Rusty Greaves

I have found photos that appear to represent either another possible example of what I have termed a “jewelry” version of the Mixed Courts badge insignia made by Wolf Horovitz, or higher resolution photos of the same badge shown at lower resolution in 2 other past auctions. The current example comes from a 21 July, 2024 auction (26: Osmanli ve Avrupa Eserler Müzayedesi [Ottoman and European Works Auction]) by the Ünal Auction House in Istanbul, Lot 34 (https://www.muzayedeapp.com/en/product/bronz-mineli-adalet-nisani-hidiv-19-yy-sultan-abdulaziz-han-donemi-imalat-damg-MTkwLTI1MTQwLTg2ODU5NjY=). The images on the Ünal auction listing are high-resolution and show aspects of the badge execution better than 2 previous Turkish auction listings of 2 different badges with low-resolution photos (the Hitit Antik 21 February, 2021 auction (5, Lot 126; and the 24 October, 2021 auction listing (Auction 20, Lot 16) by Arthill Museum Collection) and to the first example I found and illustrated here from a Bamfords Auctioneers and Valuers’ auction of 5 December, 2018, Lot 3620 (archived on the saleroom website with only the photo of the obverse: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/bamfords/catalogue-id-bamfor10553/lot-546dbbb8-f7b1-4f6a-a2ba-a9a0009cb8b5). One of 2 images of the obverse of this very abbreviated execution in bronze of the Mixed Courts badge design from the Ünal Auction House offering of 21 July, 2024. This high-resolution image, and the 2 others from the Ünal listing, can be zoomed for additional details. The auction description identifies the material of this badge as bronze. However, it also suggests the piece is gilt in gold, this may be unlikely. The black enamel ornamenting the mantle margins, tassels, and a portion of the crown also is listed, but the white enamel in the Order of Medjidie element is not mentioned (this is a painted, not baked, form of enamel). There is some apparent loss of black enamel that can be seen in this photo and the next one below of the obverse. The outermost tassel on the viewer’s left is missing enamel in the lower chamber representing the neck or ruff, below the head of the tassel and above the skirt (the fringe). On the viewer’s right, the outermost tassel is missing enamel in part of the cord portion (above the body & skirt), the body, and the skirt. There also appears to be chipping of some of the enamel in the uppermost draping of the mantle below the crown and to either side of the star above the central inscribe tablet. The photo above shows well the chips in this enamel at the lower margins of the drapery, to both the right and left of the star. The next photo below of the obverse also shows these chips, but not as well as the negative conchoidal fractures visible in this image. The dimensions are given as 11.5 cm tall x 8.5 cm wide, as with the other examples this is the same size as the more elaborate and official forms of the badges as shown on this thread. The description claims this piece was made by Froment-Meurice. However, as seen on the reverse of this badge, on the Bamfords example, and on the Arthill example (all shown below) the name “HOROVITZ” is visible on the reverse above the 2 recessed rivet holes in the central portion (see the 3rd photo in this post). The description of the Bamfords example states that it is “probably silver gilt”. I first illustrated the Bamfords example in my post on this thread of 2 December, 2018. The first image shows the obverse and the 2nd shows the reverse with the “HOROVITZ” name. Also note that the most inferior portion of the mantle fringe on the Ünal badge does overlaps some of the rayed embellishment, suggesting that the mantle element may be loose or has slipped downward. Another high-resolution image of the obverse of this unusual piece from the Ünal Auction House listing for Lot 34. There are 2 apparent bubble anomalies in the black enamel that are useful in comparing this badge with the Bamfords piece. Two chambers on the viewer’s right margin of the mantle below the tassels (where embroidery designs are present detailed normal Mixed Courts badges) each show surface irregularities in the black enamel that are not seen on the Bamfords example. Note the hole visible under the corner of the folded mantle margin on the left side of the badge. This suggests the loss of at least one of the rivets holding the multiple components of embellishment, mantle, and central tablet with the inscription together. Compare the 1st photo in this post that appears to show the same hole showing the white surface on which the badge is resting. The lack of projection of the rayed embellishment at the inferior margin also is quite apparent in this photo. High-resolution photo of the reverse of this piece. The “HOROVITZ” name is partially visible in the superior portion of the central depression underneath the proximal portion of the tunic pin where the bifurcated proximal portion becomes a single pin. Although they cannot be distinguished clearly, it appears that the 3 Egyptian [silver] hallmarks are present on the inferior portion of the central depression above the tunic pin catch. As with the Bamfords example, the above image also appears to show the 3 Egyptian hallmarks (for silver) on the right side bifurcation of the tunic pin higher than where they join into the more distal portion of the pin (in the above photo, to the viewer’s right of where “…OROVITZ” appears underneath the tunic pin. Two very distinctive casting flaws lines that are probably pouring defects are readily apparent in this image on the left side of that central depression. Additionally, several pouring defects (misruns or cold shuts) also are apparent in the most inferior portion of the central depression, seen on both sides of the tunic pin catch. Other casting flaws can be seen on both the obverse and reverse of this piece, and the other examples I have illustrated here on this thread. It is unclear if all of the rivets are present in this example. The central most pair of rivets are either missing or recessed in what appear to be empty holes. The reverse of the Bamfords example also shows recessed holes. In the photo of the reverse of the Bamfords piece, at least 6 of the 7 holes may be filled with an alternate form of attachment, or they simply show the underside of the mantle element (see below). The Ünal Auction House example may be missing some rivets, and the mantle element may have slipped inferiorly so that very little of the rayed embellishment is visible beyond the inferior margin of the lowermost mantle fringe. Above is a moderate-resolution photo of the obverse of the Bamfords “mock-badge”, as I have occasionally referred to it for its schematic design execution and lack of any details seen on even the least elaborate versions of the Mixed Courts badge (probably those by Zivy Frères & Cie). This was the first example of this odd badge that I found online. As noted, the auction description identifies this as There are several similarities between this image and the Ünal Auction House example that suggest these may be the same pieces. However, there also are some glaring dissimilarities that challenge that possibility. The Bamfords piece appears to have the same areas of missing enamel as the Ünal example in the 2 tassels. The Bamfords and Ünal examples both show very little of the most inferior portion of the embellishment below the fringe margin of the mantle element. Both pieces show an anomaly appearing as a grey spot (a bubble?; or a high point in the cell holding the white enamel that shows through as a dark spot?) in the 10:00 position in the white enamel inside the wreath that holds the round suggestion of the Order of Medjidie element. However, there also appear to be differences in the staining, scratches or other surface damage, possible loss of enamel on the Bamfords central tablet inscription and some differences in the form of the calligraphy, and in the distinct casting flaws on the reverse of each badge. The Bamfords piece appears to be missing enamel in the “cordage” wrapping cell element around the mantle corner on the viewer’s left side, while the Ünal piece appears to have enamel in this cell. As noted above, the 2 bubble anomalies in the 2 chambers on the right margin of the mantle (embroidery on fully detailed official badges) do not appear to be visible in the Bamfords badge photo. The Bamfords central tablet inscription is missing enamel in the 2 diacritical marks between the 7th and 8th vertical alif strokes on the upper left quadrant. Enamel also is missing from 2 “bird” diacritical marks in the lower right and lower left quadrants of the tablet. The lower resolution of the Bamfords photo makes comparison of some of the apparently different forms of the diacritical marks on this tablet inconclusive. The staining of the Bamfords badge does not match what is shown in much higher resolution in the Ünal auction photos. This is especially apparent in the well-defined different lighter spots on the Ünal Auction House’s central tablet. There are at least 12 fine pits (casting flaws or damage?) somewhat clearly visible on the upper left half dome of the tablet of the Bamfords badge that are not present on the Ünal piece. Possibly similar pitting may be present on the Bamfords star that cannot be identified on the star of the Ünal badge. The right hand horn (from the viewer’s perspective) of the crescent surmounting the crown appear to be slightly bent downward and inward on the Bamfords badge but not on that of the Ünal crescent. There is a dent or casting flaw on the tall 7th ray to the viewer’s left of the tall central superior ray behind the crescent finial; on the crown (counting that as the 1st ray) that is not visible on the same ray of the Ünal piece. I cannot match staining or damage of the embellishment between the 2 examples (except possibly similar marks on the 2 longest rays in the cluster of 3 to the left of the lowermost extent of the enameled lowermost folds of the mantle, that could also be mold flaws). Above is a moderate-resolution photo of the reverse of the Bamfords piece (or at least from the auction listing of this badge), showing the placement of the “HOROVITZ” name, the 3 Egyptian silver hallmarks on the tunic pin and on the lower central depression above the tunic pin catch. Note the distinctive casting flaws (pits, misruns, and possibly cold shuts) on this piece that do not appear to match those seen on the Ünal Auction House example. Additionally, the staining and well-defined lighter areas are not seen on the Ünal piece. The rivet holes on the Ünal badge also do not match those on this Bamfords example. Above is a low-resolution image of another example of one of these odd cast pieces using the original Mixed Courts badge design. This example comes from a 24 October, 2021 auction listing (Auction 20, Lot 16) by the Turkish auctioneers Arthill Museum Collection, still archived on their website (https://www.arthill.com.tr/urun/4095822/hidiv-19-yuzyil-altin-vermeyli-bronz-mineli-adalet-nisani-19-yuzyil-sultan-abdu). This piece is identified as being made of bronze, measuring 11.5 cm tall x 8.5 cm wide. There may be some vermeil on this example, but I cannot determine which part may be gilt. This was the second example of this surprising workmanship by Wolf Horovitz, who also made much more-detailed Mixed Courts badges that were struck not cast. I illustrated the 6 photos included with the Arthill auction listing and described this badge in my post of 7 April, 2022. This example has no white enamel around the Order of Medjidie element, and lacks black enamel in some of the portions that the Bamfords and Ünal pieces have (in the upper portion of the mantle drapery including most of the bunched corners, the cords of all 4 tassels, the body, and skirt of each of the outermost right and left tassels, and all of the lateral fringe in the folds of the mantle). It is unclear if the enamel has been lost or was never applied to this piece. The poor resolution of this photo makes it difficult to determine whether there is black enamel in more portions of the crown than on the Bamfords or Ünal pieces. Note that the inferior portion of the rayed embellishment on the Arthill piece does project further from the lower margin of the mantle fringe, compared with the Bamfords, Ünal, and Hitit Antik badges. Low-resolution photo of the reverse of the Arthill example. The name “HOROVITZ” is in the same position as on the Bamfords and Ünal examples. The detail is not good enough to confirm the presence of the 3 Egyptian silver hallmarks on the tunic pin or the inferior portion of the recessed central portion of the badge. However, the image appears to show the 1st and possibly the 2nd silver hallmarks visible just to the viewer’s left of the distal portion of the tunic pin. Above is a moderate-resolution close-up of the “HOROVITZ” name on the reverse of the Arthill badge. Note the many casting flaws evident in this image. Above is a very low-resolution illustration that I came across of this same form of abbreviated design came from a 21 February, 2021 auction (5, Lot 126) by Hitit Antik in Ankara (https://www.hititantik.com/en/product/3207720/hidiv-armasi-avrupa-yapimi-bronzdan-imal-edilmis-11x9-cm-uzerinde-osmanlica-ad). The single photo with this listing is low-resolution, making comparison with the Bamfords example difficult. There was no image of the reverse in the Hitit Antik auction listing. The auction listing identifies the material as bronze and its dimensions as 11 cm tall x 9 cm wide. I posted the single image from this auction listing and discussed this example in my post of 18 July, 2024 on this thread. This appears to be the same badge as that listed on the Ünal Auction House in Istanbul auction offering of 21 July, 2024, Lot 34, shown in the first 3 images in this post. When zoomed, this badge photo does seem to shows the 2 chipped areas of black enamel on the inferior draping margin of the mantle on each side of the star. The tassel elements appear to be missing the same portions of black enamel as the Ünal example. The grayish dot at the 10:00 position in the white enamel of the Order of Medjidie element also matches that on the Ünal and Bamfords pieces. The small amount of the inferior portion of the rayed embellishment below the lower mantle fringe also resembles the Ünal and Bamfords badges. Although hampered by the low-resolution of the above image, the staining and some possible damage or casting flaws on the rayed embellishment show a strong similarity to those that can be compared on the Ünal piece (but not to the Bamfords badge pictures from the 2018 auction). I noted in my 18 July, 2024 post about this piece that I was unable to match the staining of the central tablet on this badge with that on the Bamfords badge, despite my suspicion that the grey dot in the white enamel around the Order of Medjidie element indicated a high probability these are the same badges. I also cannot match the areas of lighter and darker staining on the central inscribed tablet of the Hitit Antik badge with those shown on the Ünal tablet. Again I am confounded by some of the staining/tarnish differences. On many Mixed Courts badges, distinctive staining has been an important means of identifying the same badge's journeys through different auction houses. The high-resolution photo of the Ünal badge show very distinct areas of discoloration, but these do not map out in the same areas as this Hitit Antik. Other than repairs, chemical cleaning, or replacement of the missing enamel on the Bamfords central tablet calligraphy between 2018 and 2024, I cannot resolve the lack of similarity in the forms of the central tablets between the Ünal, Bamfords, and Hitit Antik pieces that seem to show many other similarities of their obverse faces. Another glaring anomaly is that the photo of the reverse of the Bamfords badge is quite different from the photo of the reverse of the Ünal example. If the Bamford’s photo of the reverse is actually of that piece, I do not see how the different casting flaws could be so different while many aspects of the obverse are similar. Potentially different rivet holes by themselves might represent attempts to stabilize a loose badge between 2018 and 2024. These abbreviated badges are uncommon enough that finding an unassociated image of the reverse of such a Horovitz badge in the Bamfords auction listing would not necessarily have been simple to obtain. My working idea is that the Bamfords, Ünal, and Hitit Antik badges may all be the same piece, with some maintenance effects that make the central tablets appear dissimilar in each of the photos of the obverse of these badges. The Arthill Horovitz badge is clearly a second example. If the reverse images of the Bamfords and Ünal badges are associated with the illustrated obverse photos in these auction offerings, then there is a strong probability that they represent 2 different badges. The current auction examples indicate that at least 2, and possibly 3, different examples of this abbreviated Horovitz design have come to auction over the last 6 years. The more interesting but opaque issue is why Horovitz made these badges that are so unlike his (and others’) clearly official Mixed Courts badges. Are they a form of brooch jewelry (for judges or other court officials’ wives?) or some other kind of semi-or unofficial insignia? Only Horovitz is currently identified as a maker of these odd pieces.

Enzo posted the above photo of his gold and silver District Mixed Courts badge, made by Froment-Meurice, as the 3rd image of his post of 25 May, 2021 on this thread: He posted one image of the obverse and 2 photos of the reverse. The 3rd photo in Enzo's post (shown above) has the initials “JH” engraved (casually) in the superior central portion of the badge, inside the squared-off part of the depression on the reverse. The reverse of this badge also is of interest because it is stamped both "FROMENT-MEURICE" but also has the diamond-shaped French maker's hallmark which contains a rose resting laterally with the name "FROMENT above the rose and MEURICE below it (see the threee images in my post of 25 May, 2021). I responded to Enzo's post on 25 May 2021 with some information about the only 4 judges in District Courts with the initials “JH” that I could find in the 50th anniversary volume Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926: Livre d'or Édité sous le Patronage du Conseil de l’Ordre des Avocats á l’Occasion du Cinquantenaire des Tribunaux de la Réforme, par le: journal des Tribunaux Mixtes. Alexandrie, Egypte, Février 1926. I also checked whether any Appeals Court judges might have had those initials. I did not uncover anyone else with these initials on that Court listed in the 50th anniversary volume. Although the Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926 volume only lists Court staff from the initiation of the Courts in 1875 thorough the February 1926 publication date, this is not such a handicap for researching potential owners of Froment Meurice-made badges. While some badges may have been returned (where?) after a few judges retired, it seems that many judges (and probably other Mixed Court staff who wore silver badges) kept their badges. As Émile Froment-Meurice retired in 1907 and died in 1913, presumably fewer badges from Maison Froment-Meurice would have been available after that date. I have not found any evidence that his successor, Georges Auger, continued to make any Mixed Courts badges after he purchased the atelier in 1907 and moved it from 372 rue San Honoré, Paris to 54 rue Etienne Marcel (see my post on this thread of15 August, 2019). As noted in that 15 August 2019 post, after purchasing the Froment-Meurice atelier in 1907, Auger-made pieces were marked Auger-Froment Meurice, a name that is not present on any Mixed Courts badges or cases that I have been ablel to see online. The Froment-Meurice badges were directly available 1875-1907, and possibly until his death in 1913. These badges are most likely represented more among judges from those years than after Froment-Meurice’s retirement and death. Other manufacturer’s, especially Rudolfe Stobbe (Alexandria), Wolf Horovitz (Alexandria), Zivy Frères & Cie. (Alexandria), provided badges to judges and Mixed Courts staff. My research has identified two cast versions (presumably less expensive) that were made by D. Ialanos, A. de Leo, and A, Kassandrinos of Alexandria. (see my post of 3 February, 2022 on this thread). A business card for another jeweller, F.lli F. & V. Rusciano, has the motto “Experts près les Tribunaux Mixte” (experst at [to] the Mixed Courts), although I have not yet identified any badges made by this atelier in Cairo. Additionally, there are 4 manufacturers whose badges I have seen online, but cannot be matched to the other known makers. My 25 May, 2021 post on this thread responding to Enzo's images lists the four District Court judges with the initials “JH” and gives a précis of their careers on the Mixed Courts. I have recently found photos of 2 of these judges, and a small amount of additional information on 3 of them, so I wanted to reprise the information about the potential original owners of Enzo’s badge. Below I include the additional photos and information I have found about these four judges. I do not have a prejudice about which of these 4 Judges is more likely to be the original owner of the "JH" badge. I do feel, given the completeness of the 50th anniversary volume's listing from 1875-1926 and the probability that Froment-Meurice badges were most available before 1926, that these four judges are the best candidates to have worn Enzo's badge. The history of the badge's provenance is all that may be able to resolve the question "Who was J. H.?". Just Johan Holten (24 May, 1831-1 February, 1916): Above is an undated cabinet card photo of Judge Just Johan Holten of Denmark in his Mixed District Courts regalia. His name is sometimes spelled Juste-Jean, but more often appears as Just Johan Holten (including on his posthumous autobiography: Holten, Just Johan, 1923, I Dansk og Ægyptsk Statstjeneste [“In Danish and Egyptian Civil Service”], compiled, edited, and published by Carl Dumreicher, M. P. Madens Boghandel, København, and a short biographical work by his son: Holten, Knud, 1916, Just Johan Holten. J.H. Schultz, Copenhagen). This