drclaw

Very good observations Deiter, and certainly hit the nail on the head. Also agree with Ober's point. Some of the examples look as though they walked straight out of Tokyo Mint. One thing I'd add as a 'cultural' factor is something perhaps uniquely Japanese. The respect and reverence they have 'old things' which I believe is called 'sabi'. Hence, the appreciation of rustic, old tea cups, bonsai, caligraphy, etc. For many non-Japanese, a box of uncle Wilbur's old medals is simply a box of faded ribbons and tarnished metal sitting in a garage collecting dust. I'd suspect that in Japan, many of these medals would have been carefully wrapped in a silk cloth and preserved as a link to the past. Of course, that doesn't explain why so many of these 'family heirlooms' are making their way into YJA. But I guess that over the passage of years, families and possessions disperse, family circumstances change, etc.

Congratulations on your purchase, Markus! The workmanship is just exquisite and they look as though they just walked out of the jeweller on Saturday. These orders aren't common at all so a very nice pick-up. Thanks for sharing.

Hahaha! My bank manager thinks so too. My 40 year mortgage is now a 45 year mortgage. :lol:

Order of Independence. The reverse is a simple clasp pin. There are no inscriptions.

Hi Hugh, here are pics of the reverse. I understand that the markings denote the weight of the gold and silver. The screw piece is a replacement. Also arrived today, an Order of Independence (Istiqlal), Type III - 1926-29 (state arms on star), 2nd Class, in silver and (I believe) gilded bronze. It needed some elbow grease to restore it to the condition below. My thumb still feels numb from all the polishing!

My very first Kingdom of Afghanistan Order which I've identified as an Order of the Star (Nishan-e Ustur), Fourth Type (1931-60 - state arms within a grain wreath), Third Class, silver with gold centre. The Arabic symbol for the number 3 is visible at 11 o'clock on the centre. She has cleaned up well with a little soap / water and toothbrush, and a silver polishing cloth. What surprised me first was the sheer beauty and elegance of the design. And second, the sheer weight! At well over 80 grams, that's over 2.5 ounces of solid gold and silver! Thank you to Paul Wood, Hugh, 922F and others for helping out a newbie. Definitely smitten by these!

Hey Dieter, another beautiful addition to your collection Knowing very little about these Red Cross Orders, are their variations in the design of the medal and the case that would help you date them? Hazarding a guess, I'd say the old style kanji of the case suggests Meiji?

The Japanese medals never cease to amaze me in terms of their elegance and design. I've been limiting myself to collecting Kites and Machukuo Orders, but when you see examples like this ....

Lovely Dieter, thanks for posting. The Red Cross Merit medals have to be one of the nicest medals around in terms of design. As for the clasps on the case, just beautiful.

Here's a Fourth Class that arrived in the mail yesterday. You don't see many of these for some reason. It was heavily tarnished and whilst I was cleaning it, the rays fell off again! Water soluble vegetable gum. Makes it easier to clean the silver and I've re-attached the rays with sugar / water. Maybe one day, I'll have the rays of this, and my Commanders' re-enamelled.

Well said, Bison. These are French Orders and I should be using their correct French terms. Three more reasons to love French colonial medals indeed! Thanks for sharing your fine examples. Interesting information about the Ouissam Alaouite and how the Quran verse was suppressed by the French Governor. Is there much interest in collecting these orders in France? As a non-French person, I find these orders beautiful and highly desirable.

Very nice collection Josef, I've been collecting the Meiji 7th Class Kites too and certainly try to snap them up whenever I see them. The Meiji 6th is rarer so am still on the look out for one. And they are beautiful pieces and I like how the design has been very gently refined over the years: * the "uplifted" wings, * two vs. three roundels near the sword hilts for a "cleaner" design, and * more spacing near the top roundels on the bottom 'ribbons'. All of which Paul points out in his very useful piece.

Hi Demir, Did the Turkish Government ever subsequently recognise / honour Korean War veterans? Only recently in Australia, a number of very brave individuals were postumously recognised for their courage in WWII when they were killed in captivity by the Japanese. So I wonder if there would be interest in Turkey for governments to do the same for Korean veterans. Gavin

Richard and HC, thanks for putting this up for discussion. I'm really struggling to tell the fakes from the genuines which is why I'm very nervous about picking any Chinese items up on ebay. More confident going through a reputable auction house who not only have the expert staff, but their reputations on the line. Thanks again, Gavin

Pic

Here's a 5th Class Order of the Dragon that arrived in the mail today. It was quite heavily tarnished so spent a very happy hour or two cleaning it, first with a toothbrush and soapy water, and then with a silver polishing cloth. The dragon is enamelled (although it appears more like a matte paint) green with a yellow belly although it is hard to tell in the photograph.

Gorgeous. It looks as though it just walked out of the jewellers. Almost mint condition for a 110 year old piece. Especially like the ribbon. Very well preserved. Thanks for sharing it!

Just finished reading my copy of the Golden Kite and thoroughly enjoyed it. A wonderful account of a courageous and humane Japanese officer who travels from Berlin to Vladivostok with his faithful horses, whilst composing poetry Along the way, he encounters genorosity in the midst of real poverty; gains an insight into interacial relations among European Russians, Mongolians and Chinese; and experiences first hand the decay and corruption of the Qing Dynasty. For those who haven't purchased a copy from Richard, it is well worth the read. Gavin

What a stunning piece Markus! Congratulations on a fine purchase. I've not come across many (any) with a French makers' mark before so would think it is a rare find indeed. The detail of the lion is simply beautiful. Regal as lions are meant to be! :cheers:

Hello Windu, here's a photo of General Kuribayashi. It's not the sharpest quality but it may be possible to make out some of his awards. Gavin

Beautiful. It's the different designs of the dragon from different periods / makers that I find so appealing about these orders. Makes collecting these very rewarding.

Stunning examples Marcus! I had not seen the French Somaliland Order before. But yes, these stand among the highest examples of the jeweller's craft. I know the Orders of the Dragon and Cambodia have different ribbon colours depending on whether they were awarded by the local ruler as opposed to the French President. Is the same true for the Moroco and Somaliland Orders?

Thanks for posting this! Love the golden chrysanthemum in the design of the temple. Once again, the Japanese sense of understated elegance shines through in the design of their ODM.

Absolutely stunning. I had not thought of having orders displayed like these, but must seriously re-consider. Hanging out now for the Rising Sun display case!

Beautiful. That enamelling work is sheer craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing.