The Imperial German Colonial Medal (Kolonialdenkmünze) was established by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II on 13 June 1912 with revisions on 17 February 1914.  The medal with clasps was awarded retroactively.  This guide will address only the clasp for DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA 1893 and was worn only officially on the bronze combatant version of the Kolonialdenkmünze. 

The clasp DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA 1893 was awarded for actions in July 1893 by Herbertshöhe (now Kokopo), Papua New Guinea (which later became a District seat).  The outlying area around Herbertshöhe was attacked by it’s bandit neighbors and the colonial government had received demands to increase the security of this commercial and emerging political center.  A number of Police Troop patrols (each led by a German Polizeimeister - a Police Sergeant), consisting of less than 100 men total, were sent out from Herbertshöhe to establish security.  Historically, the result of this was that in 1893 the German Colonial Civil Servant Paul Kolbe built a country house with a perfect panorama view of Herbertshöhe and its’ harbor and set about establishing extensive coconut plantations which encouraged the economic development of the area for generations.  Also in 1893, Eugen Brandeis became the Judge at Herbertshöhe (serving only until 1894 but was a major influence) and founded the future development of the area as a major political center which continues to this day.  If you are interested in details of these events, some internet sites provide further information (the absolute best specialist sources are in German while the Australian sources are improving dramatically) but specialized history and linguistic books are the best English language sources.

This clasp was awarded only to Imperial German Colonial Police Troops.  New Guinea troops did not total over 600 at any one time.  It's interesting to note that evidence indicates that there were some recipients of the non-combatant (steel) Imperial German Colonila Medal without clasp for participating in this action.  While the medal is somewhat rare, these bronze clasps are very rare due to the high demand for an example of the first DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA clasp being awarded.  Currently, this bronze clasp is only known one type:  same width as the ribbon, wide lettering, pebbled background and with sharp flat prong backs.

• In 1999, a single clasp was sold in Germany for €256  
• In Feb. 2002, a single clasp was sold in Germany for €300
• In July 2006, a single clasp was offered in Germany for €500+

If you are interested in obtaining this clasp, my best advice is:  Purchase only from a dealer who specialized in Imperial German medals and will offer you a 100% guarantee.  For your convenience, other associated guides can be found at:  http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Medal-Guides-Index_W0QQugidZ10000000002386112  and/or  http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Colonial-Medal-DEUTSCH-NEUGUINEA_W0QQugidZ10000000002379852.  If you found this guide helpful, a Yes vote is appreciated.  This will help me gauge the level of interest in this and similar topics for further guides.  Please visit my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) for further information.  Thank you for your visit!