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 Duchy that 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 - especially on original order decorations? Here is the answer.

Original pieces have little pipes integrated into the enamel, as 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 from a certain angle to see if the rim of the pipe is visible. If so, you got an original. If not, well...

Below is a nice and exceedingly rare commander set 1st class with swords:

click to enlarge
 
 
© A. Schulze Ising, VII/99