Nick

Bedford Trucks ?

I believe as suggested already it was used during dry drills to prevent the hammer from breaking when repeatedly firing when using drill rounds or if the chambers were empty. I think it was a way of saving money by conserving ammunition, and preventing damage to the weapons.

Interesting medal worthy of further research if possible. Maybe he left Ireland and emigrated to Canada ? Have you looked at the records for an RIC or Dublin Metropolitan Police officer with that name ?

My May 1929 bible of Scotland Yard identifies 'A' Department was for Administration. A3 covered Promotions & Transfers, Pay Rates, Ceremonials, Special Duties, Medical & Sick, Police Orders. Previously called the Executive Branch A3 was mainly clerical duties, but also included Constables attached to Scotland Yard for special purpose such as motor drivers, and wireless operators. It also included the telegraph office.

Welcome to the forum

Rick's article has been archived for now and it was unfinished work. I will restore it at some point in the future. However all his images are still available here: http://gmic.co.uk/gallery/category/57-rick-lündstroms-german-ribbon-bars/

The problem with this as previously pointed out, is not so much the profit Weitze makes, it is how dealers artificially influence market prices. Any item is worth what the buyer wants to pay and high end pieces are always going to appeal to a certain market. Weitze is a business man, he wants to squeeze the biggest profit he can, he knows his customer base and obviously judged correctly what someone is willing to pay. This unfortunately just makes collecting become more and more unreachable with many high end pieces now far beyond the price the average collector can afford. This is the issue we face as a community, it is a shrinking hobby, becoming more and more exclusive. Many high end buyers being investors as opposed to true collectors. Sure your low end mass manufactured awards are still going to be affordable to most, with prices climbing at a much smaller margin, but their appeal becomes limited over time. You can only buy so many Iron Crosses, Purple Hearts or British War medals. So to keep expanding collections, looking for those rarer item requires deeper and deeper pockets. How many previous collectors do you know who are no longer collecting? Ask them why. A large proportion will be for financial reasons I can assure you. The last decade has seen this really hit home. Many specialist medal auctions are inhabited by dealers and investors, with collectors walking home disappointed and empty handed because prices are too demanding. I have seen time and time again good pieces being auctioned off for crazy prices appearing on dealers sites with an even higher price tag weeks or months later. The dealers need to buy stock and auctions is one of their largest suppliers.