France LdH

[Bison]

Hello Eric

This is a Commander, the grand cross is supposed to be 70mm.

You are right, it is a model of the "Third Republic", 1870-1951.

It is very nice looking, because of the centers which are in three pieces. The manufacturer could be identified with his marks, usually stamped on the observe at the bottom of the ribbons.

Thank you for sharing your L?gion d'honneur with us.

Regards

Bison

[Eric Stahlhut]

bison, the pleasure is all mine!

thank you very much for the clarification regarding the grade.

i have inspected the order and cannot find any maker marks anywhere...

~e

[Bison]

Hello Eric

It is surprizing that there is no maker mark on such a well looking order, but sometimes it occurs.

Anyway, have a look with a magnifier on the ribbons, I suspect there is something :

Sometimes, the marks are well hidden like this example :

Or this :

[Eric Stahlhut]

obverse

[Eric Stahlhut]

reverse

[Bison]

Bingo !

The target is on the observe:

It is not a mark of a goldsmith, but a mark for silver or silver gilt. It is a head of boar which garantees this metal as silver or silver gilt.

Like this:

Sometimes, the goldsmith stamps lie on the ring, but apparently, there is nothing.

Edited September 27, 2008 by Bison

[Eric Stahlhut]

again, thank you for your very informative help.

i initially noticed the indentation, but since it is so tiny i figured it to be some sort of flaw...

[Bison]

Hello Eric,

Yes, they are tiny and sometimes it is a real hunt to find them .

Now you have the scale of these marks, and you can start seeking marks on your other beautiful French LdH. I am sure you'll find some, and I assume very interesting ones.

Yours

Bison

[joe campbell]

interesting thread and great pictures/information.

can anyone give me an approximate value of a

first empire, third type with original ribbon in

very good condition?

my thanks!

joe

[Bison]

Ou lah lah !

A third type, silver, in very good conditions, with the manufacturer identified... I would say around 1,500 - 2,000 ?... something like that... may be more in auctions... and much more if the owner is known

:rolleyes:

[Bison]

An example Here

:cheeky:

[Eric Stahlhut]

just a small note from my perspective now that the subject of money has been broached.

they are not for sale; please do not ask me if i would like to part with any of them, especially if you "want to pin it on a uniform" (which may quite likely be from the wrong era), and then send me a very snide response after i very politely decline.

it was not joe campbell, whom i consider to be a fine gentleman, nor anyone else who has participated in this thread, btw.

thank you for your consideration, and again: many thanks to all who have helped me with these items.

cordially,

:beer:

[joe campbell]

eric!

i'm flattered!

M. Bison-

thank you for the site reference.

mine is actually in better shape.

while not perfect, the enamel has

relatively few, and small, chips.

the ribbon is ~10-12 cm with little

in the way of fading.

merci beaucoup!

joe

[Bison]

De rien, Joe !

Eric,

I would be very pleased to continue this discussion about the L?gion d'honneur, which is an endless topic with all the variations and particularities of the makers.

:beer:

Edited September 29, 2008 by Bison

[Eric Stahlhut]

De rien, Joe !

Eric,

I would be very pleased to continue this discussion about the L?gion d'honneur, which is an endless topic with all the variations and particularities of the makers.

aha! i think i understand your hint--would you like to help me find marks on the other examples so we can find out more about them?

[Bison]

Yes indeed Eric !

Marks hunting is my entertainment, even if at the end I am always a single poor ignorant... This helps me to know a little more each day.

But sometimes these small symbols tell us a true story and then it is really exciting.

:jumping:

[Eric Stahlhut]

very well, i will set aside some time this week in order to retrieve the orders from a bank box and take some pics!

~e

[Bison]

YEEEES !

Thanks a lot for sharing :beer:

[Eric Stahlhut]

july monarchy

obverse:

Edited September 30, 2008 by Eric Stahlhut

[Eric Stahlhut]

and the reverse:

[Bison]

Thanks for these perfect pictures. On the reverse you can see a mark with a beautiful head of eagle, which means the metal is full gold.

Congratulations for this beautiful officer.

I can see on your previous pics that the ring of this medal is striated (I am not sure of the wording). This could be a sign of the oldest models. Is there any other mark on the ring? I think no, but who knows...

[Eric Stahlhut]

unfortunately there are no markings on the fluted ring.

here is the obverse of the restauration example:

[Eric Stahlhut]

reverse:

[Eric Stahlhut]

and the mark on the reverse of the ring:

[Bison]

This is probably a half-size, and sometimes, there is no marks on it...

Normally, for a silver piece like this, you may find a head of hare on the ribbons.

The head of hare is a mark for silver between 1819 and 1838.

Here is one of mine :

With the famous head of hare :

BUT on the ring, I see a "faisceau de licteurs" (I do not know how to translate that), which was stamped between 1809 and 1819!

A faisceau de licteurs is like this :

Eric, your LdH was manufactured just after the 1st Empire 1815, and before 1819 ! Congratulations :beer: