Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 25 Jahre – Original Silver Faithful Service Cross

Description

This original Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 25 Jahre is the silver second-class grade of the German Faithful Service Decoration, instituted on 30 January 1938 to recognise twenty-five years of long and faithful public service. It retains a substantial length of its cornflower-blue ribbon and shows honest period wear, with a strong black enamel centre and a clearly legible reverse inscription.

What is the Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 25 Jahre?

The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen (Faithful Service Decoration) was instituted on 30 January 1938 for officials, employees and workers in public service at local, regional and national level. The silver second class was conferred for 25 years of service, and it is frequently associated with railway, postal and civil-administration personnel.

Higher grades followed the same basic design: a gold-coloured first class for 40 years and, later, a 50-year grade combining a silver cross with a gold wreath. A separate 50-year special class existed for employees and workers in private firms.

This is a civil decoration. It was not awarded for combat, bravery, wounds or campaign service, and it should not be confused with the Wehrmacht long-service awards, which have a different design and award system.

How is the 25-year grade identified?

The decoration takes the form of a cross pattée with a circular oak-leaf wreath between the arms. The obverse carries the black-enamelled state emblem of the period on a square central panel. The reverse panel bears the raised Gothic inscription Für treue Dienste (“For Faithful Service”).

Because the 25-year and 40-year grades share the same form and ribbon, the finish is the key identification point. INS91 has the silver-toned finish of the 25-year grade. Reference examples measure approximately 46.5 mm high by 41 mm wide and are recorded as silvered base metal or bronze with enamel (MedalBook; Museum Wolmirstedt).

For comparison with the higher grade, see our 40-year gold Faithful Service Decoration (INS80).

No maker mark is visible on INS91. Unmarked examples are common for this decoration, as makers were often identified only on the presentation case.

Why collect it?

The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen was awarded in large numbers, so it is not a rare decoration. Its interest lies elsewhere: it is a well-designed and immediately recognisable award that documents the vast administrative and public-service workforce of Germany between 1938 and 1945, a side of the period rarely represented by battlefield awards.

It sits naturally in a collection of German civil decorations, or alongside Deutsche Reichsbahn, postal-history and civil-service documents. Loose ribboned examples such as this one are an accessible way into the subject; for a complete issue set, see the cased 25-year Faithful Service Medal by C.F. Zimmermann (INS56).

Condition

Good original used condition for its age:

• Silver-toned finish largely retained, with general surface wear and patina.
• Minor oxidation and discolouration in places on the wreath.
• Oak-leaf detail clearly defined.
• Black enamel centre intact and visually strong.
• Reverse inscription clearly legible.
• Cornflower-blue ribbon retained, with fraying along one edge, loose fibres and slight distortion at the suspension ring.
• Normal handling wear.

Supplied as the decoration and ribbon only: no presentation case or award document. All photographs show the actual piece offered and form part of this condition description.

Frequently asked questions

What does “Für treue Dienste” mean?
“For Faithful Service” or “For Loyal Service”.

Is the Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen a military medal?
No. It was a civil long-service decoration for public-service personnel.

Is INS91 maker marked?
No maker mark is visible, which is common for this decoration.

Does it include a box or certificate?
No. INS91 is the decoration with its ribbon, as photographed.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This item is offered exclusively as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. Period political symbolism is visible because it forms an integral part of the original design. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify the ideology or political system it represents.

References & Further Reading

• MedalBook, Faithful Service Decoration, II Class – institution date, 25-year class, construction and dimensions.
• Museum Wolmirstedt via museum-digital, Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen, versilbert – silvered museum example, 4.5 × 4 cm.
• Instituting decree: Verordnung über die Stiftung des Treudienst-Ehrenzeichens, 30 January 1938 (recorded in the archive inventory of the Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, Warsaw).