Megan

Pingat Taat Instituted: 1925. Post-nominal letters: PT.

Reverse:

An award from another Malaysian state... Obverse:

Instituted: 1957. Awarded: To mothers for bearing and raising large families - 1st Class for 8 or more children, 2nd class for 5 to 8 children).

These are real. You know how Malaysia orders her affairs, don't you? Several states, each with its own ruling house, joined as the Federation of Malaysia ruled by the head of one of the states' ruling houses, they take turns with a 5-year term of office I think. Each ruling house, plus the Federation itself, has its own set of honours. A lot just get traded between members of the ruling houses, of course, but they do get awarded to real citizens as well.

Reverse:

Obverse:

Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor Instituted: 31 July 1886, in 3 grades - Knight Grand Commander, Knight Commander & Companion. Not sure of the precise terms of award, probably one of the whole array of orders that the plethora of Malaysian royal families pass around between themselves.

Companion

Knight Commander Star

Grand Commander: Star

Grand Commander Collar

If she and I visit Australia, we'll have to go! Until then we shall content ourselves with the wonderful pictures, thank you.

I think the effect would be diminished by them being 'non-awarded' medals, at least to those who care in the slightest about what medals represent. I still remember taking my daughter, who learned to read sitting on my knee while I was working on my website, to Carnarfon Castle and into the Royal Welch Fusiliers museum, she was aged about three and a half. She scampered in, stopped dead in her tracks and shouted "Medals!" She was particularly impressed by the first real Victoria Cross she had ever seen (she was always asking to look at that page on the site), and certainly surprised the curator that she knew what it was! She's now 10 and still likes to come and look at the medals, she's always asking which one I am working on today.

List amended as suggested, but we've had an... ahem... more social evening tonight so that will be it for now! Thanks for the help, I'll be back for more...

You are correct - it is the State Security Department - 'Departamento de Seguridad del Estado' in Spanish. Their remit is 'internal security' although their activities seem to spread quite widely at times...

Not a great deal... 2nd Class Iron Cross - October 1870. Order of the Black Eagle - some say 1910, others c.1916. Pour le Merite - 1914. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - 1917. Picture on German Wikipedia - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:AugustvonMackensen.jpg

Well, as a starting point we have what has already been published, and then we need to correct & improve on that. Sparrows on the shoulders of giants or whatever! So 'Order of the Polar Star' isn't the right name for the beast? So after 'Order of Combat Valour' goes ? 'Order of the Golden Pole'?

All I want is to get it right, she says plaintively! I'll take a look at your suggestion for a revised sequence when I get home tonight...

Raoirain Rakan te Mwukuri

Ana Kaibangkai Ninikoria Kiribati

Thank you. What comes next?

Well I have put up my first attempt at this... comments/corrections/additions welcome!

Beautiful! Ed, when the original 3 class Ashoka Chakra was changed in 1967 to 3 separate awards, did the design change? If so, which one is the one depicted here?