Lukasz Gaszewski

Greg,

Interesting. No room for service ribbon in a box is a good hint. I can't remember I have ever seen such a ribbon. I believe it is one of those few without a ribbon like that.

Medal for 5 Years:

Medal for 15 Years:

Medal for 10 Years:

Some more eye candy for you.

Medal for 25 Years:

Medal for 20 Years:

Does anybody know if this medal had a service ribbon as well?

Very nice pictures indeed!

Will somebody be kind enough and tell me why Field Marshal Stewart's GCB sash is BLUE??? :speechless: :speechless:

Bronze medal:

Silver medal:

The Medal 'Gloria Artis' for Merit to Culture was instituted on July 20, 2006. It is conferred in three classes by the Minister of Culture of Poland to Polish or foreign men of art and broadly understood culture: writers, poets, translators, actors, directors, musicians and painters, as well as to men of culture promotion: editors, journalists, librarians and museum workers.

Gold medal:

25 years:

30 years:

15 years, 2nd type:

20 years:

10 years, 1st type:

10 years, 2nd type:

The Medaille für treue Dienste in den bewaffneten Organen des Ministeriums des Innern was instituted on January 22, 1959, originally in three classes (bronze, silver and gold): for 5, 10 and 15 years of service. It replaced the Medal for Long Service in the German People's Police (Medaille für Treue Dienste in der Deutschen Volkspolizei), instituted on April 28, 1955 in two classes, bronze and silver: for 5 and 10 years of service. On August 28, 1964 three new classes were added: for 20, 25 and 30 years of service respectively. In 1970 the obverse of the three lower classes was changed to contain GDR's coat of arms; the ribbon, originally mid-green, was altered to slightly lighter apple green.

Medal for Long Service in the German People's Police, 5 years (courtesy http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medaille_f%C3%BCr_Treue_Dienste_in_der_Deutschen_Volkspolizei):

Medal for Long Service in the Armed Organs of Ministry of Interior, 5 years, 1st type:

Are there any other Civil Service Medals?

The Civil Defence LSM (Medaille für Treue Dienste in der Zivilverteidigung) was awarded for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years for individuals who served professionally in the Civil Defence. It looked almost identical to the NVA LSM, with the same ribbon, only the words "NATIONALE VOLKSARMEE" were replaced with "ZIVILVERTEIDIGUNG".

All of them are Italian/Holy See:

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic (pre 2001); Officer's 25 Year Service Cross

Medal for Meritorious Service in the State Police (15 yrs); Silver Merit Medal of the Italian Red Cross; Donat's Cross of the Order of Malta;

Order "Pro Merito Militense" of the Order of Malta (Commander); Order of the Holy Sepulchre (not sure what class); Order of St Gregory (Officer)

Judging from the classes, the ribbons must have belonged to a high-ranking commissioned police officer.

And the version for the NVA and Grenztruppen:

I have not seen one of these on a medal bar before. Thank you for sharing these. Are the military versions difficult to find?

No, they aren't. The question remains open how many of them are genuine. It is not difficult to find a longer strip of the appropriate ribbon and a pentagonal plate and remount the civilian version.

Nice group and a really generous deed!

A little off-topic: where can you find information about the awards of the Canadian Royal Life Saving Society?

Kind of good-bye medal from the late DDR.

Here is the type for uniformed services (no bar - sorry):

Exactly!

Actual and worn along with other medals! Here is the type for the uniformed services.

Reverse:

Medaille für Treue Pflichterfüllung in der Zivilverteidigung der DDR.

Were these awarded like long service awards?

No, they were awarded for merit. There was a separate medal for 30, 20 and 10 years of service in Civil Defence (Medaille für Treue Pflichterfüllung in der Zivilverteidigung der DDR). I will send a scan tomorrow if no one else does.

Cross of Merit (Gold)

Cross of Merit (Silver)

Armed Forces in Service for the Country (Gold)

Armed Forces in Service for the Country (Silver)

Armed Forces in Service for the Country (Bronze)

Medal for Merit for the Country Defense (Silver)

Medal for Merit for the Country Defense (Bronze)

Decoration of Merit in Protection of Public Order (Bronze)

Commission of National Education Medal

Socialist Youth Association Decoration of Janek Krasicki (Gold)

[One of local honorary blood donor assn. awards (can't tell which right now)]

[Another honorary blood donor assn. award]

Decoration of Merit for the Voluntary Labor Troops (Bronze)

Medal of Merit for Civil Defense (Bronze)

You could receive a silver or even gold CoM withouth having the bronze one, particularly if you were an officer. Some ribbons look mixed-up but that also could happen. The poorly-looking gold or silver laces to denote class are seldom encountered, they usually used gold or silver bullion instead. You also did not have to obtain the Polonia Restuta, even upon completion of 20 or more years of service. Some professional military received it only upon retirement (the same way as LoM in the USA or OBE in UK), some did not receive it at all. Summing up, I think the bar could be a real one; such a combination of ribbons was certainly possible.

A really nice piece, BTW!