Imperial German Grenadier Regiment 5 Oberleutnant Shoulder Board Crown Cypher

An original Oberleutnant’s silver-cord shoulder board (Schulterstück) of Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5, the König Friedrich I. (4. Ostpreußisches) Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5 (King Frederick I Grenadier Regiment, 4th East Prussian, No. 5). The reverse carries a collection label reading “Fig. 6.0 – Gren. R. 5 – Über Lt.” A gilt crown above an interlaced cypher with a single rank star denotes Oberleutnant (first lieutenant).

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 gilt cypher, with a single gilt six-pointed rank star (Stern) below, marking the grade. A vertical button slit is worked at the head, the reverse is faced in golden-yellow, and the squared base terminates in cut cord ends.

Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5 bore the honour-name of König Friedrich I, the first King in Prussia, and stood among the East Prussian grenadier regiments. The crowned cypher honours that royal chief, the regiment carrying his name as part of the deep dynastic tradition that ran through the Prussian grenadier establishment.

The crowned monogram is an interlaced cypher of the regiment’s royal chief, King Frederick I; the precise letters are not cleanly resolved in the provided images and are therefore left unattributed. The crown marks the regiment as one held under a royal chief, and the single star denotes the grade of Oberleutnant.

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 collection label is intact on the reverse. The base shows cut cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

A royally-named grenadier officer’s board, complete with the crowned cypher and an unambiguous rank star, sits well above a plain strap in desirability and makes a sound representative piece for a grenadier or named-regiment collection.