Germany, Imperial. A Rare German Empire Border Post Marker

(Grenzmarkierung). A rare German Empire border post marker, constructed of solid cast iron, consisting of a toned disc bearing double-sided German imperial eagles, circumscribed by inscriptions of “DEUTSCHES REICH” (“GERMAN EMPIRE”), surrounded at cardinal points by ornate arabesques which extend beyond the edge of the disc, and emanating from an intact beam post, unmarked, measuring 68 cm (w) x 78 mm (h) and with an overall thickness of approximately 3 cm, weighing approximately 95 kilograms, a scarce example of a marker in use from the immediate aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 until the conclusion of the First World War in 1918, accompanied by two period postcards depicting the marker in use along the borders of the empire, demonstrating minor surface oxidation, in extremely fine condition.

Footnote: As economic deprivation in postwar Germany resulted in most examples of this marker being melted down for scrap value, this sign is particularly rare, with only a three confirmed extant examples, including one in the Museum of the War of 1870 and Annexation in Gravelotte, France, and the Museum of History in Belfort, France, Hamburger Zollmuseum, and one in the Border Museum in Hamburg, Germany.

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