Imperial Germany, WW1, Original Cased Pour le Merite from noted Hofjeweler Wilm for Sale

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Imperial Germany, WW1, Original Cased Pour le Merite from noted Hofjeweler Wilm For Sale

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Imperial Germany, WW1, Original Cased Pour le Merite from noted Hofjeweler Wilm:
$9000.00

Imperial German, WW1, Extremely Rare, Original Cased Orden Pour le Merite This awarded only 566 times during the Great War out of a total of 687 PLM’s which included 121 with Oak Leaves awarded during the war. This is an Officer’s only award. When it came with Oak Leaves, junior officers were excluded. This particular decoration is from pre-1917 “ Pie-Slice” suspension devise variation. The enamel is a lighter blue then others and the gold lettering is chased. This is an early 20th Century PLM according to volume 3 of the History of the Prussian Pour Le Merite Order. The ribbon displays 2 Silver Bands and the pie slice is marked 800 ( 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽 ) 𝖨𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝟫𝟥𝟪 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗆𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝟪𝟢𝟢 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗂𝖾 𝗌𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝖺𝗅 ( 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽 ). The cases is from one of the Jewelers appointed to the Crown in Berlin and fitted to the award. The Jeweler has been in business continually from 1767 to today. It was foubded by Gottfried Ludwig Wilm who was succeeded by his son who ran the firm from 1812-1840 who turned it over to his son, who ran the business from 1840-1923, in 1911 he gave shares in the business to his sons Ferdinand Richard Wilm and his brother Johann David and at that point the Firm H.J. Wilm became the Imperial "Hofjeweler". After his father died in 1923, Wilm acquired the silversmiths Paul Teige and J. Godet and Sohn and expanded into a contemporary goldsmiths workshop. Hermann Goring ordered his Marshall's Baton and silver honor cassettes which at the time brought additional business to the firm. At the end of WW2 Ferdinand Richard Wilm moved the firm to Aumuhle and opendd a store in Hamburg. The company continues in business today. Those awarded a PLM were required to wear it at all times, when in uniform or civilian attire. So typically if awarded this medal a second would be purchased as a wearer’s piece and the original put away as this medal was typically presented by the Kaiser. This conclusion was reached as the full ribbon does not have ties attached. When I purchased this from another advanced collector there was no award document so this Original Orden Pour le Merite is offered as a Jeweler’s Wearer’s Copy.

Check out my other listings for military items mostly from 1837-1919.

Multiple purchases can be combined for postal savings.