Imperial German Officer Shoulder Board Crowned Cypher Dragoon 8 or Grenadier 1

An original officer’s silver-cord shoulder board (Schulterstück) carrying a gilt crown above an interlaced cypher with a single rank star, mounted on a golden-yellow underlay. The reverse carries two collection labels reading “Fig. 5.0 – DR 8” and “Fig. 6.2 – Gren. 1,” both noted as Leutnant; the two attributions conflict and are recorded here as found.

The board is built of flat braided silver cord worked in the herringbone pattern and turned at the rounded head, mounted on a golden-yellow wool underlay. The lower field carries a gilt crown above an interlaced cypher, with a single gilt six-pointed rank star (Stern) below. A vertical button slit is worked at the head, and the squared base terminates in cut cord ends.

The two reverse labels record alternative attributions — to Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 8 and to Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 1 — and the correct identification should be settled before sale. In either case the crowned cypher marks a regiment held under a royal chief, and the construction is that of a junior officer’s parade board.

The crowned monogram is an interlaced cypher beneath the crown; the precise letters are not cleanly resolved in the provided images and are therefore left unattributed. The single star indicates a junior officer’s grade.

Condition is good. The silver cord retains good braid definition with the expected tarnish, and the gilt crown, cypher, and rank star are present and secure. The golden-yellow underlay is sound, and the base shows cut cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

A crowned-cypher officer’s board is a desirable piece in its own right; once the regimental attribution is settled it will sit comfortably within either a cavalry or a grenadier collection.