Original German Police 25-Year Long Service Cross, First Class, complete with its blue ribbon, embroidered gold Police eagle and original green presentation case. The gilt cross retains excellent finish and crisp detail. Meanwhile, the case displays the correct gold “25” within an oak-leaf wreath. A particularly attractive and complete cased Police award.
€ 240
1 in stock
This original German Police 25-Year Long Service Cross comes complete with its correct blue embroidered ribbon and fitted green presentation case. The gilt cross retains an exceptionally bright finish, while the case lid displays the number “25” inside a gold oak-leaf wreath.
German authorities introduced the Police Long Service Awards on 30 January 1938. Police personnel qualified for this First Class decoration after completing 25 years of faithful and exemplary service. The official German title reads Polizei-Dienstauszeichnung 1. Stufe für 25 Jahre.
The obverse features a detailed national eagle positioned above an oak-leaf wreath. A swastika sits within the centre of the wreath. Fine feathering remains visible across the eagle, while the wreath retains sharply defined leaves and borders.
On the reverse, the central oval carries the inscription:
FÜR TREUE DIENSTE IN DER POLIZEI
This translates as “For Faithful Service in the Police.” The raised lettering remains crisp and clearly legible. Moreover, the recessed fields preserve their fine original texture.
The photographs indicate gilt non-ferrous metal construction. However, no scientific material test accompanies the cross. The catalogue should therefore describe the material as gilt-finished non-ferrous metal rather than claim a specific alloy.
Specialist dealer Helmut Weitze describes an equivalent 25-year Police Long Service Cross as gilt non-ferrous metal. His documented example also retains the embroidered ribbon and green presentation case. Compare this award with the Police 25-Year Long Service Cross catalogued by Helmut Weitze.
A deep cornflower-blue ribbon accompanies the German Police 25-Year Long Service Cross. Gold-coloured embroidery forms the correct Police eagle and surrounding wreath near the top.
The embroidery retains excellent definition and strong colour. Its weave, proportions and construction correspond with documented period examples. Furthermore, the ribbon remains correctly folded for presentation within the case.
A small pale mark appears on the blue fabric. Nevertheless, it causes little distraction and does not affect the ribbon’s structural integrity.
Original embroidered ribbons add considerable value to these decorations. Many surviving crosses now appear with replacement ribbons, plain ribbons or no ribbon at all. Consequently, the complete embroidered example holds much stronger collector appeal.
The award sits inside its fitted green presentation case. A gold “25” surrounded by an oak-leaf wreath decorates the exterior lid.
Inside, light-coloured fabric lines the lid, while a fitted velvet-covered base supports the cross and ribbon. The interior remains clean and attractive. In addition, the original closure remains present at the lower edge.
Light handling marks and minor wear appear around the exterior edges. These features match normal age and careful storage. More importantly, the gold lid decoration remains clear and complete.
The case, ribbon and decoration form an impressive matching presentation. Complete cased sets remain considerably more desirable than loose examples.
The German Police Long Service system included grades for eight, eighteen and twenty-five years of service. The eight-year award took the form of a circular medal. In contrast, the eighteen and twenty-five-year grades used cross-shaped decorations.
Gilt finish identified the 25-year First Class award. Police authorities reserved this highest regular grade for personnel who completed a quarter-century of qualifying service.
Eligible recipients included members of several German police organisations, such as the uniformed Ordnungspolizei, municipal police and gendarmerie. Service records and conduct contributed to the qualification process.
The blue ribbon distinguished the Police Long Service series from several other German long-service decorations. For the senior grades, an embroidered Police eagle provided an additional visual distinction.
Ratisbon’s specialist archive also documents original cased examples of this award. View a comparable cased Police 25-Year Long Service Award in the Ratisbon’s price guide.
This German Police 25-Year Long Service Cross remains in excellent collector condition.
Extensive gilt finish survives across both sides. Sharp detail remains visible throughout the eagle, wreath, lettering and raised cross borders. Only minor handling marks and natural age appear on the surfaces.
Likewise, the original ribbon remains complete with its embroidered Police eagle. A small pale area appears on the blue fabric, although the ribbon still presents extremely well.
The green case shows moderate external wear, particularly around its edges and corners. Internally, the lining remains complete and attractive. Overall, the set displays evidence of age without suffering significant damage or loss.
No manufacturer’s mark appears in the supplied photographs. Therefore, the maker should remain recorded as unknown. Assigning a specific manufacturer without supporting evidence would weaken the accuracy of the catalogue entry.
Several visible features support period originality:
Nothing visible in the supplied photographs immediately suggests modern manufacture. However, Nordmenn’s final authenticity guarantee should rely on an in-hand examination of the construction, finish, ribbon and case.
The German Police 25-Year Long Service Cross represents the senior regular grade within the Police Long Service series. Its bright gilt finish, original embroidered ribbon and fitted presentation case create an especially attractive display.
Collectors often seek complete cased sets because separate cases and embroidered ribbons have become increasingly difficult to locate. Therefore, this example offers substantially greater appeal than a loose cross.
Explore additional original German medals and decorations in the Nordmenn Militaria Medals collection.
For a related long-service decoration, see this original German Army 18-Year Long Service Medal.
