The first model of the House Order of
Ernestine (1833-1864) always has the letter on the above
cross arm as a sign for the Dutch who awarded the order.
Haven't you always wondered how the letter "E" (Ernst,
Dutch of Coburg-Gotha), "F" (Friedrich, Dutch of
Altenburg) or "B" (Bernhard, Dutch of Meiningen) is
attached to the insignias of these 1st models - talking
about the originals ? Here is now the answer.
In opposite to the fakes the
original pieces have little pipes integrated in the
enamel, like shown in the next picture. The letter has
two tinny wires attached on its back site, that are
stuck through the pipes.
You might not want to take these
orders apart, to find out about this fact, but you can
still look at your piece in a certain angle, to see, if
there is the rim of the pipe. If so, you got an
original. If not, well...
Below a really nice and rare
commander 1st class set with swords:
