Imperial Wuerttemberg WWI Silver Cigarette Case Prinz Hohenlohe Officer 1916

Original Imperial German officer's silver-bodied cigarette case engraved with attribution to a member of the Princely House of Hohenlohe and applied with an enameled regimental association badge on the obverse. Inscribed and dated 1916, the case carries direct documentary association with a serving Imperial officer of one of the senior mediatised princely houses of the German Empire and appears to relate to a Württemberg formation of the second half of WWI.

The case is constructed in the standard officer's pocket form of the early twentieth century: a hinged two-panel silver shell of rounded-rectangular outline measuring approximately 3.25 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall (83 × 89 mm), with thumb-spring catch at the side, an integral piano hinge along one edge, and a gilt-washed interior across both panels for retaining cigarettes. The body shows no maker's mark or assay hallmark visible to the cataloger; the silver content has not been independently verified by acid or specific gravity testing and would require a jeweler's confirmation for formal silver attribution. The metal carries the warm grey patina and ring of a solid silver or high-grade silver alloy consistent with the better Imperial-period officer's pieces.

The obverse panel carries a fluid copperplate-script engraved presentation inscription reading in three lines: Kgl. W. 1916. — most plausibly an abbreviation for Königlich Württembergisch (Royal Württembergian), 1916; 1. M. 80. D. 4. — a four-element military unit designation in the standard period shorthand, with the first element a specialty or branch abbreviation, the 80 a regimental or formation number, the D likely a divisional or detachment indicator, and the 4 a sub-unit number; and Hohenlohe Pr. — Hohenlohe, Prinz (Prince Hohenlohe). Full expansion of the unit line requires reference to the Württemberg military rosters of 1916, and the absence of a first name for the Hohenlohe officer leaves the specific recipient identifiable only through archival cross-reference.

Applied to the lower right corner of the obverse panel is a finely enameled oval regimental association badge approximately 13 mm in height, fitted with a small rococo-scrolled gilt-bronze top mount. The badge presents a deep cobalt-blue translucent enamel central field bordered by a clean white enamel ring, with a pierced gilt monogram at the center reading as intertwined cursive letters above a numeral 2. The cipher style is consistent with late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Regimentsverein (regimental veterans' association) badges, and the device points to membership in or affiliation with a specific named regiment, the precise identification of which awaits comparison against a specialist enameled-badge reference.

The reverse panel is plain polished silver, retaining a soft even patina with very light surface marks and minor handling wear, free of major scratches, dents, or repairs.

The Princely House of Hohenlohe was one of the senior mediatised princely families of the German Empire, with multiple branches holding the dignity of Prinz and Fürst under Imperial regulation following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The branches active into the Imperial period included Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Hohenlohe-Öhringen, Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, and several minor cadet lines. Members of the house held seats in the Prussian Herrenhaus, served as Statthalter of Alsace-Lorraine and as Austro-Hungarian Minister-President, and were extensively represented as serving officers across the Imperial German Army — particularly within Württemberg formations, given the family's ancestral seats in Franconia and Swabia. The 1916 dating and apparent Württemberg unit attribution narrow the field of candidate Hohenlohe officer recipients but do not, on the engraving alone, fix the specific individual; pending archival confirmation the attribution is given here as "to an unnamed Prince of the House of Hohenlohe" rather than to a named figure.

Condition is very good for a campaign-period officer's personal effect. The silver body is intact and undamaged, with no cracks, splits, or repair seams visible. The hinge is tight and the closure positive. The engraving is fully legible across all three lines, executed by a competent jeweler's engraver in flowing script. The enameled badge retains full color in both the blue and white enamel fields with no chips, cracks, or losses, and the gilt-bronze top mount and pierced cipher remain crisp. The interior gilt wash is well preserved with no damage to the spring catch or thumb piece.

Imperial German officer-attributed silver cigarette cases form an actively traded sub-collection within the broader Imperial personality and silver markets, and pieces engraved-attributed to the high nobility — and particularly to the mediatised princely houses such as Hohenlohe, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Thurn und Taxis, and Solms — sit in the upper portion of that market. Where a specific named figure can be confirmed by archival or genealogical research, retail values rise significantly. This case carries strong attribution potential on the face of the engraving without yet being formally tied to a named individual, and is offered at a price that reflects the open identification rather than a confirmed specific recipient. The buyer who pursues the archival work and ties the unit designation and 1916 date to a named Hohenlohe officer will substantially benefit from the resulting confirmed attribution; the case rewards research.