Peter J

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum . I have to give a different wiew though, the Merit Decoration isn't that hard to find. What you probably refer to is the Knight 2nd class i.g. silver with white enamel. This was awarded to foreigners, hence it's rarity. Swedes were awarded the Knight 1st class, gold with white enamel. KR Peter

Kim, of course it should be the Polar Star and not Vasa, as incorrectly suggested by me KR Peter

Order of Vasa and Order of Serafimer, the latter also to the Royal family. Queen Silvia recieved one in 1976.

Rick, probably an attempt from the Swedish Social Democrates to erase the boundries between classes and create a world of equality for all One distinction about awards though, orders are obsolete for Swedes but medals are still awarded i.g. Medal for Faithful Service in the State. KR Peter

Indeed Greg, it's a virus KR Peter

Hi Kevin, The decoration in question is from Deutsche Akademie der Luftfahrtforschung. According to Detlev, they came in gold, silver and bronze, as well as a stick-pin size of these. The silver version was for sponsoring members and only awarded once. An Amtskette was also issued for the president and Presidium members. Personally I have no faith in the one posted here. KR Peter

Lukasz, this is not on your request list but perhaps you'll find the manufacturer interesting KR Peter

Thanks Laurence, it's close to mint KR Peter

Fascinating, before yesterday I was oblivient to this specific pin (had to look it up in Br?ggemann's book) and now we've seen four different . I just love this forum KR Peter

One with the embossed type of seal. KR Peter

Absolutely, the size haven't even been mentioned, 11mm!!! KR Peter

Don, it's surely difficult to rock your world Your assumption is correct, it's unmarked and far from the quality featured on your's. This close-up shows some of the pitting, but the lighting prevents another interesting observation i.e. the emamel has lost it's shiny texture and faded into a pale nuance, except for the red field, which is still intact. KR Peter

My latest purchase, most probably a ground find by judging the corrosion. Still pretty good shape though. KR Peter

My mistake, must have read it from the wrong direction If Jan-Arne is content with the shield, why bother taking up my time for an opinion? And yes, I post better images. KR Peter

Hi Pedersen, You would probably get more response, should you post better images . I'll venture an opinion though, based on what you show. The shield appears to be a "small 4" fake. I'm sure this will be either confirmed or challenged by others. KR Peter

The first word is probably Hauptsch?tzen. KR Peter

Kim, how very true, the perpetual dilemma for us collectors Hendrik, in case you ever consider collecting Swedish shooting badges, here are a few examples you might want to look for. The bad news, there are actually more KR Peter

Hi Hendrik, The year would be 1919, if marked R7. As for the value, I've seen them for sale at around gold value. I've also seen the genuine gold badge with a pendant, showing the year it was awarded. Interesting info Kim. There might be a plausible scenario for the change in design i.g. the abolition of the Union in 1905. The addition of crowns clearly indicated them being Swedish. The illustration of the military type raises another question. All three classes are referred to regarding the civil type, but only the bronze class is shown on the military type. There is a silver class as well (I know because I have one), but as of yet I've failed to find any in the gold class. Have you any knowledge in a gold version? P.S. To all Norwegians, 17th of May, you all have a great day KR Peter

Wow, that's an amazing collection Dave , thanks for sharing it KR Peter

reverse pin+hinge

If I'm not mistaken, that badge is made in 18K gold. I've seen a couple of them, but have no idea about their significance. The standard issue was produced in non-magnetic basemetal with a magnetic pin. I would assume Sporrong was the major producer (the typical double twist in the pin connecting to the hinge is found on most of their shooting badges, 2nd image), but other firms most likely produced them as well (can be seen in 1st image). The two other badges are still a mystery to me. The center badge is almost identical, except for the lack of crowns and different size. Could they perhaps be early pieces or was the crown-design developed as early as 1893? KR Peter

Thanks for the input guys KR Peter

It's only marked "silver" in raised letters next to the catch.

Thanks Sherlock I kind of figured it isn't an official issue. KR Peter

I have no clue on this one, but I'm truly amazed by the blue enamel. KR Peter