{"product_id":"imperial-german-mecklenburg-strelitz-grenadier-89-ensign-shoulder-board-cypher-copy","title":"Imperial German Mecklenburg Oberleutnant Dragoon Rgt 18 Shoulder Board Cypher","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 3.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eAn original Oberleutnant’s silver-cord shoulder board (Schulterstück) of the 2. Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 18 (2nd Grand Ducal Mecklenburg Dragoon Regiment No. 18). The reverse carries a collection label reading “Fig. 10.0 – DR 18 Silver Trim,” consistent with the silver cord, blue underlay, and crowned Mecklenburg cypher on the face. A single gilt rank star fixes the wearer’s grade at Oberleutnant (first lieutenant).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eThe board is built of flat silver lametta cord laid in parallel runs and turned at the rounded head, the metallic ground shot through with fine red soul threads (Seele). It is mounted on a cornflower-blue wool underlay that frames the cord on every side. The lower field carries a gilt crowned cypher — a royal monogram beneath the Grand Ducal crown — and below it a single six-pointed gilt star (Stern) marking the rank. A vertical button slit is worked at the head for attachment, and the squared base terminates in cut, lightly frayed cord ends that would seat beneath the shoulder seam. The reverse is faced in matching blue wool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eDragoner-Regiment Nr. 18 was one of the two mounted regiments raised by the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, paired with its sister Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 17; together they constituted the cavalry arm of the duchy within the Imperial Army, brigaded within the IX Army Corps. As dragoons, the regiment was trained and equipped as light cavalry for reconnaissance, screening, and mounted action, a branch that retained considerable prestige in the Imperial service. Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the larger of the two Mecklenburg grand duchies, and its regiments carried the cypher of its reigning house in the same manner the Strelitz battalions carried theirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eThe crowned monogram on the face is the cypher of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and appears to read as the interlaced “FF” of Friedrich Franz — the dynastic name borne by the duchy’s nineteenth- and twentieth-century sovereigns — though the finest detail is partly obscured and the specific Grand Duke is therefore not asserted. The presence of both the crown and the cypher marks the regiment as one held under a royal chief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eCondition is very good and complete. The silver cord retains strong braid definition and a bright, only lightly oxidised surface. The gilt crown, cypher, and rank star are all present, secure, and hold good colour. The blue underlay is clean and full on both faces, and the reverse is sound with the collection label intact. The only meaningful wear is at the base, where the cut cord ends are frayed in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 8.0pt;\"\u003eMecklenburg cavalry insignia is actively sought within the collect-by-state framework, and a complete officer’s board carrying the crowned Grand Ducal cypher, the correct blue underlay, and an unambiguous rank star stands well above a plain or numeral-only strap in desirability. The strong condition and the secure regimental and rank attribution make this an attractive anchor piece for a Mecklenburg or Imperial German cavalry collection, and a natural companion to its brass-trimmed DR 17 counterpart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49701139251439,"sku":"23-1001 XJT@JT","price":366.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/23-1001_1.jpg?v=1781123969","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-mecklenburg-strelitz-grenadier-89-ensign-shoulder-board-cypher-copy","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}