Royal Saxon Orders of Albrecht from the collection of Dresden Münzkabinett

The Albrecht Order/Albert Order (German: Albrechts-Orden/Albrechtsorden) was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, science and art.

The design was a Christian cross with a bust of Albert the Bold at the centre. In 1875, however, it was discovered the bust was in fact the wrong Albert, Albert the Perennial, and the correct image was substituted and used thereafter.

The class structure of the Albert Order changed several times /Order statute was revised on December 9, 1870, January 31, 1876 and May 4, 1883/.

At first, there were five classes: Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross 1st Class (Komturkreuz I), Commander's Cross 2nd Class (Komturkreuz II), Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) and Small Cross (Kleinkreuz). These provided the basis for a series of changes over the following forty years. On 18 March 1858, the Small Cross was renamed as the Honor Cross (Ehrenkreuz) and a sixth class was established with a gold and silver Merit Medal (Verdienstmedaille). In 1860, the order was expanded to include a military division and from that time it could be awarded with crossed swords.

The medals were abolished on 2 February 1876 and the Knights Cross was split into two classes. On 30 April 1884, a gold Great Cross was added and on 11 June 1890, the Officer's Cross was inserted into the Order between the Knight's Cross 1st Class and the Commander's Cross 2nd Class. So, at its abolition in 1918, the Order was structured thus:

Gold Grand Cross (Goldgroßkreuz)
Grand Cross (Großkreuz)
Commander's Cross 1st Class (Komturkreuz I. Klasse)
Commander's Cross (Komturkreuz II. Klasse)
Officer's Cross (Offizierskreuz)
Knight's Cross 1st Class (Ritterkreuz I. Klasse)
Knight's Cross 2nd Class (Ritterkreuz II. Klasse)
Honor Cross (Ehrenkreuz)
Merit Cross (Verdienstkreuz)

An award of swords indicated a recipient's bravery in wartime. If, however, a recipient was subsequently awarded a higher grade in the Order, he could lose the bravery distinction attached to the superseded grade (regulations only allowed the display of the insignia of the highest awarded grade). This anomaly was solved in 1906 by allowing the addition of Swords by replacement of insignia. A recipient, however, had to pay the cost of replacement and this appears to have inhibited the numbers of such replacements.​

Golden Breast Star to the Grand Cross with Silver Crown and Swords (most likely made by Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg workshop in Dresden).

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 92.8 mm.
Weight 106.23 g.

 

Breast star to the Grand Cross made by Moritz Elimeyer, Dresden.

Moritz Elimeyer was born on June 17, 1810 in Dresden, Germany into a Jewish-German family. His family was already respected in the jewelry and goldsmith industry, as his grandfather already worked as a court factor at the Saxon royal court. Elimeyer applied for the title of royal court jeweler after the death of the court jeweler Ignaz Conrad Plödterl. Several other craftsmen protested Elimeyer's application because of his Jewish background, but he was granted the title in 1836 as he had hired the Dresden goldsmith Eckert to work at his firm. Elimeyer did not personally hold a master craftsman's certificate because a royal decree permitted Jewish people from holding one. In 1836, Moritz Elimeyer was first listed in the Dresden address book as a royal court jeweler.​

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 82.8 mm.
Weight 55.2 g.

 

Breast star to the Commander's Cross 1st Class with Swords made by the Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg, Dresden.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 89.3 mm.
Weight 63.67 g.

 

Breast star to the Commander's /Komtur/ Cross 1st Class made by Godet, Berlin.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 88.7 mm.
Weight 56.79 g.

Marked "Godet in Berlin".

 

Grand Cross/Commander's Cross with Swords.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 113 x 54 mm.
Weight 55.30 g.

 

Grand Cross/Commander's Cross without Swords.

Gold, enamel.
Size 111.5 x 53 mm.
Weight 33.68 g.

 

Grand Cross/Commander's Cross with Swords made by Glaser & Sohn workshop in Dresden.

Silver, gilt, enamel.
Size 89 x 52.6 mm.
Weight 59.28 g.

 

Officer's Cross.

Gold, enamel.
Size 69 x 46 mm.
Weight 25.18 g.

 

Knight's Cross 1st Class with Swords.

Gold, enamel.
Size 58 x 37 mm.
Weight 15.59 g.

 

Knight's Cross 1st Class with Crown.

Gold, enamel.
Size 62 x 38 mm.
Weight 20.22 g.

 

Knight's Cross 1st Class made by Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg, Dresden.

Gold, enamel.
Size 61.2 x 38.9 mm.
Weight 24.37 g.

 

Knight's Cross 1st Class made by Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg, Dresden.

Gold, enamel.
Size 50 x 38 mm.
Weight 23.40 g.

 

Knight's Cross 2nd Class with swords made by Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg, Dresden.

Gold, enamel.
Size 57 x 34 mm.
Weight 16.64 g.

 

Knight's Cross 2nd Class made by Gustav Adolph Scharffenberg, Dresden.

Gold, enamel.
Size 56.5 x 34.5 mm.
Weight 16.83 g.

 

Merit Cross with Swords.

Silver.
Size 46 x 34.1 mm.
Weight 17 g.

 

Merit Cross.

Silver.
Size 54 x 34 mm.
Weight 14.89 g.

 

Medal of the Royal Saxon Order of Albrecht.

Silver.
Size 45.8 x 30.7 mm.
Weight 22.19 g.

 

Medal of the Royal Saxon Order of Albrecht.

Copper.
Size 36.8 x 30.5 mm.
Weight 28.38 g.