Bison

Here is a knight of the M?rite Militaire, to be compared with the cross of Services Militaires Volontaires, shown above. For comparison.

Yes Paul, As we use to say in French: "it does not catch a fly with vinegar"... And this beautiful order does not exist anymore. It has been replaced (with a series of others, especially the colonial orders) in 1963 by the Ordre National du M?rite.

Hi Hugh The stars and palm are worn on the bar, but in small size. Bison

It is my pleasure! I'll be very happy to share informations and pictures of your beautiful collection in a next future !

Correct. WWII croix de guerre : TOE croix de guerre :

Hello Hugh At the very beginning of the Indochina war, in 1945, the WWII croix de guerre was awarded. It was considered that this war was a continuation of WWII, after the last attacks by the Japanese against the French garrisons in 1945. After that, in 1946, it was the Croix de guerre des th??tres d'op?rations ext?rieurs (TOE) which was attributed, up to the end in 1954. I hope answer your question... if you know when this British officer was awarded... Before 1946, it is the WWII "1939" croix de guerre. After, it the the TOE, with the mention "th??tres d'op?rations ext?rieurs" on the reverse. In any case, the ribbon you have cannot be worn with the cross 1939.

Eric The hallmark on the ring of your commander belongs to Ouizille & Lemoine. This is a "V", a crown and a "L" (This stand for Victor Lemoine). The "L" is missing, that is why I had a doubt yesterday night. Ouizille & Lemoine is one of the most famous manufacturer of LdH. It is also one of the most ancient, founded in 1789 in Paris, place Dauphine. During the Second Empire, this company was located in Paris rue Saint Honor? close to the famous Place Vend?me, where the greatest jewellers are still installed. For the wedding of Napol?on the Third, Ouizille & Lemoine took part to the creation of the Imperial crown, and many other jewels for the Empress. They were also appointed to be the official producer of the LdH for the Emperor... Your commander is really a fantastic jewel !

And now the Ordre de la R?union Do you really want to kill me? In this case this is a head of cock, proof for gold between 1809 and 1819. The head of eagle appeared later in 1838 up to nowadays... I answered in the proper post of Napoleonic era.

Hello Eric The mark on your fantastic ordre de la R?union is a head of cock (but you finally catched it!), proof for gold between 1809 and 1819... A rare an beautiful order, obviously identified with this tiny stamp on the crown... Really outstanding !

This is a head of eagle on the ribbon. So, it is gold. On the ring is the manufacturer mark. I do not know who exactly. Do you authorize me to use your pic on another French forum to attempt to identify the goldsmith ?

Congratulation again and again ! On the ring is again a "faisceau de licteurs" which seems slightly different from the one you showed on the Restauration model. But anyway, it is also used between 1809 and 1819. This is an undiscutable proof of authenticity of this rare 3rd Type. Usually, there are no other marks on the 1st Empire models. The second proof, is that the centers are in two parts. The circle is a piece and the bottom with Napoleon face another. Moreover, there are no ribbons at the bottom. All that show it is a pure 3rd Type of the 1st Empire (but you know that before) ... of which a lot of collectors dream to have... Thank you for sharing your pics, it is not usual to see this kind of model.

This is probably a half-size, and sometimes, there is no marks on it... Normally, for a silver piece like this, you may find a head of hare on the ribbons. The head of hare is a mark for silver between 1819 and 1838. Here is one of mine : With the famous head of hare : BUT on the ring, I see a "faisceau de licteurs" (I do not know how to translate that), which was stamped between 1809 and 1819! A faisceau de licteurs is like this : Eric, your LdH was manufactured just after the 1st Empire 1815, and before 1819 ! Congratulations :beer:

Thanks for these perfect pictures. On the reverse you can see a mark with a beautiful head of eagle, which means the metal is full gold. Congratulations for this beautiful officer. I can see on your previous pics that the ring of this medal is striated (I am not sure of the wording). This could be a sign of the oldest models. Is there any other mark on the ring? I think no, but who knows...

YEEEES ! Thanks a lot for sharing :beer:

Yes indeed Eric ! Marks hunting is my entertainment, even if at the end I am always a single poor ignorant... This helps me to know a little more each day. But sometimes these small symbols tell us a true story and then it is really exciting. :jumping:

De rien, Joe ! Eric, I would be very pleased to continue this discussion about the L?gion d'honneur, which is an endless topic with all the variations and particularities of the makers. :beer:

An example Here :cheeky:

Ou lah lah ! A third type, silver, in very good conditions, with the manufacturer identified... I would say around 1,500 - 2,000 ?... something like that... may be more in auctions... and much more if the owner is known :rolleyes:

Hello Eric, Yes, they are tiny and sometimes it is a real hunt to find them . Now you have the scale of these marks, and you can start seeking marks on your other beautiful French LdH. I am sure you'll find some, and I assume very interesting ones. Yours Bison

Bingo ! The target is on the observe: It is not a mark of a goldsmith, but a mark for silver or silver gilt. It is a head of boar which garantees this metal as silver or silver gilt. Like this: Sometimes, the goldsmith stamps lie on the ring, but apparently, there is nothing.

Hello Here is a pair of "AN XIII" pistols, which equiped the French Imperial Cavalry : One of them is a rare "AN IX" model, marked "Mle AN 9" and "1804", which was modified into a "AN XIII" model by the Imperial Manufactory of Maubeuge : Maubeuge manufactured 27 674 pairs of pistols between 1807 and 1815. I suspect that this improved model was one of the first made in 1807... The total number of AN XIII pistols, made by all French manufactories between 1806 and 1818 was 151 555 pairs. This figure is done by the Mar?chal de Camp Baron Cotty, in a report written in 1855. I am happy to share my Napoleonic pistols with you.

Hello Eric It is surprizing that there is no maker mark on such a well looking order, but sometimes it occurs. Anyway, have a look with a magnifier on the ribbons, I suspect there is something : Sometimes, the marks are well hidden like this example : Or this :

Hello Eric This is a Commander, the grand cross is supposed to be 70mm. You are right, it is a model of the "Third Republic", 1870-1951. It is very nice looking, because of the centers which are in three pieces. The manufacturer could be identified with his marks, usually stamped on the observe at the bottom of the ribbons. Thank you for sharing your L?gion d'honneur with us. Regards Bison

Badge 7 is FINUL 420?me DSL that is UNIFIL (United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon), 420th Service Support Group (D?tachement de soutien logistique). Amazingly, there were always one or two infantry companies in this group, and sometimes from Foreign Legion. The Eagle on it stands for the 11th Airborne Division, which originally formed this group at the very beginning of UNIFIL. Regards Bison

Thank you Rick So my red banner could be from 1943 But I am wondering also about this additional reverse mark. Reading your previous post, I saw this "d", that is why I come to you. I have read this in the "Order of the red banner " : " У орденов с номерами до 121000 на реверсе встречаются технологические клейма в виде выбитых пуансонами цифр и букв: ?1?, ?7?, ?8?,?0?, ?N?, ?Д?, ?Т?." And it is this picture : What do you think about this ?