Claudius

Great grouping!

it was terrible. I don't know if it was plastic or glass stones, but the body was some kind of poor quality metal. It would be fine for a display in poorly-lighted, poorly-secured museum where the viewer couldn't get very close to it as an example of what Imperial Era awards look like. otherwise.....

yes agreed -from these photos. True story; long before the days of internet, I bought a OZL from Manions. The catalog had a photo of the front, but when I received it and turned it over it was FLAT as a board. just the main piece a one-sided poured pot-metal with green stones affixed to the obverse and the reverse was as featureless as a reverse HK (without hallmarks). (This must have been a museum piece, because it would never satisfy as a fake to anyone who could pick it up and look at the backside.) There return policy required that I write, at length, what was wrong with the piece....really?!? Their crack experts at Manions didn't know that real OZLs have "something" on the back side. Final insult was that while they returned my money for the cross, they would not return the buyer's premium or the shipping cost. I have never used them again.

A bit of a delay in response here, but these look great. A lot nicer than the Mollo illustrations. Are there any more photos/pages from that publication Sajkaca?

That's a great display you have! I see you don't like folding and threading the ribbons through the rings. Besides the 1K White Falcon mX, is there anything you are still in the hunt for? What do you feel is your "Moby-Dick" that you have long searched for?

Hello Noel; I liked reading your intro. I look forward to seeing your photos and reading your entries about the canine contributions in the war(s). Please post regularly and often!

Someone really plucked that bar didn't they? Like grapes off the vine, but a least they left a list of the medals that were there. Although I doubt Paul needs it. Good luck Paul with the restoration. I look forward to seeing it when it's done. It should be a real gem.

That last medal on the medalbar looks like the Austrian Maria Theresa Order. And is that a PLM around his neck?

details?!??....well, for starters....he's standing. OK, OK. no fooling around....Great shoulderboards. Someone should be able to id the unit. I would like a better/close-up of the medal. Maybe there is something there. Interesting that he is holding a book. Could be just a photographic affection, but many times things held by the subjects are there for symbolic reasons. A student? A scribe?

I think the condition is fine. It has character. I don't usually collect non-combatants, but I like Lifesaving medals mounted on medal bars! Sadly, too few of those to go around...

Sweet-fancy-Moses those devices are incredible. But you are right about the ordering. It’s really coo-coo. There are a number of discrepancies, but I would want to point out one of a different nature. If this gent was entitled to pre-war AND wartime breast badges, I would think he would get something more than a TWM from Turkey. He should have also recieved a Liakat or Imtiaz at least. It's almost insulting. I would also hit those threads with a black light. Just to see how hard the faker was trying here.

I went through my library and found a small book of mine on Imp. Russian Uniforms. It had a small discussion on “Pogoni” (shoulderboards). According to Boris and John Mollo; ----------------------------------- Guard Infantry –Red based Line Infantry; 1st Brigade –Red based 2nd Brigade –Blue based Grenadiers –Yellow based 1st Division –Red piping 2nd Division –Blue piping 3rd Division –White piping 4th Division –Green piping Artillery & Engineers –Red based General Officers –Zig-zag pattern lace Convoy of the Tsar – Zig-zag pattern lace Imperial Rifles Regiment – Zig-zag pattern lace Hussars – Zig-zag pattern lace Suite of the Tsar –White piping Guard Cuirassiers –White piping Calvary –all combinations of lace and base colors --------------------------------------------------------------- So…my blue Pogoni with “299” and RUC’s “303” would be Line Infantry -2nd Brigade. The reversible pattern was also mentioned in a separate area on uniforms changes on or thereabouts the Crimea war when the range of weapons increased and brightly colored Pogoni (along with white uniforms) were too conspicuous for the modern battlefield. This would lend to my earlier assumption that the Pogoni’s field-gray side was used in forward areas. The colored side for non-combat areas. Sajkaca: Great looking boards... please post some more.

Outstanding collection. But I have to say -and don't take this as an insult- but you photo doesn't do them justice. Could you show us some close-ups of your favorites, or most interesting ones.... please.

reverse....

I realized that I did not provide some nice close-ups of the SEK4X. It is not a very common award (with the swords) so I thought everyone would like to see it.

An excellent question. I know that Regal Uniforma Collector hasn't posted on this thread for nearly 5 and 1/2 years but is there anyone that can contact him and tell him that his thread is alive and would really like his comments and knowledge? I would also like to know if his "303" board has a reverse with numbers on it. What does he think it was for? I believe that they flipped over their reversible boards when they were on the frontlines to be less conspicuous and used the colorful blue side when on leave or parade grounds. Maybe Regal Uniforma Collector knows where some of these units were posted. I would love to know where "299" was operating. I have cause to believe it was somewhere along the A-H front.

close up of button

My board is sewn down, but when I carefully lifted to look underneath I made an interesting discovery. "299" on field-gray.

Standard EM board in blue cloth. The reminds me of one of Regal Uniforma Collector's shoulderboards from his post -#2, center row, far left. His is number "303".

:wacky:

Hmmm…you did say "favorite". This all reminds me of a song. To the tune “My Favorite Things” as sung by Julie Andrews. Tsingtau doc. groups and South See Pacific, Army, or Navy flight badges to be more specific, Research on medal bars that make their owner’s sing, These are a few of my favorite things… Doc. groups and medals to observers or pilots, MPs and WPs with brave wartime highlights, Orders with gold marks stamped on their rings, These are a few of my favorite things… When the fake comes, When the group splits, When I was outbid, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

"Red flags" -no. It looks good to me. A bit odd how the EK2, HK and War Commemorative medals are individually mounted -with the same backing/stitching, but the owner may have had his reasons. If purchased from the owner's family, it would be great to get the gentleman's name and unit. Even a copy of a photo if they have it. It would add a lot to this group.

I have just experienced "Heizer" as an Imperial German Navy rank. Perhaps not that odd if this person was aboard a ship (working in the boiler/engine room). But this gentleman was in a land-based "Marine-Kompanie". Can anyone expand on this definition of this "Heizer" rank?