photo is from the Émile Béchard studio that operated in Cairo 1869-1880 before moving back to France and operating in Hyères and Marseille from 1881-1897. This cabinet card portrait is curated in the image collection of the Royal Danish Library (Det Kongelige Bibliotek): http://www5.kb.dk/images/billed/2010/okt/billeder/object460032/da/. The ID for this photo is: DP016037.tif and the Shelf Number (call number) for this is: Image Collection. Danish Portrait, 8°, Holten, Just Johan (1831-1916), in Danish: Billedsamlingen. Danske portrætter, 8°, Holten, Just Johan (1831-1916). This photo may be protected by a copyright, although the source states that is unlikely. Judge Holten was the Former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Denmark prior to being nominated to the Egyptian Mixed Courts. He was initially named to Ismailia on 15 April, 1876 and was transferred to the District Court of Cairo on 27 January, 1878. Holten was transferred to the Court in Mansourah on 12 June, 1878, and then to the District Court in Alexandria on 3 January, 1882. He was called back to service for the Danish government on 1 July, 1883. Holten’s short tenure on the Mixed Courts was during the period when Froment-Meurice Court badges were being made and would have been readily available. (1875-1913). In the above portrait, his neck badge appears to be the Ottoman Order of Medjidie, either the 2nd Class Grand Officer or the 3rd Class Commander. The medal closest to the center of his chest is the Order of Dannebrog, there appears to be no rosette on the ribbon indicating the Knight Class (not the 1st Class Knight). He received this award in 1869. I do not know what the 2nd medal is. The 3rd medal on Holten’s chest might be the silver cross of the Decoration of the Cross of Honor of Dannebrog, but the edge view makes it impossible to be certain. Wikidata (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108748423) identifies that Holten was awarded the Decoration of the Cross of Honor of Dannebrog in 1898, citing Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 3rd edition. The 4th chest badge looks like the Kingdom of Italy Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus. I do not see a crown suspension element (which would indicate the Knight Officer Class), so I suspect it is the Knight (5th Class?). I have found very little biographical information about the honors awarded to Holten. Above is an in an undated photo of the Mixed District Court of Mansourah (“Judges in Mansourah”). This is a plate in the Holten posthumous autobiography (Holten, Just Johan, 1923, I Dansk og Ægyptsk Statstjeneste [“In Danish and Egyptian Civil Service”]. Published by Carl Dumreicher, M. P. Madens Boghandel, København), between pp. 256-257. Most of the men in this photo are judges with solid color sashes (red). There are 3 men with bicolored sashes (red and green) who represent other Court official (i.e., clerks): the 2 men standing in the back row on the left and the man in the back row standing at the far right. Although not identified in the text or caption, Just Johan Holten appears to be seated in the front row 2nd from the viewer’s left with folded arms. Holten served on this Court between June 1878-June 1883. However, the 1923 publication date of this plate and lack of photo identification of subjects makes the identification of Holten uncertain. The judge in the front row 3rd from the viewer’s right resembles Somerville Pinkney Tuck with his great mustaches (see the 1st photo of him in my post on this thread of 30 October, 2024). However, Tuck did not overlap with Holten on their service to the Courts. Tuck served on his first appointment in Egypt to the Mansourah Court in May 1894-November 1897, then served on the Cairo Court, and finally was legal advisor to the Appeals Court from 1908 until his retirement in 1920. However, the date of the above photo of the Court of Mansourah is currently unknown. It is still most likely that a photo of the Court of Mansourah with Judge Holten would have been selected for his posthumous autobiography, if one was available. The above cabinet card portrait of Just Johan Holten by J. Petersen & Søn studio in Copenhagen also comes from The Royal Library, Copenhagen (http://www5.kb.dk/images/billed/2010/okt/billeder/object460033/en/): ID: DPO16038.tif, Shelf mark: Billedsamlingen. Danske portrætter, 8°, Holten, Just Johan (1831-1916). Another version of this image that has been cropped to exclude the matting is on PICRYL website of public domain collections (https://picryl.com/media/just-johan-holten-by-j-petersen-and-son-72ecbb). The cropped version also is available on Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Just_Johan_Holten_by_J._Petersen_%26_Søn.jpg). The Petersen & Søn atelier was run by Jens Petersen (1829-1905) and Charles Bendix Petersen (1860-1927) in Copenhagen. PICRYL bracketed dates for the photo are between 1880-1905, without explanation. Holten may appear slightly younger in the above image than the portrait of him in his posthumous autobiography (facing pg. 1) that is dated to 1912, but there is little visible difference other than possibly less hair on his frontal regional. The center-most chest mini is probably the Order of Dannebrog. The other mini is likely the Decoration of the Cross of Honor of Dannebrog. This photo is free of any copyright. Jules Firmin Gabriel Herbout (6 March, 1831-19 January, 1930): Was a French judge whose name its sometimes identified as “Fermin Jules Gabriel Herbout". I have not found any photos of Jules Firmin Gabriel Herbout. Judge Herbout was the Former President of the Tribunal of Argentina (Orne). He was named to the Cairo Courts on 27 April, 1876. He was called back to service for his government on 27 September, 1883. Subsequently he served on the Tribunal of the Seine. Some census documents I have seen identify him as a judge on Tribunal de La Seine in 1896. Later censuses (1901 & 1911) identify him as an honorary judge by those dates). Judge Herbout also was a judge early enough in the Courts’ existence to have had ready access to a Froment-Meurice-made badge. Information from the genealogy website Geneanet identified that Jules Firmin Gabriel Herbout was awarded the Knight Class of the French légion d'honneur in May, 1877. He was made an officer of the légion d'honneur in a decree of 18 July, 1923 (https://gw.geneanet.org/pneuvise?n=herbout&oc=&p=jules+firmin+gabriel&_gl=1*xa2pbi*_gcl_au*OTI4ODA3MzEuMTczMDMzMDY2Mw..