Bilco

Hi Lee, Have a look at this site http://www.nationala...line/medals.asp You can search the Medal Cards to get a bit more information on the recipient, using the naming details on your medals. To find out more about British soldiers you need to subscribe to Ancestry, but for Australian soldiers go to http://www.naa.gov.a...s/army-wwi.aspx where you can search free. Bill

Hi Lambert, A very nice medal. But that ribbon does look very fragile - will it be easy to find a replacement? Bill

Hi RelicHunter - according to Laslo the Official Type should be 35mm diameter. Bill

Hi RelicHunter - they are the makers mark for the Paris Mint - a cornucopia - and the letters BR to signify it's made from bronze. Bill

I fear I'll have to agree with you Lambert - the detail on the wings and the strange head-dress on Victory, and the crosses on the reverse, don't look right to me. Bill

Hi Lambert - these bars were meant to be worn on the Medal of the Revolution, and this site has a few more details, though not as detailed as your notes above http://www.gwpda.org...medl/czech.html As you say, the combination is amazing - this must have been a very nimble fellow. I see the medal was sold on eBay in 2007, but I don't know what the winning bid was then! Bill

Well, I was right about the bidding. After I posted last night it jumped from $183 to $558, and the winning bid was $568! Bill

Hi Lambert - Yes a very interesting medal. From the look of the bidding there are some people very anxious to get it! Bill

Welcome VC89, and thanks for showing this photo. Certainly, at least one French medal manufacturer offered silver-plated or gilt versions, for those wanting some extra bling, so this Portuguese one could be similar. There is something odd around the head of Victory, though. On the web page you link to, the first photo, with the version with the narrow cylinder suspension is also interesting. Bill

Well, Lambert, your version has the barrel suspension, while mine is the cylindrical, so you need to get one of these too! http://www.medalsofwar.com/medal_details.php?mid=1483&lastpage=foreigncatlisting Bill

Hi Gents, My latest acquisition - I think it's an Offical Type 2 with cylinder suspension: Obverse Reverse - I was interested to see Lambert's example in post #3, with what appears to be a worn guilt finish, as the reverse of mine shows faint traces of a similar finish. It has the O. Spaniel incised name on the obverse, and measures 36mm diameter and 2.5 thickness. The ribbon looks Czech, but appears to be cobbled together from two different pattern pieces - they don't come out very well on the scanner. Any comments welcome. Bill

Hi Gents, Some nice pictures and documents on this site http://imperialjapan...es.com/ww1.html .... which I see I posted in June last year! Memory definitely on the way out ... Bill

Hi RelicHunter - it looks OK to me ... Bill

Hi Jim, Many thanks for your comments. I found the image on the web site of a dealer in Australia - http://www.wittworldwide.com - it's shown as 'sold' on their site. I was intrigued by the suspension, too - hence my question! There are also some differences in the detail - for instance, on the reverse the 'H' in 'MEDELHA' is different to all other examples I've seen, being narrower and with the horizontal bar curved upwards in the middle - certainly different from my example of the Official Type 2. I think on the obverse the wreath Victory is holding is bigger as well. Bill

Hi Gents, Just after an ident to satisfy my curiosity. I came across this image while surfing - portvicunoffx.jpg (JPEG Image, 517×547 pixels) The medal is only identified as 'Unofficial'. It seems to have the tapered cylinder suspension, so could be an Unofficial Type 2, but does not appear to have the 'cracked die' characteristics - do all Unoffical Type 2 medals have the cracks? Any comments? Bill

Following on from Rob's post (#12 above) on the widths of the various victory ribbons, is it possible to work out the country by the width in a few more cases? Checking on what seem to be original ribbons I have, I come up with the following width variations: Britain 38.5 - 39mm Italy 38 mm Japan 38mm Portugal 37.5mm Belgium 37mm France 36.5 - 37mm US 36.5 - 37mm On the British one, I have three lengths of original watered silk ribbon, of which two have a white edge and one has a black edge. Just to confuse me further (never a difficult task) I have a Greek Official type on a new-looking ribbon that is 32mm wide. Would the Greek medals have been on French ribbon originally? Bill

