WWI Merit Medal Collection

[rdb3]

I've been thinking about putting together a little collection as a way of getting back into the hobby after being away from it for years. My idea is to assemble a display with the most low level/basic "merit" type medals of the First World War, one for each of the participating countries. My enthusiasm for this kind of stuff has always surpassed my knowledge and I really don't know much about the awards from most of these nations.

I went into this with the Iron Cross 2nd Class as my baseline. From there I just tried to find the decorations from the other countries that seemed most comparable. The below list is what I came up with. Are these the ones you would go for to put this type of collection together? Are these medals even comparable to one another? Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Germany - Iron Cross 2nd Class
France - Croix de Guerre 1914-1918
Great Britain - Military Cross
Russia - Cross of St. George
Italy - Bronze Medal of Military Valor
Austro-Hungarian Empire - Military Merit Medal (or possibly Bronze Medal for Bravery)
Ottoman Empire - Ottoman War Medal (or possibly the Liakat Medal)
United States - None???

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

Ehhhh... How about just collecting such as TR War Merit Crosses of all varients and grades.. or NSDAP armbands,or basic NSDAP Party badges, etc.. or USA flags... or USA Bronze Stars, etc.. get what I am suggesting.. IMO your list is just a hodge podge of medals..but that is my opinion