This guide will address only the TOGO 1898/99 clasp which was worn on the Kolonialdenkmünze. The Imperial German Colonial Medal (Kolonialdenkmünze) was established by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 13 June 1912 with revisions on 17 February 1914.  The medal with clasps was awarded retroactively.  If you are interested in details of these events, some internet sites provide further information (the absolute best specialist sources are in German) but specialized history books are the best English language source.  An excellent reference is:  Schanz, Moritz West-Afrika (Berlin, 1903).  

The clasp TOGO 1898/99 was awarded mainly to Togo Police Troops for Expedition to survey the border between Togo and French Dahomey, which shared a common border between 12 July 1898 to 17 November 1899.   This clasp was awarded only to African Imperial German Colonial Police Troops (mainly Hausas and a few Fanti) but there appears to be a number of Europeans and Africans who were attached as members of the Survey Party.  Less than 775 Togo Police Troops appear to have been authorized this clasp and possibly half  received the TOGO 1898/99 clasp in 1912.   It's interesting to note the similarities between this German medal and the British East and West Africa Medal with the clasps 1896-98, 1897-98, 1898, and 1899 but it's actually more closely associated with France. 

As of 15 February 2007, this bronze clasp is only known in one officially issued type:  same width as the ribbon, wide lettering, flat back, pebbled background and with soldered sharp flat prong backs.  This is not to say that another type wasn't officially issued as well but that only this one type has been verified.  While this should theoretically be a fairly common clasp, many French medal collectors have placed a demand on it which causes the value to increase out of proportion.  It's generally overpriced compared to some of the other less awarded clasps. 

• In 1993, a clasp was sold in Germany for €195
• In March 2007, a clasp was offered at a German flea market for €300 - suspected forgery (flat background - not pebbled, small & wrong type of lettering, artificial aged appearance, sides recently buffed - possibly to hide signs of casting, blunt flat prongs)

Copies and forgeries are known.  Most copies (typically cast) were made for collectors or re-enactors who required an example.  Please review my copy medal guide http://reviews.ebay.com/Worldwide-Military-Medals-Copy-Medal_W0QQugidZ10000000001875117 and forgery medal guide http://reviews.ebay.com/Worldwide-Military-Medals-Forgery-Medals_W0QQugidZ10000000001875079 for a more detailed explanation.  My best advice is:  Buy only from a reputable dealer who specializes in Imperial German medals and who will offer you a 100% guarantee for this clasp.

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 http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Colonial-Medal-TOGO_W0QQugidZ10000000002921216 or http://reviews.ebay.com/Imperial-German-Medal-Guides-Index_W0QQugidZ10000000002386112, my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) and/or guides for further information.  Thank you for your visit!