*_ga*MTcxMTkzMjYxOC4xNzMwMzMwNjY3*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*ZmU0M2VjZWYtNGQ4Zi00NzJhLWEwMDEtNzhlZjA4MTRmODYzLjExLjEuMTczMDgyNTM0Ny4wLjAuMA). Jacques Adalbert Haakman (1837-1895) The name of this judge from the Netherlands often is written as Jacques Adelbert Haakman and also commonly latinized to Jacobus Adelbertus Haakman, especially for his publications. I have not found any photos of Judge Haakman. An incident over a Court conflict with Khedive Ismail resulted in the dismissal of Judge Haakman after only serving less than 18 months on the Court. Jacques Adelbert Haakman was a former Substitute for the Prosecutor for the King in Harlem (northern Holland). Named to the District Court of Alexandria 24 June, 1875, dismissed from the Courts by a decision of the General Assembly of the Mixed Court of Appeals on 13 November, 1876. As with the other candidates listed here who might have been the original owner of Enzo’s Mixed Courts badge, Haaakman’s brief and contentious tenure on the Courts was at a time when Froment-Meurice badges would have been readily available. Haakman became embroiled in a very difficult episode in the early years of the Court. The Mixed Courts rendered several opinions on debts that Khedive Ismail had accrued against several estates. The Courts did not recognize a Khedival decree prolonging the periods before repayment, and Ismail did not meet the established repayment schedule. This put the Courts in a very delicate position. Several Egyptian judges withdrew from the hearing feeling that ignoring a Khediuval decree amounted to insurrection against their government. The majority of the Court continued to render judgments against the Khedive and sought diplomatic assistance supporting the establishment of firm schedules for executing judgements and to support the Mixed Courts even in suits against the Egyptian Government. The Courts prevailed, and this episode contributed to the forced abdication and banishment of Khedive Ismail. Judge Haakman took a particularly extreme position about this, causing a difficult, complex, and embarrassing crisis. Haakman tried to challenge his own competency through a convoluted argument that if the law could not be applied equally to all, including the Khedive, then de facto the Courts could no longer operate justly. The Court rejected his argument, and in protest he postponed all meetings, duties, and cases. Haakman's justification was that if law was not being executed according to judgements, then the suspension of all judicial proceedings was necessary. In response, The Appeals Court called him before a General Assembly in October 1876 accused of having refused to render justice and abrogated his other judicial duties and those assigned as alternatives after his initial complaints. Haakman claimed all the judges were disqualified from from rendering an impartial judgement on him and so did not appear for the hearing. He was summarily dismissed from the Mixed Courts. Jasper Yeates Brinton writes briefly about this unfortunate episode at the courts in his important 1930 volume The Mixed Courts of Egypt, Yale University Press, New Haven (pp. 46-50). Brinton, in his usual diplomatic tone, wrote that Haakman (not named) was a Calvinist with an unbending spirit (pg. 49). A Dutch journalist, Gerard Termorshuizen writes that Haakman was notorious for his "irritating egocentrism, delusional self-righteousness, uncollegial behavior and not too much forgotten his ruthless colonial mentality" (Reactionairen en realisten. Een geschiedenis van de Indisch-Nederlandse pers 1905-1942. Amsterdam-Leiden, 2011). Haakman raised concern about the Egyptian government imposing the Mixed Court Ottoman-inspired judicial regalia of the tarboosh, stambouline coat, and the judicial sash, feeling this costume would detract from the international character of the Courts (Haakman, Jacobus A., 1877. Droit international. L’Egypte et les traités internationaux sur la réforme judiciaire. Durand), Paris, pg. 7). Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers (27 December,1850- 25 January, 1920): The above portrait photo of Dutch Judge Heyligers comes from the online version of Onze Hoogleeraren: Portetten en Biografieën (1898) Our Professors: Portraits and Biographies), Nijgh & Van Ditmar, Rotterdam, pg. 340 (https://www.dbnl.org/arch/_onz003onze01_01/pag/_onz003onze01_01.pdf). The record is available on the Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL). The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (DBNL) is a digital collection of texts from Dutch literature, linguistics and cultural history, from the earliest times to the present. This image, and the other two below of Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers, also are archived on the PICRYL website (https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/amp/topics/julius+cornelis+theodorus+heyligers) and on Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Julius+Cornelis+Theodorus+Heyligers&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image). Note the striped rosette in Heyligers' left lapel. Wikidata (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q89343648) identifies him as having received the Knight Class Order of the Netherlands Lion (blue and gold ribbon) at an unspecified date and the Knight Class Order of Christ (Portugal, that ribbon is solid red) on 28 October, 1889. Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers was a former professor at the Indische Instelling in Delft (college for colonial administration in Delft, Netherlands) from 1893-1901. He was named to the Court in Mansourah in March 1901, transferred to Cairo in May 1904, and died in Cairo January 1920. Although he came later to Egypt than the other 3 District Court judges outlined here, he still was a District Court judge at the time when Froment-Meurice-made badges could still be obtained new. Heyligers is shown in the last photo of my post of 18 April, 2019 on this thread, standing in the 2nd row furthest to the viewer's R (and as the 4th photo in my recent post above of 22 November, 2024 about Carl Valdemar Kraft). Jasper Yeates Brinton, an American jurist on the Appeals Court, refers to him as "Judge Th. Heyligers" in several places in his important 1930 book: The Mixed Courts of Egypt. He also was referred to as Prof. Mr. J. C. Th. Heyligers, or just J. C. Th. Heyligers. The above cabinet card of Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers is archived in the Stadsarchief Delft in the Netherlands (SAD inv.nr. 80019), in the Image and Sound section with an estimated date of c1900. The image also is available on PICRYL at https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/amp/media/sad-invnr-80019-c46d87 and on Wikimedia at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SAD_inv.nr._80019.jpg. This cabinet card measures 16.5 cm high x 10.5 cm wide. Heyligers may be slightly younger in this photo than the previous one in this post that accompanied his biography as a faculty member at the Indische Instelling (he may have more hair in the above cabinet card than the portrait in the Onze Hoogleeraren: Portetten en Biografieën 1898). Note that Heyligers is still wearing the striped rosette in his left lapel. The above studio portrait of Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers also is archived in the Stadsarchief Delft (SAD inv.nr. 90912). As noted, the image also is available on PICRYL and Wikimedia Commons. The matted photo measures 40 cm high x 29 cm wide. There is a possible date "04 or possibly "08 that is written to the right of the photographer's name on the lower right of the mat ("W. H. Jazerda"?). Heyligers continues to wears his rosette (striped?) in his left lapel. The two previous portraits of Heyligers probably date to his tenure at the Indische Instelling in Delft from 1893-1901. This is the only portrait I have found that almost certainly dates to his term on the Mixed Courts, other than his inclusion in the group portrait of the Cairo District Court noted above. Although the hat he wears in that 1909 group shot obscures the amount of his baldness, Heyligers' face in that group shot most closely resembles the above portrait. Heyligers wrote a full report of the incident that resulted in the dismissal of Haakman which was published posthumously (Une episode des Premiers Temps de la réforme judidiciareen Egypte. Pamphlet privately printed, Paris 1926).

