Paul L Murphy

I think a lot of the apparent sharpness is probably a combination of toning and harsh lighting when the photo was taken. I have seen a similar effect on medals I own where they actually look a lot better than the photo. This can often happen if there is irregular toning and the photo is taken under artificial light without a flash.

Yes. I think they changed the manufacturing style in the 1970s or 80s so you will still find rivets on post war items. Makes them very hard to identify when on their own.

It is probably a post war piece but it looks perfectly genuine to me.

The price is not unreasonable, however you would be much better waiting to get a full set with the breast star and case. As already noted above, that will set you back in the region of $3,000.

That is correct. If you post a photo of the inscription I can try and advise which it is.

I have documents for the 1904-05 War Medal and various Red Cross awards to female recipients and none of them show the medal with a bow. I would be surprised if they did show a bow but all the certificates I have seen for these medals are to male recipients.

All that appears correct. The only thnig I would add is that his rank is sergeant. He does not have a Sacred Treasure so he has not completed 20 years service. He must be pretty close ! That would suggest it is a 1914-20 War Medal and he served in the Siberian Expedition as a young private. A nice medal pair. I would love to get his award certificates !

Yes, there was an award document. I have one in a group of medals which I have so I must get round to taking a photo of it and posting it here. It is very hard indeed to find these documents, far harder to find them than the medal.

Hi Mervyn, Yes, the bullion on the peak is supposed to be maple leaves. It makes it quite distinctive. I suspect the belt buckle is silver gilt, the way in which it has toned is consistent with silver, but I doubt if the cap badge is. It seems to be the standard officer issue badge made from polyester and base metal that was introduced in the 1990s. I do not want to disassemble them to check for markings since the belt and cap are in lovely condition as they are. :cheers:

The silver inscriptions were from the China Incident and WWII era. I understand that it was cheaper and quicker to produce the inscription in a silver colour rather than the normal gold colour. I believe it also used less chemicals in the manufacturing process, which would have been a factor for a country on a war footing.

And finally for today, here is a close up of the two piece belt buckle.

Here are close ups of the distinctive hanger fittings.

Here is the full dress officer's belt.

I didnt bother photographing the trousers since they are the standard blue with yellow stripe. However here is the full dress tunic. Here is a close up of the rank badges. The button is on a long post since the tunic can also be worn with bullion dress shoulder boards depending on the order of dress.

Here is a closer picture of the 1993 pattern Officer cap badge and the peak with two rows of bullion maple leaves.

Next up is the full dress uniform of the Commissioner of Police of the RCMP. This belonged to Commissioner Murray who held the position from 1994-2000. First up is the visor cap. This piece is dated 1999 on the inside.

It is a blue and yellow ribbon and it is the RCMP Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. It is awarded for 20 years service, bars are awarded for further periods of five years each.

Hi Mervyn, The cap badge is made from polyester thread, unfortunately not gold and diamonds. This type of cap badge was introduced for offiers, ie inspector and above, in the early 1990s. With regard to the ranks, a Chief Superintendant has two pips with the crown in the RCMP. I have a set of the rank badges en route so I will post them once they arrive. The Commissioner's uniform comes with the cap so I hope to take photos of it all during the weekend. :cheers:

There are more items on the way so I will post these when received. I also have a beautiful Police Commissioners full dress uniform and cap which I need to photograph and post. It is incredible. As I mentioned before, if any of you specialists out there are able to put values or rarities on these I would appreciate it.

A close up of the shoulder strap. The RCMP Superintendant rank shows a crown and pip, which is different from most police forces where it is a crown only. The crown on its own signifies an Inspector in the RCMP.

This is a Superintendant's No 2 blue uniform. The shirt is dated 1996 but the tunic and trousers are undated. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2010/post-1487-12647170515.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2010/post-1487-126471707027.jpg

A close up of the shoulder straps.

This is a nice Superintendant's brown service tunic. Undated but from the 1970s.

This is a close up of the Officer's 1993 pattern cap badge.