drclaw

Beautiful Lambert. And perfect! Congratulations on your find!

Ah, as expected for such a beautiful piece. Must save for a Bichay Order of the Nile now ... Gavin

Only just came across this post. A quality piece indeed. Would be interested to know if this is a Bichay crafted piece and/or when Bichay ceased producing the Egyptian orders. I've had my eyes set on a Bichay Order of the Nile for awhile now but have had to resist. Been spending waaaay too much money already! If you have any, put them up for show. :)

Hi Lambert, I am far, far, from an expert on these things being a new collector myself. But understand that silver kanji on the case suggests WWII issue ... at least for the case. For the Manchukuo awards, gold kanji would be pre-WWII as the Manchukuo awards ceased at the end of WWII. If you ever have the opportunity, watch The Last Emperor on DVD or BluRay. Plenty of eye candy on display - 1st/2nd class Rising Suns, Auspicious Clouds, etc. It's also an excellent film!

Very good tip Markus. I only used the ultrasonic cleaner on the first one after all the enamel rays fell off after I was hand cleaning it with soapy water! It was only the bare silver medal that received the ultrasonic treatment. The rays have been "glued" back now using sugar water for ease of future cleaning. This latest one only needed a good work through with a silver polishing cloth. Good luck on your hunt! These commanders badges aren't rare at all and can be readily picked up for anywhere between USD 300 - 500 or more. I'd wait till you find a perfect example as they are a few around, including through the usual major ODM stores. That said, I've been happy to pick mine up enamel-damage and all because they were such characterful pieces.

Here's a new example that arrived in the mail yesterday. For some reason, these orders appeal to my inner child. It could be the cartoon lion and the smiley sun. I'm enjoying the individual variations you find with these pieces. In the first example above, the lion looks more Tin Tin and you can see the smiley mouth of the sun. The lion in this and SignalCorps' example is more Marvel Comics, with the sun just peeking over back. Other differences: the colour of the green enamels, the number of enamel rays, the positioning of the main rays of the medal, and the overall dimensions of the medal.

What an interesting piece Demir, thanks for sharing! Were these bracelets "official" items or were they privately commissioned pieces? Either way, a wonderful piece with a lot of personal history attached to it. Gavin

Hi Kapten, check out Dieter's magnificent work on the prices of Japanese orders and medals. It's the pinned posting in this forum titled 'Realized Prices'. You'll find the answers there, plus many more!

More pics

Arrived from the same seller Japan. The seller must have a warehouse of these sitting somewhere. Everytime he sells one on YJA, another one gets posted the same day Also discovered YJA as a potential source of very cheap ODM from other countries. In just the last week, I've seen a cased Order of the Yugoslav Crown and a cased Ethiopian Order of the Star go for a song. Must stop spending money. Baby needs a pair of new shoes .....

I can't contribute any expertise Bison, other than to say what a lovely find. And affirmation of my interest in expanding into Afghan Kingdom ODM.

Our thoughts are with you all. Be safe.

Yeah, the YJA fees are not cheap. There's a 3-4% banking fee to put money into your account, an 800 yen + 8% bid fee, then there's domestic / international shipping fees and re-packing fees. I keep topping up my account only to see it sink to deficit overnight ... That said, I'm usually too excited when bidding on something to add up the various fees. And the packages are so securely wrapped they could fall out of the back of a truck and bounce. I counted seven separate layers of protection for a package that arrived today!

Thanks for that explanation Paul. What an fascinating story! It's interesting how closely it resembles a dove of peace descending from the sky. Perhaps there are motifs common across different cultures after all.

Thanks gents for the comments and encouragement. The Meiji was a lucky ebay find - fuzzy photos, and I could vaguely make out that the third wing feather was the longest which I confirmed with the seller. Paul's article on dating Kites was extremely useful. Now looking for a Meiji and Taisho 6th. I hear you Brian on your Red Cross post: "Too many medals to buy, so little money" ...

2) A 7th Class early Meiji, complete with bow rosette. The ribbon and rosette has faded, and there is some damage to the base of the case. But a lovely piece given the history attached to it, and a lucky ebay find.

It took awhile, but these finally winged their way over to Australia. 1) A 6th Class Showa in almost pristine condition (rosette is in the case) from YJA. The case itself is in mint condition except for a small indentation on the front lid.

I've been eyeing a few of these on Yahoo Japan auctions. Certainly one of the most elegant ODM around with the dove (?) of peace flanked by bay (?) leaves.

Thanks Paul, it looks like a fantastic forum but I'm having some problems being validated by the site. Will send a note to the administrator. As for madness, I've already been consumed by Japanese and Ottoman orders. But all the best people I know are a little bit mad in some way, so one more mania might be a good thing. Gavin

Thanks guys, that's very helpful and much appreciated. Another forum member has also suggested the website 'SA Gongs' which I'm in the process of joining. Paul, if you are happy to part with the catalogue I'll be grateful to receive it. Will send you a PM to arrange a mutual trade. Gavin

Folks, I'm interested in collecting these - mainly because of an interest in Islamic orders, and also because of the elegant simplicity and beauty of the Afghan orders. I've tried to familiarise myself with the on-line sources, including the OMSA database and Megan Robertson's site. Other than these, there appears to be limited information available on-line on these orders. I'd be grateful for any pointers that people might have. E.g. what to look out for, whether fakes are a concern in relation to Afghan Kingdom orders, etc. Gavin

Beautiful! I watched 'The Last Emperor' on Blu Ray on the weekend and was taken by the number of 1st / 2nd class Rising Suns and Auspicious Clouds on display in the Manchuquo scenes. They would have been affordable 20 years ago so would have been originals I'd imagine. Could you post a picture of the laquer box? Would be interested to see the kanji inscriptions.

Beautiful. Great blog too by the way! Very interesting ODM, many of which I've never come across before so enjoyed learning about them.

Hello Kapten, What an interesting Medjidie! I've never seen one attached to a chain before. It's a shame the photo doesn't provide a size comparison and it's hard to tell from the light reflection whether the central medalion is gold or silver. It appears silver to me (which suggests 4th or 5th class) but that could just be the light reflection. Gavin

Hi Dean, what a stunning bar, especially the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle. What is the medal next to the Lion with the image of William I? Your Lion and Sun is in perfect condition too, all the enamels have been preserved whereas mine has lost much of the green enamelling. Gavin