Paul L Murphy

I struggle with the claims made about some of the items in this sale (as well as previous sales). The tunic button is just that, a tunic button ! The fact that it sold for EUR1,800 with only a story behind it is incredible ! Maybe I have been around too long and become cynical !

Interesting indeed but I agree with Dieter, I do not think this was an official issue.

This response is inappropriate for GMIC. Show some more maturity in your response going forward, the reason collectors actually have something to collect is because family members are willing to sell items which do not hold the same interest for them as they do for the collecting community.

My advice would be to put them into an auction since it is very difficult to value these. The ribbons are for the 1916 Medal and the 1917-21 Medal. The 1917-21 medal without bar (what you have) is about EUR250 at the moment from the last few I have seen. The badges, however, are very difficult to value. You could try sticking the lot into ebay as well, with good photos. If you can get some of the original pension documents which confirm the recipients name it would add a lot more collector's interest (including myself !). Best of luck and let us know what you decide to do. Paul

Any Nomonhan medal would go with it since the medals are not named. I have listed one for sale on ebay in its case of issue at $425 so it will be interesting to see if I enjoy as much luck as the seller of this lot !

If you wander in some of the hills near Kyoto you can find the burial sites for a whole host of Emperors from the 10th to 13th centuries. The sites are much smaller but also in impeccable condition. It makes for some interesting hill walking. I did it with a friend who lived in the area about 12 or so years ago.

I listed a cased Nomonhan medal a while back on ebay at a much lower price and it failed to sell ! The seller was lucky, but it is a pity that they medal and document were split up like that.

Yes it is. This is a scarce document. The name is Japanese, I cannot make out the family name but the personal name is Hotaro.

It was unsold. Quite surprising given its national importance.

These characters are Daitaicho. The kanji for Dan is a different kanji than the one used here and has a generic meaning of "group". Daitai is the normal military expression for Battalion.

This is a unit badge of the 6 BMEO as already advised. The 6 Battalion de Marche d'Extreme Orient were created in January 1950 from a cadre of Montagnards. They were stationed at Ban Me Thuot for their entire existence and operated in the Southern Zone and the mountain plateaus. The unit only existed for one year and in December 1950 it became the 6 Battalion de Montagnards Vietnamien. I am not sure if they kept the insignia after 1950. In this condition the badge is worthless. In very good condition, ie no enamel damage and the pin assembly intact, it can be found in France for EUR70-90 since it is not particularly scarce.

It is not his name, it is his position. It reads "Daitaicho" which means Battalion Commander. A "Daitai" was the unit which was between a company (Chutai) and a regiment (Rentai) in size. He has a nice rack of medals. :cheers:

Interesting. Many thanks for the extra details.

Doc, How did you qualify for the French National Defense Medal ? I did not realise that they gave it to allied forces. Regards, Paul

That seems a fair price, given that the sash badge is harder to find than the breast star.

I would have guessed the value of a complete set at around $5,000-6,000 so it will be interesting to see what this goes for.

This is the Cross of Merit of the Soveriegn Military Order of Malta. Your insignia is the Cross of Merit 1st Class With Crown. This is a civil division award and they were given to anyone who was not a member of the Order but who had earned the gratitude of the Order.

Is it the combatant version with a straight bar marked Comhrac or the non combatant version with a ring suspender ? The price is very different depending on which it is.

Hi Linas, yes, this was one of the largest veteran's groups in Japan. Send me a PM if you are interested in a copy of the book since it is the only reference work on the subject. regards, Paul

Try the documents online section of the UK's National Archives website. They have all of the WWII recommendation documents digitised and you can download them in pdf format for about £3 each.

Try emailing them since one of them may have it but not listed in their site.

Try Dixons Medals or Chelsea Military Antiques.

These are modern copies, not original in any respect. Also it is an impossible combination of awards.

Reading his descriptions on other items he has not got a clue what he is selling. I do not know whether to laugh or get angry because he will con gullible buyers who cannot read Japanese.

A piece of utter garbage, both the badge and the pseudo-intellectual theories as to what it is !