new world

OMG! This is 1st class star and cross in original cases of issue, exceptionally rare!!!

Agreed, this star looks suspect, details are lacking.

Correct, about 3 times higher. Also, enamel they use most likely is not real enamel, so it's not that expensive. From the photos it looks like paint was used, especially on reverse.

Fake Ferdinand Election medal 1st class (on the left). This is a converted 3rd class medal (in the middle) with enamel applied to the center elements. Authentic medal is on the right, you can clearly see distinct features of 1st class (rays under red enamel, details in center on reverse, etc.).

Dmitriy Yazov, last living bearer of highest military rank Marshal of The Soviet Union died today. RIP Feb-8, 2024 to Feb-25, 2020 He was Minister of Defense 1987-1991. Member of failed coup of August 1991 to save Soviet Union. Highly decorated: Soviet Union Order of Lenin, twice Order of the October Revolution Order of the Red Banner Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class Order of the Red Star Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class Medal "For Military Merit" Medal "For Impeccable Service", 1st and 2nd classes Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Medal "For Strengthening Military Cooperation" Medal "For Development of the Virgin Lands" Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" jubilee medals And many foreign and modern Russian awards http://en.wikibedia.ru/wiki/Dmitriy_Yazov https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Язов,_Дмитрий_Тимофеевич

Excellent item, great find - congratulations!

Perhaps one of the reason is that Grand Cross star does not really look like Bravery award, as there is no white cross for what it is known to most of people. It looks more like a foreign award than Bravery. Badge of 1st class on the other hand can be clearly seen from a distance and in the photographs. Probably Bulgarian Tsars wanted to make sure there's no confusion and everyone who sees them with the cross with skulls knows what they are wearing?

it's a rare badge, not many people here seen it, not sure you will get any opinions here.

I am speechless!!! Where are these awards located, which museum?

Again I saw this Observer Badge, which is of really low quality compared to known originals. I see them coming up for sale more often. I decided to do side-by-side comparison - questionable badge is on the left, real badge on the right. Main differences: - Flat looking eagle, lack of details, - Flat wreath, details are lacking, no relief on reserve, - Different lion on red shield, no vertical stripes, - No details for mountains below the sun, - Miloshev mark - some letters don't even look right, i.e. - look at the last letter in Strahil and Miloshev - they look more like Latin Z than Cyrilic letter. You would think that Bulgarian maker would get their own alphabet correct. What do you think? Can we conclude that these badges are fake?

Had cockades would sell for a nice amount if authentic (there are a lot of copies out there). Not sure about value of the plate.

Fake Observer badge

Copy of St Alexander 3rd class made by Gode. It even comes with a certificate. These used to be sold about 20 years ago, covered many countries.

I recently saw this Serbian medal bar with strange St Alexander with swords. St Alexander is in wrong position, it looks like it's on the ribbon for Romanian order. In addition, awards itself is quite unusual. My guess is this is privately made order.

Poshev's Bravery cross and Mil Merit look unusual.

First time me seeing this super rare Order of Bravery 2nd class award in case if issue!!! Version 1915 was awarded during WWI. Just to give you an idea of how scarce this award is - total of only 16 awards were presented in this version, with just 9 given to Bulgarian Generals!!! I've seen couple of these awards without the case, this is first time in my collecting career that I encountered this medal in original case of issue!

$1800 for a modified 4th class? What are they smoking?

It looks like this same C&M set was sold at Klenau auction in 1978. Interestingly, there was also small collar for sale, which leads me to believe that full line of C&M insignia was made by someone. Is it possible that a collector or a museum commissioned some jeweler to make them all grades of C&M award? Someone who realized that he would never be able to collect all real insignia and decided to go for close looking copies?

I saw this post on GMIC about amazing the longest chain known to exist with 48(!!!!!) miniatures of the decorations. It was made by Godet around 1910. One of them is 1st or 3rd class of Bulgarian Saint Alexander order (green cross).

If that's the case, then we should not be taking endorsements of this "royal fund" seriously. 922F set it straight - these are fantasy pieces, made from scratch for collectors. They resemble real awards and could fool most collectors at the times when information was scarce, but today we have enough reference materials to reject these imitations. What bothers me is the fact that this modern royal fund puts these imitations on the same level as authentic awards. Think about it - someone bought these at the auction, with no history, provenance or maker attribution, no proof these were ever awarded or even worn, yet this society decides they are legitimate. Why? Because they were donated? This is insane!

What you are saying is that some of these "copies" were made from leftover parts, such as unrelated, generic star bases, with newly manufactured elements on top of them.

These don't even look like collectors copies, which are supposed to be exact replica of the originals. I've seen some high quality copies made for collectors, they were practically indistinguishable from the originals. The idea is that collectors can purchase copies that look exactly like originals, from the same materials (silver, enamels) or from same looking substitutes (i.e. gold plated instead of pure gold). Such copies were made because originals were impossible to obtain due to rarity or prohibitive price. Also, those copies did not cost $8,000, more like hundreds of dollars. These items sold by eMedals look more like fantasy pieces.

Based on the information provided this set for sale by eMedals is not real. Dealer knows something that made him describe these awards as copies. If he could he would have happily sell them as originals and would have asked much higher price. He is a dealer after all and I never saw a dealer voluntarily downgrading value of the items he's selling. Did anyone ask Barry what's the story behind these medals? I'd be curious to know what he says.

Boris is certainly wearing old style star. Look how dark are wings around the head in the center, they are dark (red) color like on old designs, not grey color like on new star.

2nd class of Bravery order. Type 1 - 7 dots. Note repair on section where crown connects to the cross.