Percy Chapman

A long wait David, but well worth it in the end. Looks great.

Hi Rob, Thanks for that. As it turns out I did indeed procure the book and, as you said, combined with the forum, it is extremely helpful. Cheers, Tim

All good thanks Rob. The "pause for thought" was well worthwhile as I was able to study and learn more about the variations available. I'm still on a steep learning curve being relatively new to collecting in this area and hence this forum is incredibly helpful. Regards, Percy

Agreed David...I really don't plan to sell many of the items I purchase as well unless to get a better quality example. I buy them because that is what I like or want. But it does indeed help to convince one's self. :-)

Well done David. I regularly use the "investment" line when attempting to convince my wife...or myself for that matter on militaria purchases.

Hi David...thanks for the heads-up on this one, gave it a swing but someone outbid me!

An interesting and informative read. Thank you very much. Regards, Percy

Hi Rob, Thanks again for your wise words. I'll certainly take up your suggestion of replacing the ribbon with a French ribbon so as to be more correct to type as you say. As to the comments re an off-centre strike you have me scratching my head a bit to be honest. I have looked closely at the posts you mentioned and really can't see any difference. The only thing I can think off after a closer study of my own pics is possibly my poor photography with quite a shadow on the bottom of the medal??? Or maybe I am still missing it? The photos were simply taken from my iPhone on a desk with a bright desk lamp causing the shadow. Here are a couple more taken with more care than previous and a with a contrasting background. Cheers, Percy

Hi Rob, Thanks for the comments and noted. I was pretty certain it not an official one and posted to confirm as well as alert and prospective bidders. When bidding for medals at online auctions I have always requested additional images from the auctioneer and tend to stick with reputable auctions houses such as DNW in the UK for example. Yes the elusive three are on my radar but not rushing into it. Cheers, Percy

Hi Rob, Thank you for your welcome. I am certainly finding that trove of information. Indeed, though the question was slightly rhetorical, I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. At this point in time, as I collect other items as well, I would be tending just to go for the official strikes of each country. Thanks again and btw I love your Phantom avatar...I was once a member of the long gone Phantom Club of Australia and still have a good Phantom comic collection. Cheers, Percy

Hi David, thanks for your response...it has made me go back through this thread and re-visit the relevant posts and images! Good for my learning curve. So now I see the differences between an official type 2 and the one I have which, as you suggest, is the unofficial type 1. Thanks also for the eBay link. The question is do I need another Portuguese VM or will my unofficial type 1 satisfy my collection needs!?!?! If I ask my wife I know what she would say! Cheers, Percy

Hi all, My recent Romanian VM acquisition from the same source as the Portuguese one posted on that thread. I am pretty happy with it as an Official type. Replacement ribbon obviously and unfortunately otherwise it seems quite ok? Any thoughts? Cheers, Percy

Hi guys, I am pretty new to the forum and still absorbing the wealth of information contained on it. My VM collection is slowly growing and here is one of my latest acquisitions that I think is pretty nice and, from reading through this thread, is an official type 2. Could someone please confirm and give a boost to my confidence in these matters. I also have a Rumanian one that I will post on the relevant thread. Cheers, Percy

Thanks for the reply and advice Tim. Yes, those were the pics from the auctioneer! I totally understand the remaining few are going to cost a bundle if I pursue them. Regards, Percy

Hi guys...first post on the forum after lurking. absorbing and juggling time management. Firstly, thank you all for the wealth of knowledge contained within the forum and the time taken to post. I have only been collecting for a couple of (expensive) years and it is certainly a steep learning curve in all areas of interest. After picking up recently Rumanian and Portugese VMs from the USA I am now down to the elusive Brazil, Cuba and Siam ones to complete my collection (not including the Philippines). I believe all my other VMs I have collected thus far are "good" medals thanks a lot to the information provided in this forum. I am certainly not in a rush to find these last few as, of course, they tend to be the most expensive. Anyway, I did notice this Siam one coming up for auction in a few days time but it looks totally dodgy to me, based on limited experience but comparing with the photos displayed in this thread. I just thought I would post it to have my suspicions confirmed or otherwise and potentially warn others out there? https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-srjam10079/lot-2dac230f-aaee-41a7-9dee-a6de00cee3c4?bidplaced= Even the auctioneer's photos are poor - why do they do this?? (rhetoric question ) Cheers.