Above is an uncropped and higher-resolution image of a Froment-Meurice gold and silver Mixed District Courts badge than the slightly cropped and lower resolution photo of the same badge that I included in my post of 28 October, 2024 on this thread. That lower-resolution image in my 28 October post is from 2 other Facebook pages. This comes from 12 November post on a Facebook page of Armut Mezat (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=545850388412846&set=g.1160182087369052). This image can be zoomed for some additional details. This higher-resolution photo does shows the tugra in the Order of Medjidie element is in the correct orientation, rotated just slightly to the right. This helps confirm the indications that this is a Frement-Meurice-made badge. No additional information or photos are provided on this Facebook post.

I have been looking at portraits of Danish judges on the Egyptian Mixed Courts over the last week. I found another cabinet card image of Judge Carl Valdemar Kraft in his Court regalia by Studio Reiser of Alexandria that was probably made at the same time as the other Reiser cabinet card of Kraft that I included as the 2nd image in my post of 5 March, 2019 (and the 12th image in my post of 18 April, 2019). The above cabinet portrait is curated in the image collection of the Royal Danish Library (Det Kongelige Bibliotek). From: http://www5.kb.dk/images/billed/2010/okt/billeder/object463029/en/. The ID for this photo is: DP019031.tif; and the Shelf Number (call number) for it is: Image Collection. Danish Portrait, 8°, Kraft, Carl Valdemar (1849-1924), in Danish: Billedsamlingen. Danske portrætter, 8°, Kraft, C. (1849-1924). This photo is free of any copyright. The same portrait also is included with a listing of Carl Valdemar Kraft on the genealogical site Geni (https://www.geni.com/people/Carl-Valdemar-Kraft/6000000014936894273). The Royal Danish Library estimates this portrait was created between ~1840 and 1898 (1898 is the death date of the Romanian photographer Andreas D. Reiser, although his son Lucien and a partner, Anton Binder, continued to run the studio in Alexandria until 1914). Reiser opened his photographic studio in Alexandria in 1894. Carl V. Kraft was first appointed to the Mixed Court of Mansourah in 1896 and he was transferred to Cairo in 1901. He served as Vice-Presidebnt of the Cairo District Court in 1908-1912 and again from 1914-1916. He was the President of the Cairo Court from 1916-1920. He retired from the Courts in 1920, having reached the mandatory retirement age (70). A resolution in 1902 reserved him a role as an assessor extraordinaire on the Danish Supreme Court. However, Judge Kraft did not fill this position upon his retirement and died in Egypt. This photo is likely to have been taken early in Judge Kraft's career with the Mixed Courts, so a more refined and realistic ballpark set of dates is ~1896-1870. As noted, I also posted another cabinet card portrait of Judge Kraft in his judicial regalia as the as the 2nd image in my post of 5 March, 2019 and as the 3rd-to-last image (12th) in my post of 18 April, 2019 on this thread (and shown again below). That Reiser portrait likely comes from the same sitting as the first image above in today’s post. Although there are a few differences in the appearance of the collar area of the stambouline coat between the above and below Reiser Studio images, the one below is from a slightly angled perspective from Kraft's left side and may mask the open coat collar and horizontal fastener seen in the above image. The folds in the sash appear to be identical in both portraits. His tarboosh is cocked to Kraft's right ear in both photos. Judge Kraft also appears to be the same age in both studio images. In my 18 April, 2019 post here, the 2nd-to-last photo (13th) is a portrait of Kraft from the 50th anniversary volume about the Mixed Courts (Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926: Livre d'or Édité sous le Patronage du Conseil de l’Ordre des Avocats á l’Occasion du Cinquantenaire des Tribunaux de la Réforme, par le: Journal des Tribunaux Mixtes. Alexandrie, Egypte, Février 1926), identifying him as the President of the Cairo Court in his last 4 years, 1916-1920. The anniversary volume consistently spells his name incorrectly as "Karl Valdemar Kraft". That Presidential portrait shows Kraft with grey head and facial hair (a mustache & “soul patch” in modern post-jazz parlance, probably formerly known as a form of “imperial”, but now termed in the US as either a “walrus with soul patch” or, with a more luxurious soul patch growth, the “Zappa beard”). The last image in the 18 April, 2019 post (14th photo) also is from the 50th anniversary volume showing Kraft with the other judges on the Cairo District Court in 1909. Kraft also has a grey mustache in this earlier 1909 group portrait. This same portrait shown above also is used on the Geni genealogical site entry for Carl Valdemar Kraft (https://www.geni.com/people/Carl-Valdemar-Kraft/6000000014936894273). Above is the other Reiser Studio cabinet card portrait of Judge Carl Valdemar Kraft (noted as previously posted here on this GMIC thread in my posts of 5 March, 2019 and 18 April, 2019). As noted above, this image was probably taken at the same time as the first cabinet card image in this post from the Royal Danish Library. Thie above portrait shows details of the full sash and decorative bow of his judicial costumer quite well and illustrates the other regalia clearly: the maroon tarboosh, black stambouline coat, red sash with a gold metallic thread border and fringe, and the gold and silver Mixed Courts' badge. I found this cabinet card inside of a copy of the posthumous autobiography of the Norwegian Judge Michael Hansson, 1946, Egypt: 25 år I Egypt (25 Years in Egypt). Forlagt Av. H. Aschehoug & Co., (W. Nygaard), Oslo. I have posted often on this thread about this illustrious member of the Egyptian Mixed Courts. This copy of Hansson's autobiography was apparently owned by Carl V. Kraft's brother (Rudolph Kraft) whose name is inscribed on the front endpaper, and is dated to April, 1948). All of the edges of this cabinet card are gilt. The card measures 165 mm tall x 105 mm wide (most likely, the 1st illustrated cabinet card by Reiser also is the same size). Although the 1926 50th anniversary volume Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926: spelled Kraft's first name "Karl", other sources, including his own brother's writing on the reverse of this cabinet card, spell his given name "Carl". Reverse of the same Reiser cabinet card portrait found inside the Hansson autobiography owned by Rudolph Kraft. I have not previously illustrated the reverse of this cabinet card here on GMIC. On the middle-lower-left is Rudolph Kraft's notation of his brother's name and life dates (born 30 May, 1849-died 3 December, 1924). I am uncertain what the dated notation at the top is (from 25 December, 1996/1896?). At the far upper right it appears that "Rud Kraft·" is written, probably meaning Rudolph Kraft. This handwriting on the reverse of this cabinet card matches Rudolph Kraft's inscription in the 1946 Hansson volume I have. Carl Valdemar Kraft apparently never married (several censuses identify him as single) and had no children I can identify. He had five sisters but only two brothers who could have contributed the Kraft name to descendants (https://www.myheritage.com/research?formId=master&useTranslation=1&exactSearch=0&action=query&qname=Name+fn.