Imperial German 2nd Guard Uhlan Regiment Ensign Shoulder Board Red Underlay

An original ensign’s (Fähnrich) silver-cord shoulder board (Schulterstück) of the 2. Garde-Ulanen-Regiment (2nd Guard Uhlan Regiment). The reverse carries a collection label reading “G. Ul. R. 2 – Fig. 7 – Ensign.” The flat braided silver cord on a red underlay, without rank stars, is consistent with the ensign grade.

The board is built of flat braided silver cord worked in the herringbone pattern and turned at the rounded head, mounted on a red wool underlay. It carries no numeral, cypher, or rank star. A vertical button slit is worked at the head, and the squared base terminates in lightly frayed cord ends.

The Guard Uhlans were the lance-armed light cavalry of the Prussian Guard, an elite mounted arm of the highest standing. The Fähnrich, or ensign, was the senior officer-aspirant grade — a young man who had passed his examinations and awaited his commission, permitted to wear the officer-pattern cord board of his regiment without the rank stars of a commissioned officer.

The plain board without numeral, cypher, or star is consistent with the ensign grade of a Guard regiment.

Condition is very good. The silver cord is bright with strong braid definition, and the red underlay is clean. The base shows lightly frayed cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end, and the collection label is intact on the reverse. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

An ensign’s board of an elite Guard lancer regiment unites the prestige of the Prussian Guard cavalry with the distinct officer-aspirant grade, of particular interest to collectors assembling rank-progression sets within the Guard.