German Awards - Home Order of Vigilance/White Falcon Cross of Honor/Knight 2. Office

The honorary cross depicted here was presented on February 16, 1840 by the Grand Duke Karl Friedrich. The 3rd class of knights was divided into knights of the 1st department and knights of the 2nd department/honorary cross. Honorary crosses were to be awarded only to citizens of Weimar. In 1889, this provision was again repealed. The first form of the honorary cross from 1840 to 1853 has the letters - CF - for Karl Friedrich as the rear cipher. The second form has a cipher - SA - for Karl Alexander and was assigned from 1853 to 1901. There are 3 different forms of medallions. They differ in the design of the white falcon on the obverse and the size of the cipher on the reverse.
The Order of Vigilance or the White Falcon was established by Duke Ernst Augustus on August 2, 1732. Grand Duke Charles Augustus resumed the order on October 18, 1815 (the date of the battle of the peoples near Leipzig). The order now had 3 classes: Grand Cross, Commander and Knight. The Knights' 3rd class was initially limited to 30. Signs of the order were subject to return after death or transition to a higher class. Prior to the founding of swords in 1870, the Order of Civil and Military Merit was awarded without swords. In 1840, the commanders were presented with stars, and the class of knights was divided into a knight's cross and an honorary cross. In 1878, the Silver Cross "For Merit" was established. In 1902, the crosses of the knights of the 2nd class, like the crosses of the 1st class, were made of silver. The Merit Cross was divided into gold and silver. For services to the enemy, even swords. Famous early manufacturers of order marks were Bury, Müller & Junger from Hanau, later Bury & Leonhardt, Hanau, Wilhelm Wirsing. The manufacturer since 1891 was T. Muller, a court jeweler and order factory from Weimar. Source: J. Nimmergut, Deutsche Orden und Ehrenzeichen before 1945, vol. III, 1999.

Cross with straight crosses. They are silvery and enameled. Front and back with a central gold medallion. On the upper cruciform shoulder is a soldered ordinary eye with a ribbon ring.

Front side:

• Gold middle medallion with embossed border.
• The enclosed field is golden-arched with a radial wreath in the background.
In the
• center is a white enameled white falcon.

Downside:

• Gold medallion with raised belt.
• The enclosed field has a blue translucent enameled shape with a radiation wreath in the background.
• Inlaid gold, decorated cipher - SA - on top of it is a 5-ironed crown.

Tape:

• red 55 mm wide.

Obverse: Home Order of Vigilance/From the White Falcon Cross of Honour/Knight 2. Office

Reverse: Home Order of Vigilance/From the White Falcon Cross of Honour/Knight 2. Office

Established:

August 2, 1732 by Duke Ernst Augustus
On February 16, 1840, the Grand Duke Karl Friedrich division of the Knights

Awarded:

1840 – 1901

Data:

• Material: silver, silver with gold coating, enamel
• Size: 33mm x 32.8mm
• Weight: About 15g

estimated collector price:

1000 - 1100 € silver/gold
700 - 800 € silver/gold plated silver

OEK Number:

2337/1