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  A family of Skanderbegs from Albania

  By Kallarati Heroik · Posted 13 minutes ago

  ***SUSPICIOUS PIECE*** The screw not original of the albanian orders. And that strange half of hallmark. Looks like a half of 8 (eight).
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  John Robert Series a man who actually never existed

  By archie777 · Posted 14 minutes ago

  I found the following article in a Medal Auction catalog many years ago and kept it, because its worth sharing. Unfortunately no information, who did the research   Here is an unusual occurrence a WW1 casualty pair and plaque to John Robert Series a man who actually never existed! While browsing an auction catalogue I came across a War Medal and Victory Medal pair to 306920 Pte. J.R. Series Royal Warwickshire Regiment together with matching memorial plaque to John Robert Series. I checked John out on the CWGC web site and found he was an April 1918 casualty with the 2nd/7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment, no family or next of kin details where given, no suprise there as they often are not present anyway. Except in this case there never would be any next of kin details as John Robert Series technically never existed! John Robert Shrimplin was born in West Ham in 1899, his father was Robert John Shrimplin a Fireman on the railways, his mother was Harriet Shrimplin. Tragedy was to strike the Shrimplin family just 12 months later when Harriet died during childbirth, the second son George Leonard Shrimplin survived. As a working man with a one year old and a brand new baby it is little suprise that Robert could not cope and had to "give up" his two baby sons to his relations and indeed move in with another brother John and his wife Mary. On the 1899 Census he is described as a 35 year old widower and his occupation is now given as Engine Driver GER. What of the 2 babies? John Robert is shown on the 1899 census as living with his Uncle and Aunt George and Lucy SERIES the name he chose to enlist under in September 1914, maybe as a sign of gratitude to his caring aunt and uncle? Or did he believe they were his parents we will never know. His service record is available on Ancestry which shows his enlistment in the 4th Battalion of the Hampshire regiment and after 2 years home service his transfer into the 2/8th and ultimately the 2/7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Then a fantastic find within his service record which started this detective trail A letter from his Wife enquiring if the medals of her late husband 306920 J R Series could actually be issued named to John Robert Shrimplin his real name, she is Daisy Frances Caroline Liddiard and had married John on 11.12.1915 in St Peters Brighton. I assume a birth/baptism certificate had to be produced for the marriage to be performed and so she had of course became Mrs Shrimplin. The response from the Ministry was to be expected! As John enlisted as J R Series and served as J R Series then his medals would be named John Robert Series. So I now knew John's fascinating story and why his medals bore another surname at this point I nearly fell of my chair! The next group listrd in the catalogue I was browsing was: A group of three WWI Naval medals, comprising War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-15 star awarded to K.2692 G. L. Shrimplin Sto. 1. R.N. George Leonard Shrimplin was John's infant brother and the surviving child from the death of their mother, I was first of all stunned that they had stayed together especially with the mixed family names and secondly new I had to have both groups. Then I started to look a bit more closely at George and immediately discovered how the medals had remained together! George Leonard Shrimplin married Ada E Labourn in 1917 in Poplar Middlesex incredibly she died in Childbirth in September 1922, again as so often was the case the child (also Ada) survived. Then in December 1923 George Leonard Shrimplin married Daisy Frances Caroline Shrimplin, his late brothers Widow. Probably the only reason both groups stayed together and sadly it appears only a small respite for both of them as Georges death is recorded in 1929 aged just 39. Daisy, well she married again in 1950 one Arthur P Baker and she finally passed away aged 93 in 1981! Some amazing family history and thanks to Ancestry I managed to keep two brothers together.   Researcher Unknown
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  Order of Good Hope Decoration

  By archie777 · Posted 32 minutes ago

  Neck Badge of the Order of Good Hope Decoration - Commander or Grand Officer– Knighthood Order This is the 1st bulky type with proper enamel and old type South African Coat of Arms and silk ribbon.  The later versions were thinner with poorly painted enamel. Post 1994 the coat of arms was changed. Very few were awarded at this level.  Complete with full-length neck ribbon.  This cost £2000in the day to make.  Each ribbon had to be hand fitted to create the V shape. It is either the Commander Grade or Grand Officer.  The Order of Good Hope or Order of the Cape of Good Hope has been a knighthood order of the Republic of South Africa. The Order of Good Hope was founded in 1973 by the republican government of South Africa to grant those who have distinguished themselves in the promotion of the international relationships and to have sensibilised the general interest towards South Africa and was abolished in 2002. President Nelson Mandela had announced his intention to reform the Order. The new South African government saw the Order as a relic of apartheid, above all because of the insignia considered too European (the rays, the colours, the anchor and the Latin motto of the Order. Also, the insignia was costing the government around ZAR11,000 in 1994 (£2000 in 1994) per initiate. In its place was created the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo. Awarded to foreign citizens (and, from 1980 to 1988, to South Africans too), for promoting international relations with the increasingly isolated apartheid state. The order was originally divided into five classes: Grand Collar – for heads of state only. Grand Cross – for heads of government, ministers of state, judges, presidents of legislatures, secretaries of state, ambassadors, commanders-in-chief, and others. Grand Officer – for legislators, envoys, senior military officers, and others. Commander – for chargés d'affaires, consuls-general, colonels, and others. Officer – for consuls, lower-ranking military officers, and others. The order was reorganised in 1988: Grand Cross – for excellent meritorious service (heads of state and, in special cases, heads of government). Grand Officer – for outstanding meritorious service (heads of government, ministers of state, judges, presidents of legislatures, secretaries of state, ambassadors, commanders-in-chief, and others). Commander – for exceptionally meritorious service (legislators, envoys, senior military officers, and others). Officer – for meritorious service (chargés d'affaires, consuls-general, colonels, and others). Member – for exceptional service (consuls, lower-ranking military officers, and others).
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  Order of Alexander Nevsky original?

  By Ferdinand · Posted 44 minutes ago

  Looks good to me.
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  Patriotic Women’s Association Badges

  By TracA · Posted 1 hour ago

  The last of the most recently acquired Patriotic Women’s Association badges is a Preferential Treatment Member Badge. This type is brand new to my collection. See Medals of Asia at https://asiamedals.info/threads/preferential-treatment-member-badge-of-womens-patriotic-association.23779/.   The badge is made of bronze and approximately 25.4 mm in diameter. The bow is approximately 29 mm wide and 40 mm long. The colors are white and red with the following stripe pattern from either top or bottom: 3 mm white; 3 mm red; 4 mm white; 12 mm red; 4 mm white; 3 mm red; 3 mm white. The stickpin on the reverse is approximately 42 mm long. There is no inscription on the obverse but the reverse has a three column inscription. In the center is 愛國婦人會 for “Women’s Patriotic Association”; on the right is 優待 for “Preferential Treatment”; on the left is 員章 for “Member Badge”.   The box is of white cardboard in the matchbox style, with the following dimensions: 67 mm long X 55 mm wide X 14 mm high. On the lid in black, stamped kanji are the name of the badge and the maker. The center column is 優待員章 for “Preferential Treatment Member Badge” and the left column is 東京 玉宝堂製 for “Tokyo, Made by Gyokuhōdō”.     It is a humble but aesthetically pleasing badge.   Tracy   Obverse:       Reverse:     Cardboard box lid: