DENMARK – KINGDOM: LONG FAITHFUL SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT MILITARY CROSS FOR 16 YEARS

150,00 €

Product no. 8-365

1 in stock

1 in stock

Category: Medals & Pins
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A Danish Military Long Service Cross (Hæderstegn for god tjeneste) awarded for 16 years of service. This issue is struck in bronze fire-gilt and is engraved on the reverse to a specific recipient, dated 1866.

  • Obverse: Struck with a central circular medallion bearing the number “16” for the years of service. Suspended from a crown incorporating the royal monogram of King Christian IX (reigned 1863–1906).
  • Reverse: Features a period cursive engraving indicating the recipient’s unit, surname, rank, and the year: “13. B. / Høiberg / underff. Fodf. / 1866”. This translates to: 13th Infantry Battalion, NCO (Underofficer) Høiberg, 1866.
  • Ribbon: Suspended from a red and white crossed ribbon patterned after the Danish national flag (Dannebrog). The reverse displays the traditional mounting configuration with metal ribbon-fixing clips.

This is a Danish army long-service decoration for non-commissioned officers and equivalent ranks. It rewarded many years of good conduct. The scheme traces back to a royal institution of 1817. It was revised in 1842 and 1854, and versions were awarded in various forms until 1949. Danish reference works list separate 8-year and 16-year crosses for NCOs, and the navy later adopted parallel awards. The 16-year grade is a gilt-bronze cross, topped by a crown and carrying the cypher of the reigning monarch. The number of years of service appears in a central medallion. The cross hangs from a ring on a ribbon, which is often mounted for wear on the uniform with fixing clips. Collectors sort the series mainly by the monarch's cypher, for example Frederik VII, Christian IX or Christian X. Other points are the crown and cross design, the metal and finish, and the ribbon. Because the type was in use for decades, a Christian IX cypher places the design in a reign that ended in 1906. The standard Danish catalogue of medals and decorations, covering 1670 to 1990, treats the series in detail.

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