drclaw

The vibrancy and richness of the Emir's robes are simply stunning. Robert Werlich's book has a funny story that the Emir used to distribute Bukhara orders freely to all and sundry to save on tipping! He did not survive the Revolution I believe.

Nick, the 2nd Class Rising Sun in #261. Is this Chinese made fake or Japanese "collectors copy"? I recall the Japanese copies are usually stamped and marketed as such.

That early Rising Sun case is amazing! It's the grand daddy of the cases we now associate with Japanese awards. Thanks for sharing these amazing images. Can't wait to see his Imperial Russian awards. He would have received some exquisite bling.

And Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson, Lance Corporal Jones and Private Godfrey from Dad's Army

These mean looking ladies are my favourite. No introduction needed

For Blackadder fans, Lord Flashheart, Bob the driver, Field Marshal Haig and an unidentified British officer

Dick Dastardly, Oddball from Kelly's Heroes and a fruity looking English officer complete with cigar

And now something completely different ... Hercule Poirot and the Gestapo dude from Raiders of the Lost Ark

Warlord cavalry on their hardy, shaggy ponies.

Warlord officers and a regular soldier. The officers wore better uniforms as opposed to the cheaply produced grey cotton uniforms of their men. Umbrellas were an essential kit item.

Some employees being downsized after a recent corporate merger ....

A field gun and machine gun. Most Warlord armies only had light artillery pieces and mountain guns. I don't know much about the actual military hardware so if anyone knows the makers of the field and machine gun, shout out. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2013/post-11630-0-01996800-1357428942.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2013/post-11630-0-49931500-1357428971.jpg

Now for some fun! These are 28 mm tin soldiers. First up, some Big Swords wielding their double handed Chinese swords. These were the Warlord's "Dare to Die" Shock Troops and supposedly the best motivated. They tended to die a lot. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2013/post-11630-0-82339000-1357428738.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2013/post-11630-0-21863500-1357428828.jpg

Nick's Kato thread in the Japan section with all those model kits was so much fun that I thought I'd add my own festive cheer for the New Year. First up, a mandatory medal. This is a Fourth Class Golden Grain. These aren't uncommon at all but other than some enamel loss at the 11 o'clock, it's a complete set with the original embroidered cloth covered case, ribbon with rosette, and the lapel rosette. The Golden Grain and Precious Brilliant Golden Grain were almost exclusively produced by the Central Mint in Tianjin although four branches were established at existing mints in Hankou, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Yunnan. It is possible that insignia were also produced at these branches using dies issued by the Tianjin Mint. This example has a mint mark on suspension ring which I can't quite decipher. Sorry about the multiple images. Everytime you delete an image and save a post for some reason it keeps the original image.

From the Morton & Eden April 2007 American Numismatic Society sale: * First Class - 199 * Second Class - 276 * Third Class - 602 * Fourth Class - 1682 * Fifth Class - 1140 * Sixth Class - 3961 * Seventh Class - 2410 * Eighth Class - 1297 * Ninth Class - 1574 December 2011: * Third Class - 751 November 2012: * Fourth Class - 680 * Sixth Class - 3299 * Eighth Class - 426 * Ninth Class - 512

Going back to the mysterious medal in #1, Li Gongqing's website has it listed as a Nanjing Puppet Government award. http://chinesemedal.wordpress.com/ Interestingly, the plum blossoms we've also encountered in the Order of the National Emblem I posted on another thread. The stars set in the blue edged squares design also recalls the Special Class of the Order of National Glory.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Nick! What a great thread and I especially liked the fact that you can buy model kits not just of Kato's plane, but the man himself! The Golden Kite itself is in pristine condition, as you would expect for a medal that was never worn.

Merry Christmas to everyone on GMIC! The Kretly lions have superb craftsmanship. Thanks for the explanation of the stars fixed between rays variation. It's something that has perplexed me and I'd associated that with earlier insignia. I might have missed it on one of the previous 34 pages (!) but has anyone seen the original statutes / design drawings?

Was admiring that collage again but noticed ... No Homer! Is he on the B-sides?

Thanks for taking the time to share you outstanding collection! I don't collect these but have always been fascinated by the history and beauty of the German orders. The Lippe orders would be my favourite. Do you take your photographs using a light box and special macro camera? The close-ups are superb and medal photography is something I've long struggled with.

Thanks for posting these Azyeoman. We don't get to see Japanese medal bars very often. Most Japanese decorations are, like Brian said, in cases and look as though they were never worn. Yours really tell the story of the individual.

OK, now I'm confused ... The one in posts #83-86 is stamped number 12 but it has the "guo" character before the serial number making it a later Taiwan version?

Thanks for another brilliant thread Nick. I've always been curious about this particular award because of its very elegant design but know next to nothing about it. I really need to spend more time learning about the Nationalist awards! It seems these were quite widely distributed but you don't see them appearing all that often. What do these normally go for?

VERY interesting Nick. I haven't seen this badge before. Thanks for posting. I'm currently reading a fascinating book on Manchukuo titled "Manchuria Under Japanese Dominion" by Professor Yamamuro Shin'ichi of Kyoto University. It is a very balanced and comprehensive look at the policies used by the Japanese to control their puppet state. I'm up to the part where he explains why the Japanese proceeded with the fiction of establishing an Empire with Puyi as Emperor when they had already left the League of Nations. http://www.bookdepository.com/Manchuria-Under-Japanese-Dominion-Shinichi-Yamamuro/9780812239126

Wow! I love see original ordinances. They are the ultimate primary source material for a historian. Good luck if you're having a shot at this!