfless, personal activities in the field of charity, in the church and public sphere, as well as many years of faithful services or outstanding individual acts. The presentation was attended by a certificate of ownership with the signature of the princess. The orders, as well as the women's medal for merit, were subject to return after death. All orders, as well as the Women's Medal of Merit, are very rare. Source: Rainer Schwark, order and badge of honor of the principality of Lippe Detmold 1778-1933, works of the Lipp Land Museum B. VI.

Round relief medal of dark etched bronze. On top is a convex eye with a ribbon ring. It is worn on a female loop.

Front side:

• Along the edge is a wide, raised laurel wreath with fruits. The bottom is tied with a loop.
• Consists of 6 groups of leaves on the left and right. At the top center is a dot.
In the
• center are intertwined and decorated letters - L - B - (Leopold and Berta).
• On the upper vault L sat a 5-arched ducal crown.
• To the left of the initials, the number is 19 -, to the right of them - 10 - for 1910.

Downside:

• Along the edge is a wide, raised laurel wreath with fruits. The bottom is tied with a loop.
• Consists of 6 groups of leaves on the left and right. At the top center is a dot.
• Central 3-line, raised font - DEM -/- WOMEN -/- MERIT -.

Tape:

• Yellow 22 mm wide, red side stripes 2 mm, yellow 1 mm, red 2 mm.