Nick

This is a difficult one to achieve. Police collecting is very niche, I would love to be able to oblige but for it to work it would probably need some separation form the main server/club. Would be interested to hear if there is any appetite for it ?

Yes that will be the issue, has to have a customs declaration now from UK to EU so if it was missing will either get seized or if lucky sent back.

International mail is slower to arrive in the UK it seems at the moment. I bought a low value item from the US and it took weeks to arrive (no VAT or customs charges due) but it was sent by USPS which is expensive and slow. Depends how things are posted. You are better off using a fast parcel service like UPS or Fedex for expensive items other than the post, more reliable and VAT and customs can be pre arranged. People importing stuff to the UK are getting caught out by VAT and customs charges on EU goods. I am surprised you have had issues with a magazine though, as that is not really going to attract VAT or customs duties. Do you think it is more the photo content of the magazine with WW2 stuff maybe falling foul of German laws ?

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The rules are quite clear politics have no place here. This includes political memes and photos. As proven time and time again, all it leads to is discord, arguments and problems.

It makes a change to see someone get a knighthood which actually demonstrates what the award should be for. It's not just for those that have a measure of personal wealth, sporting achievment, privilege or celebrity, which seem often to be today's criteria for such an award.

I don't really drink that much these days, but there is something about a hot cup of Char that can't be beaten when you are cold wet and miserable. Has to be with milk and although I prefer it sweet with a teaspoon of sugar, these day I usually go without. When the mood takes me I will also drink Earl Grey (with milk of course). But if I am honest my favourite brew is coffee (espresso) can't stand instant coffee, though although I do like Camp coffee which is another British thing from days gone by. Having said that I am also rather partial to Iced Tea, which really is sacrilegious to many this side of the pond.

This seems to be a genuine query. Anyone interested PM me and I will give you his contact details.

It would be nice to establish any trade mark features on these medals to help identify these fakes, that is if they are as good as they purport to be. Makes you realise if someone can do this as a cottage industry what could be achieved with real industrial facilities and expertise. He got greedy, that appears to be what gave him away.

It looks like this to me but the odd word may be wrong ? The Police Commissioners inform me that Ivory papers will enable the holders to stay up to the last moment possible nearly up to the time the pro(cession?) appears

More sad news. RIP Audrey Thanks for the update.

I agree with you Paul, Customs seems to be the most likely explanation fits with the collar tabs and cap.

And the article highlights the difficult issue of how do you determine who qualifies for such a medal. I am not saying there shouldn't be one, but for example a campaign medal will be awarded for all those in operational theatre for the prescribed number of days. Doesn't matter you role, whether you are front line at most risk or in a support role, if you are there for the number of days required you qualify. When the conflict is on your home soil there is no geographical boundary so days served is a bit of a mute point. But as has been said already do you give it to only front line staff on COVID Wards/ ITU, paramedics or do you give it to all NHS staff regardless of role. Then there are the thousands of others all risking their health and lives to keep the country going care workers in private nursing homes, social workers, volunteers, key workers, police etc etc, There comes a point when there are so many deserving people where do you draw the line.

Well for a first finished painting that is a particularly fine work, well done I wish I could paint like that ! I really like the bust as well. My skills go as far as helping the kids paint their Warhammer figures. Although I think I am now more into it than they are, as I am finding it a great way to relax in the evening.

In the UK there are 1.2million NHS workers in England alone you then need to factor in Scotland, NI and Wales., if you then consider any other persons such as NHS volunteers 700,000 of them or other public facing key workers involved in the fight like police, military, Border Force, council employees, Public Health bodies etc etc Then there are charity workers exposing themselves to help people in unfortunate circumstances. Thats the tip of the iceberg and a lot of people to consider. The criteria would have to be very strict to make such a medal feasible i.e. front line carers exposing themselves to high risk of infection. But then that would denigrate other essential persons who have placed themselves at high risk of infection for example cleaning staff, in hospitals. We need to see how this pans out in the long term, as it is just the beginning. You may be right that like WW2 a series of medals needs to be considered dependent on role. Call me a cynic but the one factor in the UK that will without a doubt influence any such decisions will be the role the military play in this. If they are deployed in significant numbers, then standby for medals to be issued. If not then other than recognising the acts of a few key individuals such as the usual bigwigs at the top, or those that have sadly paid the ultimate sacrifice or placed themselves at immense risk is the more likely option.

Andrej now working fine. Cheers John for sorting that one out.

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.

Prosper no longer frequents this forum.