The Military Honor Medal was typically awarded during wars when the Iron Cross was not.

The General Honor Decoration for civil merit was suspended from a white with orange striped ribbon, while the Military Honor Medal was suspended from a black ribbon with white stripes.

The obverse of the medallion bore the inscription VERDIENST UM DEN STAAT (Merit for the State) in three lines, while the reverse bore the crowned cypher of Friedrich Wilhelm III, the founder of the award.

[3] The 2nd class was a 39 mm circular silver medal also bearing the inscription VERDIENST UM DEN STAAT on its obverse, surrounded by a laurel wreath, with the reverse depicting a large crowned cypher of Friedrich Wilhelm III.

In 1830, the General Honor Decoration, 1st class, became the Fourth Class of the Order of the Red Eagle, with the medallion in the center of the cross being replaced by an enamelled insignia of the Order of the Red Eagle.