This guide will address the BELFORT clasp only - which was worn on the Imperial German 1870-1871 Kriegdenkmünze (also called the Franco-Prussian War Medal). The clasp BELFORT was awarded for the seige of Belfort from 3 November 1870 to 18 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War.  This is one of four seige clasps available on the KDM.  The BELFORT clasp was authorized in 1895 and made available for private purchase for 35 pfennigs to 1 Reichmark, depending on the seller.  German recipients were varied and there appear to be a number of men who were detached even though their unit was not present.  Many of the recipients of this clasp were authorized AN DER LISAINE as well.

BELFORT clasps

It currently seems that there was less than 20 manufacturers of official clasps.  The clasps were made of bronze, brass, &/or copper mixtures which varied by maker and by manufacture lot.  It should be noted that the prices can vary considerably from dealer to dealer - especially if accompanied with other medals or documentation.  Some jeweler's copy clasps have been hallmarked. Each clasp has different manufacturing styles:  (1) flat single ribbon width, wide lettering  - ca. 3.1-3.2 cm long, .5+cm tall, .05 cm thick (2) flat single ribbon width, narrow lettering - ca. 3.1-3.2 cm long, .5+cm tall, .05 cm thick  (3) flat 1 1/2 ribbon width, wide lettering  (4) flat 1 1/2 ribbon width, narrow lettering  (5) thick single ribbon width, hollow back, "fat" wide lettering - ca. 3.1-3.2 cm long, .6cm tall, .1cm thick (6) flat single ribbon width, tall & wide lettering and ca. 25% taller than the official clasps - ca. 3.1 cm long, .6cm tall,  .05cm thick.  There are 2 different attachment methods:  (A) slip-on  (B) prong back - and there are different styles to the prongs.  It's important to note that the clasp background is pebbled and is not flat or smooth (a good indicator of a suspicious clasp).  Another tip is that if you view the edge, it is smooth, there is no ridge showing the mold separation because the original clasps were struck from dies.  BELFORT is currently unknown in Type 4, Type 5, or Type 6 clasp although a Type 5 clasp is suspected of existing as a manufacturer sample.  Since the majority of BELFORT clasps are available as singles, it is possible that multiple clasp medal analysis may shed new information.  The following is a list of clasps which have been noted on the market:

• Sep. 1977 (Type 3B, $15), USA dealer.
• 1993 (Type 1, €33), German dealer. 
• July 1995 (KDM with Type 3B, GBP 50), UK dealer.
• Aug. 1998 (Type 4B, $60), USA dealer.
• Feb 1999 (damaged KDM with damaged Type 1, €75), German dealer.
• Jan. 2001 (Type 3B, €40), German dealer.
• Sep. 2002, (suspectible Type 1A, $75), USA dealer.
• Aug. 2004 (Type 3B, €35), German dealer.
• Dec. 2004 (Type 3B, €40), German dealer.
• Sep. 2005 (prongs damaged Type 3B, €30), German dealer.
• Jan. 2006 (Type 2B, €75), German dealer. 
• Jan. 2006 (damaged Type 3B, €50), German dealer.
• Feb. 2006 (remounted KDM with this clasp and A.D. LISAINE - both type 3B - plus 1 other unspecified clasp & Centenary Medal & Landwehr Long Service Award), German private collection.
• Sep. 2006 (1 prong repaired, very similar to Type 3B except a fairly flat background with reverse patina, €35), German dealer.
• Nov. 2006 (Type 4B, €30 - suspect), German dealer.
• Feb. 2007 (Type 3B, €125), Dutch dealer.
• May 2007 (very similar to Type 3B except a flatter background, €?), eBay.
• May 2007 (Another, very similar to Type 3B except a flatter background, €52.01), eBay.

For your convenience, other associated guides can be found at:  http://reviews.ebay.com/1870-1871-Franco-Prussian-War-Medal-clasps_W0QQugidZ10000000002349162 and http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Medal-Guides-Index_W0QQugidZ10000000002386112.  Please visit my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) and/or guides for further information.  Thank you for your visit!