Graf

Hi, It does not come direct from him, however was sold somwhere then it ended up in a dealer site Yes the Cross is bothering me a little because I do not know when these changes have been made, The Cross is from an early emmission in silver. The Crown and the swords are from brass and from a later emmission. The most disturbing is why the swords on the cross were cut off ..or the holes intended for the swords were repaired/closed with silver pieces...and when ..by whom This Bulgarian dealer is on EBay. He had another shop. The shop was closed and he is operating with a new name. I only recognised him by the items he is selling..or sold. The problem is that some of his "masterpieces" started surfacing in different dealers sites. Eighter he sold to them or people who did buy them tried to reduce the demage. However i bought few items from Dealers sites that could be considered also as questionable ... therefore Buyer beware is valid regardless of the seller. It is minefield and it will not get better

Hi New World. Thanks. ..then Congrats! Yes you are right If the size was 84 with features of Grand Cross Star - it was modified. i am afraid whether my 2-nd Class was not modified to increase the value in a later stage.??!! This Cross was a part of a Set sold by a not quite honest Dealer from Bulgaria He sells Originals..however he sells also a lot of "modified' items to unsuspected buyers.Then the Set was split up and sold as two pieces. Now the Breast Star is for sale by eMedals for $3800 It is wrongly named Grand Cross Star - it is actually 2-nd Class. I keep a small archive of most of the Bulgarian Orders that have been on the market recently and i can compare items later on I do not know what is the problem with the fakes of Bulgarian Orders, however i am afraid,since the interest for them has increased recently, the fakes will start coming on the market

this is the repaired/altered site of the cross

one more picture of the Cross with two other 2-Class Crosses

Hi New World, What is the size of the Star? Did you buy it recently, because if it is the same Star , the dealer told me it is 84 mm Here is another interesting Set related to this topic 2-nd Class or Grand Officer Set with swords above the cross (or bellow the crown) The Breast Star is silver marked 900 on the pin The interesting thing is that the Badge has the Crown in brass, however the Cross is in gilded siver. Also for some reasons the cross looked to have been moddified from one with swords on the middle to standard one???!!!. The swords were either cut off and the site polished over or the holes for the swords were plagged with silver pieces and ploished. I do not know, whether was modified by the maker or by recipient ..or from someone later on to increse the value. We know that peace time Military Division Orders are much more rare.

Hi Bison, I found this very nice piece in my files It is a pity that i do not own this LOH It looks it is from Presidency Period (1848-1852) and yet it has similar features as the Second Empire so-called "Cent Gardes" Fact which supports your pont : I am afraid the denomination "Cent-Gardes" is only a nickname for luxury variations and has no reality. The body guards Squadron of Napoléon III, was created in 1854, therefore this LOH indicates that such Luxury Variations of LOH were made before Second Empire period and throws doubt that so called "Cent Gardes' LOH were made for the Body Guards of Napoleon III Graf

Hi TacHel, Thank you. These pieces are to be shared. I believe that this is the purpose of this Forum Graf

Hi Ulsterman, Thank you for the comment Which one did you mean the Document or the Medals ? Both ways you are rigth. That is why we collect old Militaria You can not compare the quality of the new one with the old one. The new one can look very shiny, however lacks the quality The makers did not want to make quick bucks, the wanted to withstand and keep their reputation very high. Graf

Yes it is intersting topic. Only if we can find any documentation regarding this Version of the LOH. They perhaps were in position to order such LOH because their salary was 1,000 gold francs a year for guards and trompeters, an amount which was particularly high at the time, and after 7 years of service, their pay was increased 80 additional cents per day Graf

The reverse with Silver screw nut Both Cross and the plate are not marked

The reverse with Silver screw nut Both Cross and the plate are not marked

The reverse with Brass screw nut

Hi, I found that this particular type by Meybauer has few variations 1 With all parts marked 2. With the Plate and the screw marked 3. With the Cross and the screw marked 4. Only the screw marked -it can come in Silver or Brass variatioons In addition the cross and the plates can have marks for different Silver content.

Hi Bison, Thank you for the information and the very nice comments. You are quite right that nickname might have been created because the Cent Gardes or the Napoleon III body Guards had a very special status. Therefore, anything that looks special or Very Luxury could have been very easily contributed to the Cent Gardes -in this case this Luxury variation of LOH. It is interesting that this nickname of LOH was picked-up by both dealers and collectors and is widely used. I looked for a maker"s mark, however I have not found one. ..only the Silver mark (boar head) Do you think that these type of LOH could have been made privately by a very good jewellers, like few Luxury LOH in Gold or Silver with Diamonds, during the III and IV Republics. Most of them do not have any maker's marks. It is believed that they were ordered by the Recipients to show that they had a higher economic status in the Society Regards Graf

Close-up of the reverse What I noticed is the Second issue comes in two types rings on the top of the medals The ribbons could be defferent as well Graf

Close up

Hi Valter, Theodor gave you a very nice information. The thin ring is added later on All medals come with a very nice thick ring as the one on the Silver medal Here are the first issue and an Awarding Document, which are much more difficult to get then the second issue medals Graf

The crown of Cent Gardes

The reverse of Cent Gardes

Hi I would like to share with the Forum my Cent Gardes of LOH It took me a while to research what exactly are the features of this Variation of LOH, before i decided to buy this one. I have seen different "types" of Cent Gardes over the years. However, some of them looked more likely as Luxury Versions of LOH but not Cent Gardes What I believe as true features of Cent Gardes are: - Typical higly detailed crown with a closed bottom part - The hinge connecting the Cross with the crown is concealed - The Cross arms are typical with edges - Front and reverse central medallions are three parts constuction in highly polished Gold If anyone has much beter knowledge on the topic, please share with us any information Regards Graf

Hi, Thank you for all help I found a lot of information regarding Royal Guards This is my new Tunic of LANCE SERGEANT with a belt Next will be COLOUR SERGEANT or/and OFFICER Tunic

Hi Grige, It is a very common Order from the III Republic.Knight Class in a very poor codition. Nothing special with the flags,, just maker variation I am not an expert as some of the other members, however i can tell you that it is not worth to spend your money on it. You can find in much better and near mint codition on Internet or EBay ..or perhaps in your own town Regards Graf

GC of Leopold II Graf

Hi, Just managed to get a very nice old sash for my GC of Leopold II Very happy Graf

Hi Ikon, This is VI Class of the order without crown . This Class does not have enamel and comes in silvered metal. The period is difficult to gess, however it can be estimated around WW1 It is missing the ribbon This Class was awarded in two Variations with crown and without crown and was given to lowest ranking clerks or military persons. From the picture it looks like your Great-Grandfather was a Life Guard without rank, which explains the Class he was given Regards Graf