Hi Lambert, A nice example of the Greek Official Type - a good one to get. I'm curious about your source of replacement ribbon - are you re-using one from another medal, or is it a new piece? Bill

I wonder if, rather than Field Marshall's batons, the crossed devices are Drum Major's maces. The taper and the blue winding around the shaft looks more like the mace - see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_major for a similar item in use, or here http://drummajor.net/Historical/1HistoricalHome.htm So, possibly Drum Major of the Kaiser's personal band? Bill

Is this the Smith you mean? http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/fake_memorial_plaque/death.htm Bill

HI Gents, My latest acquisition - the Romanian Official type. Obverse: Reverse: Close-ups: And the Kristesko incised name: The ribbon seems to be new - it's very smooth and stiff - and it's a type I haven't seen before. Can anyone say which country it is? Any comments welcome. Bill

Hi Gents, My latest acquisition - the French Official type by Morlon but, like Lambert's, with the triangle mark on the reverse, instead of the usual Paris Mint cornucopia, Obverse: Reverse: And the close-up of the reverse to show the triangle mark: Under the glass I can make out what looks like an anchor design, or maybe the 'J - cross - B' to indicate the maker Janvier-Berchot. Can anyone confirm or refute this? There is no BR alongside the triangle. Any help will be much appreciated. Bill

Hi Lambert, Laslo gives the diameter of the planchet as 36mm - my example is more like 35.5mm - and my ribbon is 38mm wide. Bill

Hi Gents, See an example here - http://www.liverpoolmedals.com/Cuba-unofficial-issue-with-no-hallmarks.html Bill

Hi Gents, My latest acquisition - but what exactly is it? Obverse: Reverse: The close-ups: Obverse: This seems to be Laslo's Unofficial Type 1 - it has the Dubois name in very shallow strike at the bottom, and the 'LA' mark inside the wreath .... .... but it has the thick wire suspension of the Unofficial Type 1a. Reverse: This has the 'LA' mark at the bottom of the central wreath quite clearly. The striking seems to show that the upper and lower parts of the die were not aligned properly - there is a lip on the edge at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, showing that the obverse part of the die was offset slightly to the left: 3 o'clock view, obverse uppermost: 9 o'clock view, obverse uppermost: In the 6 o'clock view the off-set of the upper and lower portions is clear: At the 9 o'clock the upper part is thicker than the lower, and the the 3 o'clock the lower is thicker. There is a change-over at the 6 o'clock, with the overhang dropping down to touch the reverse, then immediately starting again high up with the lower portion projecting. Not too visible in the photos, but clear under a glass, are the vertical striations on the edge that seem to indicate that the piece was die-struck. The planchet is 37mm diameter, and 2.2mm thick. The thick wire suspension has a little 'pip' on top: Reading Laslo I believe that the Czechs used the Belgian design before the Government agreed their own design and production started. Mine has what looks like a Czech-type ribbon - there are two holes a little down from the top, which makes me think that the two-pronged attachement device has been moved. Was the Alexander Leisek-produced medal a high-quality piece, or was it a cheaply-made, quick expedient? Other photos of the Unofficial Type 1 I've seen seem to have surface flaws - the view of the obverse on mine also shows a flaw on the surface - a piece of swarf in the die? So, what do I have? Is it a poorly-struck Leisek piece - combining features of the Unofficial Types 1 and 1a - or a cast copy made by someone who hadn't known the difference between the 1 and 1a? All comments welcome. Bill

Hi Gents, I was lucky enough to be able to buy this Type 2 Portugal vic from a fellow GMIC member - it's a classy medal. Obverse: Reverse: And the close-ups: Obverse: Reverse: Lambert - I tried your tip of scanning the medal, which worked well for the overall view, but wasn't of good enough quality for the close-ups. It might be that the ball suspension meant that they weren't quite in focus for enlargement. Bill