%2F3Frederik%2F3Wilhelm%2F3+ln.Kraft&qevents-event1=Event+et.any+ep.Copenhagen&qevents=List). Information on Rudolph Kraft is slim. he may have been born in 1846 or 1847, but I cannot identify any independent information on his death date. It does appear that he inscribed the Hansson book in April 1948. Judge Kraft's other brother, Frederic Wilhelm Kraft (1840-1881), had two sons, neither named Rudolph (Carl Adolf Kraft [1876-1976] and Frederic Wilhelm Kraft [1879-1962]: https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-1-446760481-9-500893/frederik-wilhelm-kraft-in-myheritage-family-trees). Was this a Christmas gift to a descendant either named Rudolph or just another member of the Kraft family? It is tough to access names & dates of Frederic Kraft's grandchildren, as these mostly derive from pay-firewall genealogy websites. Does the inscription (if 1996) identify that the cabinet card portrait was from Rudolph Kraft and was being passed along (later?) to another member of the family in 1996? All of the black ink lettering in the upper right half closely resembles the Rudolph Kraft inscription in the 1946 Hansson book and the other writing bracketing Judge Krafts birth and death. Only a few components of the the handwriting of numbers are slightly different on this date that may be 1996. First, the flourished form of the "9" in "96" is not seen in Judge Kraft's death year "1924" (and in the book inscription of "1948·"); second, the way the slash between month number and year ("25/12. 96 .") is diagonal on this date is potentially different from the more horizontal line situating the day above the month followed by the fully written out year (in both the lifespan dates of Judge Kraft on the reverse of this card and in the Hansson book inscription). There are only a couple other "1"s and "2"s to compare. None of the "2"s in the 25/12. 96 ." show the full embellishments at each termination as seen in the "12/3 1924" death date for Judge Kraft. The "2" in "25" has a single added line at the termination of the "2" on the left. The "2" in "12." has only one line possibly added at the initiation of the "2". The "."s after dates and the "Kraft·" name also is present in the Hansson book inscription "Rudolph Kraft· 4 [over] 1948·" Above is a photo of the Cairo District Court in 1909. This is from the 50th anniversary volume Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926, on pg. 189. Carl Valdemar Kraft is seated in the front row, 2nd-from-the-viewer's left. The other judges are listed in the caption under the photo in my post of 18 April, 2019. A judge who is mentioned below in my post of 24 November, 2024, Julius Cornelis Theodorus Heyligers, is standing in the second row at the far right in a hat with a dark mustache. I included this group photo as the 14th image (last) in my post of 18 April, 2019 on this thread. The above photo is from a section of the 50th anniversary volume celebrating the Mixed Courts (Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926) on pg. 48 in a section illustrating all of the past Presidents of the District Courts up through February, 1926 when that volume was published. The dates of Judge Kraft's service as President of the Cairo Court are identified (1916-1920) and note the incorrect spelling of his first name as "Karl", repeated in other listings of Kraft in this book. It is most likely that this portrait photo was taken during Kraft's tenure as President of this Court, probably early in that role as the Courts documented their history. Again, I previously used this as the 13th image of my post of 18 April, 2019 (2nd-to-last).

Although I am not a collector, I have tremendously enjoyed and benefited from the interactions with more knowledgable colleagues here on GMIC. Because of the fun I've had researching the Mixed Courts badges, I did buy a Mixed Court badge this past spring (see my 2nd post of 26 March, 2024 on this thread). Despite my research and interest, the Crabitès badge will stay with another part of my wife's family, so I did want a material example of this beautiful badge I have spent so much time investigating. I also am posting here a better quality image of this badge than the one I included as the 8th photo in that 26 March post, and an image of the framing of it that I recently had done. The framed Froment-Meurice District Court badge marked with the makers' hallmark "FROMENT-MEURICE" on the reverse of the badge and the interior case lid, also imarked with the Froment-Meurice name and shop address. I bought that Mixed Courts badge. It is marked on the reverse with a piece of paper marked "F.R." and the outer case upper lid also is marked "F.R.". The only judge I was able to match with the "F.R." initials was the Spanish Judge Frédéric Rauret y Sugastres. He was also commonly known to go by Frédéric Rauret, and I provided detailed information on his appointment to the Egyptian Mixed Courts in that post of 26 March. There is a cabinet card portrait of Judge Rauret y Sugastres in my 26 March post (the 4th photo) that came from an archive in the the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections in Albany, NY, USA of an American judge on the Mixed Courts, George Sherman Batcheller (shown in my post of 24 June, 2024 on this thread). Judge Rauret y Sugastres was originally appointed to the Mixed Courts in 1892 (to Mansourah) and to Alexandria (in 1897). He retired from the Courts for health reasons in 1904. As noted in that previous post, Judge Rauret y Sugastres served during the period when Froment-Meurice made badges were readily available (1875-1907, the date of his retirement or possibly until his death in the collapse of his mansion in 1913). The listings I consult on judges and other staff on the Mixed Courts was published in the 50th anniversary volume about the Mixed Courts in 1926 (Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926 Livre d'or Édité sous le Patronage du Conseil de l’Ordre des Avocats á l’Occasion du Cinquantenaire des Tribunaux de la Réforme), so it should represent a complete roster of individuals who may have obtained a Froment-Meurice badge from the maker. How many such badges were available after Froment-Meurice's retirement and subsequent untimely death are unknown. Unlike Egyptian Royal Orders, there does not appear to have been any rule requiring retiring judges to return their Court insignia when they left their positions. I am looking at some of the Egyptian-made badges where auction photos of the reverse provide images of sufficient resolution to read the Cairo assay dates and try to get a ballpark idea of when they were made (and possibly whether any decreased availability of the Parisian-made Froment-Meurice badges spurred some of the Egyptian-based ateliers production of these badges). However, there are not many such photographs, and not all are high-enough-resolution, so I only have a small sample of the date hallmarks for non-Froment-Meurice made badges. Above is a higher-resolution picture of this Judge Frédéric Rauret y Sugastres' District Courts badge than the one I posted in that 26 March, 2024 post. The photo appears to show a prominent scratch on the middle right off the central calligraphic tablet, between the 4th and 5th alif vertical strokes from the right. However, this is a consequence of one of the very fine scratches from normal wear that picked up by the low late afternoon light when I had my tripod set up, it is not a prominent feature of the minimal wear on this badge. I am happy to have such a beautiful example that is associated with its case and the pretty secure attribution to a particular Mixed Courts judge. I want to thank the many generous contributors to this thread for your help and guidance as I staggered onto some wobbly sea legs stumbling along into some phaleristics fun, and for the gentle prods not to be afraid of collecting and the additional material burdens through life it entails.

