Stogieman

Reverse of the chain... the detail on these always amazes me!

Here's a nice one that floated through here:

In the hopes of interesting a new wave of collectors I have added a photo album of images of authentic Imperial Era flight badges to my Facebook page. The album should be viewable to everyone here, but I think (not sure) you'll need to get a Facebook account. It's free and a great way to network. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25022&id=766599960 So join up and find your friends! Why leave this stuff to just the kids? Of course if you join Facebook I'll add you as a friend and then recruit you to help me in my evil plan for world domination!

I'll move this over to WW2. These are not imperial. As a sidebar.... some of the most heavily faked items in the world....

Yes, there is some similarity of the catch to a few WW2 pieces (wound badges for sure) but I don't recall seeing a Spanish Cross like this and I have no recollection of a pin/hinge set-up like this on any pieces I've seen/handled.

Don't you think it's really neat when a piece like this pops up that so many of us have never seen before? Almost 100 years later and things still appear that no-one has seen!!

I would agree.... the ribbon colors do suggest Bulgaria...

eBay can be a wonderful place if you know what you're doing.... But for sure it's not the place for the newer collector to try and build a collection. He/she will pay a heavy toll for inexperience!

Long ago and two HD crashes (with subsequent loss of many images) I had two of these private-purchase dedication pieces. One was a long service cross to an officer in a regular army unit the other was an MVK in a dedication case but nothing on the cross itself.... I have always found these A-H private pieces to be fascinating as well of superior quality. Thanks for showing two very rare pieces in one thread!!

Well, if he had that in his listing..... I wouldn't have bid unless I was 100% sure of what I was doing. Miguel... you post many, many things from eBay and ask if they are OK... eBay can be a dangerous place to try and build a collection if you have not done your homework first... Perhaps some time reading the entire Imperial Forum and purchase of some better quality references should be done first... everyone is here to help... but I don't remember you posting this piece before you bid... Just some friendly advice.

Here is the Type 2 medal, much more common and easy to find:

Established on March 4, 1975. Comes in two distinct types. Type one with enameled flags of the nations of the Warsaw Pact on the front and type 2 without the enamel. Given at NCO level and up to members of any/all Warsaw Pact Countries. I assume some degree of interaction with Bulgarian Forces was required. Gilded bronze medal, 34mm. in diameter. Obverse bears the Hammer & Sickle emblem imposed over a broadsword. A banner below the hilt proclaims the date of the signing of the first Warsaw Pact Alliance on May 14, 1955. Above at the upper edge are the words "For Strengthening the Fraternity in the Sphere of Armaments". Reverse bears the national crest (post-1971) and the words "Bulgarian Peoples' Army", bottom edge bears the initials NRB surrounded by sprigs of laurel. First up is the type 1. Very difficult to find and expensive to manufacture. Limited numbers produced before the issue of type 2.

Hi Theodor, thank you for all the history & information!!

Awesome thread and thank you for serving. I don't think the outside world sees nearly enough of the reconstruction teams and what they are going through to try and improve the situation in some of the remote corners of the world. Again, thanks much.

I don't think the chief Gnome? has pre-1900 references yet?

And the tabs:

Up close on the boards:

Reverse bearing the early Coat of Arms.

Up close.... the quality is very impressive.

Not one of my favorite subjects.... but I do admire the socialist government's treatment and respect of motherhood. Here's a Gold Grade Maternity Medal pre-1971 with the original issue packey and the original award document:

I like these.... Nicely cased.

Communist... or WW2?

... and why did they have so many awards?

I always get a chuckle out of the "You didn't crash" badges.....

Mutual projects of Cooperation?