German Awards - Order of Vigilance/From the White Falcon Commander's Cross for General Merit
The badges of the Order of General Merit were established with the seventh supplement to the statutes on October 8, 1892 by Grand Duke Karl Alexander. Crosses were awarded for general merit, which should not have been directly merit to the ruling house. Crosses differ from the older form, which was given for services to the grand ducal house, in the absence of a red or green enameled star with pearl tips protruding between the cross sleeves. This uniform was awarded as a large cross, commander and knight. The crosses of the order differ in size with the same design. The breast star to the Big Cross does not have a green enameled cross behind the medallion.
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.
Golden Cross in Maltese uniform. The crosses are sheathed in gold and enameled. On the front side is a raised white falcon. Reverse with a gold middle shield worn. On the upper cruciform shoulder between the peaks is a large ornamented agraph, almost completely filling the space between the peaks. Movable gold crown is fixed on it by means of internal hinge. A ring with a ribbon ring passes through the imperial apple of the golden crown.
Front side:
- Cruciform hands are sheathed in gold and covered with green icing. Hatching is visible below it.
In the - center is suspended a white enameled and golden falcon, the head faces to the left.
Downside:
- The crosses are white enameled with a gold border.
- A blue enameled shield is installed in the center. Edge - golden laurel wreath tied from below
- Above is a golden crown.
- On the blue central shield there is 4 lowercase font: - VIGI - LANDO - ASCEN - DIMUS -.
- (Through vigilance, we rise)
Tape:
.
Obverse: House of the Order of Vigilance/From the White Falcon Commander's Cross for General Merit
Reverse: House of the Order of Vigilance/From the White Falcon Commander's Cross for General Merit
Established:
August 2, 1732 by Duke Ernst Augustus
October 8, 1892 Introduction of the 2nd form of the order sign
Data:
- Material: gold, enamel
- Size: 82mm x 50mm, crown 32mm x 30mm
- Weight: about 24g
estimated collector price:
3000 – 3200 €
Awards of World War II