This guide will address only the METZ clasp which was worn on the Imperial German 1870-1871 Kriegdenkmünze. The clasp METZ was awarded for the seige of Metz in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War (1 of 4 seige clasps on the KDM).  The METZ clasp was authorized in 1895 and made available for private purchase.     

METZ clasps (Type 3B & 5B)

It currently seems that there was less than 20 manufacturers of official clasps.  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 cm long, .5+cm tall, .05 cm thick (2) flat single ribbon width, narrow lettering - ca. 3.1 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. 3.1cm long, .6cm tall, .1cm thick (6) flat single ribbon width, tall & wide lettering and ca. 25% taller than the official clasps - 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 (or cross-hatched) in all cases and is not flat or smooth (a good indicator of a copy 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.  METZ is common as a single loose clasp but there is a high market demand which drives the price higher than expected.   The following is a list of clasps which have been noted on the market:

• Type 1B (1993), German dealer.
• Type 3B (1993), German dealer.
• unmounted KDM with COLOMBEY-NOUILLY and METZ (Sep. 2002, €75), German dealer.
• remounted KDM with METZ (Type 3B) & 1897 Centenary Medal & Kyffhäuserbund Medal with +METZ+ and crossed swords (Jan. 2003), on display with German dealer.
• unmounted KDM with COLOMBEY-NOUILLY and METZ - both Type 3B (Sep. 2005, €100), German dealer.
• Type 2B (Sep. 2005, €30), German dealer.
• unmounted KDM with COLOMBEY-NOUILLY and METZ - both Type 1B (Oct. 2006, €75 - damaged), eBay. 
• mounted KDM with GRAVELOTTE-ST.PRIVAT and METZ & 1866 Austria-Prussian War Medal & Centenary Medal (specialist German collection, Nov. 2006)
• Type 3B (Dec. 2006, €60), German dealer.
• Type 5B (Jan. 2007, €60), German dealer.

There is a series of clasps bearing this name that are made for the various WWI veteran medals.  They are typically distinguished by having a flat (or relatively flat) background or with the wording +METZ+ or made of a type of metal noticably different than the 1870-1871 KDM (and very often it's very similar to the Kyffhäauserbund Medal) and are very rarely Type 6.  They are normally similar to Type 2B and 3B - with longer than normal original prongs which are typically flat and slightly beveled.  While these clasp are collector items in themselves, they are not original official clasps for the KDM.  There are a few exceptions to these general rules but these are best left to a specialist collector. 

Jeweler's copies and forgeries are common as well as the clasps awarded with the various veteran organization medals post-WWI.  For your convenience, other associated guides can be found at:  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!