Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, an extremely rare Victorian official investiture garter, of blue velvet embroidered with gold wire, the Motto of the Order in solid gold letters, the 22 carat gold buckle and pendant both fully hallmarked London 1877, maker’s marks ‘FH’ over ‘WB’ for the firm of Hartmann & Bauscher, the front mordant of the buckle and both sides of the pendant being exquisitely engraved with formal designs, overall length 565 mm, slightly bent serifs to two letters of the motto, otherwise extremely fine and of the highest rarity £8000-12000

Attributed to H.R.H. Prince Ernest Augustus William Adolphus George Frederick of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh in the Peerage of Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, K.G., G.C.H., Knight of the Golden Fleece of Spain, a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, General in the British Army, and Colonel in the Austrian Army.

Born on 21 September 1845; succeeded to the British titles on 12 June 1878 on the death of his Royal Father, His Majesty George, King of Hanover, only child of His Majesty Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover; married on 21 December 1878, H.R.H. the Princess Thyra of Denmark, youngest daughter of Christian IX, King of Denmark.

He was nominated a Knight of the Garter on 22 June 1878, taking the place of his recently deceased father. After the outbreak of the Great War all seven German Knights and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria were removed from the Order by a special instrument of dispensation signed by King George V on 13 May 1915. No steps were taken by the officers of the Order, then or since, to recover the insignia of the Order held by these families, all of which is strictly returnable.

Official insignia of the Order of the Garter very rarely comes onto the market and the few pieces that have done so have usually come from one of the royal or princely families of Germany.

Frederick Hartmann and William Ernest Bauscher were goldsmiths trading as Hartmann & Bauscher at 34 Millman Street, Bedford Row WC, from 1872 until 1876, and then at 14 Frith Street, Soho, until 1882 when the partnership was dissolved.