Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen, Principality. A Rare Fire Brigade Long Service Clasp

(Feuerwehr-Ehrenzeichen). Instituted 11 June 1895 by Prince Karl Günther. (1895-1918 issue). Constructed of silver, the obverse consistent of a rectangular plaque bearing a central Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt coat of arms, flanked on the left by an intertwined hose and ropes and on the right by a fireman’s helmet above crossed axes, affixed to a square backer retaining an intact original ribbon, the reverse with a barrel hinge and flattened catch, unmarked, measuring 44.79 mm (w) x 39.34 mm (h), weighing 19.0 grams, missing its pinback and demonstrating deliberate removal of a crown device formerly topping the plaque suggestive of modification for wear during the Weimar Republic period, a rare decoration in very fine condition.