A translation of this Danish unofficial award may be "The Motor Ordnance Association's Badge of Honor" (Motorordonnansforeningens Hæderstegn). There is another thread here on GMIC that also identified this medal: "Potential Danish Medal?" started by Lines on 20 July, 2020 here in the "Northern European & Baltic States" section: larsb001 contributed an image of the statutes for this award on that "Potential Danish Medal?" thread. He also mentioned that it's an award for a motorcycle courier service, probably of the home guard and it is not an official award.

Howdy Jan, It took a while for Hanafy to respond to my initial inquiry. Expect it could be 2-3 weeks to hear back from him. Owain addresses the probability that at least one of the medals he has were test items that be obtained from Fahmy Tewfik Bichay in his JOMSA article. He can comment on your concern about the configuration of the official awards compared with a "few" circulating test examples. Rusty

Ha, the expert replied while I was composing! The gilt bronze medal is the 1945 King Farouk I Cholera Epidemic Medal and the white metal is the 1947 King Farouk I Malaria Eradication Medal. This Malaria Medal is shown in gilt bronze in the JOMSA citation below. Examples in gilt bronze also have enamel decorating parts of the superior crown suspension element. See Owain's article: Raw Reese Owain, 2005. The Egyptian Mosquito Eradication and Cholera Epidemic Medals. JOMSA Vol 56, No. 2, March-April, pp. 33-36.

A gold & silver District Court badge made by Froment-Meurice was auctioned on 30 October, 2024 by Kodner Galleries of Florida (Auction 313), and the auction is archived on the Bidsquare website (https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/kodner/emile-froment-meurice-french-1837-1913-6756539). This listing is only remarkable because it includes some good close-up photographs of parts of the badge and especially as it shows that the Order of Medjidie element near the inferior margin of the badge was a separate element of the badge construction. Moderately high-resolution photo of the obverse of the Kodner Galleries Mixed Courts badge on a plastic display stand. Note the vermeil of the embellishment, the fringe and embroidery on the mantle, parts of the crown, the cords and tassels of the upper corners of the mantle, the star above the central tablet, the 2 tugs, the oak and laurel branches, and the wreath around the Order of Medjiidie. The missing tugra within the Order of Medjidie is obvious, and the hole indicates that, at least on Froment-Meurice badges, this was a separate construction element. I did not know this before. Additionally, there is damage to some of the enamel on several parts of the inscription. The auction description identifies the height as 4-1/2 inches (114.3 mm) x 3-3/8 inches wide (85.7 mm) and its weight as approximately 146.33 g. Additional high-resolution image of the obverse of this same badge (the staining on the central tablet is identical to the photo above). I do not know why the badge appears all-silver and none of the gilt is apparent. There is some color in this image, and it is the same badges (note some reddish coloration also matches, especially apparent around the star, surrounding the superior elements on the 2 tugs, and on a part of an embellishment ray framed by the tassel cord loop on the upper left side of the mantle), but I do not know what color manipulation may have been done so that the gold is not visible. This photo shows the attachment hole for the Order of Medjidie element better than in the previous image. High-resolution image of the central tablet inscription. The calligraphy most closely matches that which I have called Froment-Meurice Group 2 (see the 4th-9th images in my post of 6 September, 2021 on this thread). Damage causing loss of some areas of the enamel can be readily seen in this photo. Above is a high-resolution image of the superior crown element of this badge. The above high-resolution image shows the upper left of the badge, detailing the tassels and tie of that corner of the mantle and the left side of the central tablet. Reverse of the Kodner badge showing the "FROMENT-*EURICE" name. The description states that a maker's hallmark also is present on the reverse. However, no description nor photo are included. Presumably, this hallmark should be the "Froment-Meurice" name in a diamond with a rose between the two names (see the 3 photos in my post of 25 May, 2021 on this thread).

A named group of 3 awards, a Rhodesia 1980 Medal, a Zimbabwe Independence Medal, and a UN Cyprus medal are included in the current Liverpool Medals catalogue (https://www.liverpoolmedals.com/product/rhodesia-1980-group-royal-signals?mc_cid=a4f154f49d&mc_eid=eb61970ca6; SKU J9118). I include first the verbatim description and then the photos of the medals and recipient: "Description Rhodesia 1980 Medal, Zimbabwe Independence Medal, UN Cyprus, Signalman S.J. Townsend, Royal Signals, with uniformed picture wearing these medals. Rhodesia Medal officially impressed: “24442182 SIG S J TOWNSEND R SIGNALS” Zimbabwe officially numbered: “14139” With card box of issue with details on bottom side and a photograph of recipient wearing these 3 medals. Service number suggest enlistment circa 1976-1977. The medal was awarded for participation in “Operation Agila”, to the “Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia from 1979-80”, only the medals to serving Military were officially named, the large amount of civilians and policemen present, received unnamed medals, only approximately 2500 medals were issued in total. This unusual “Campaign” Medal was only awarded to about 996 members of the British Army, 132 Officers and 864 men, whose medals would be officially impressed for issue, whereas the remainder to Civlians and Police were issued unnamed. Signalman Towsend was one of the 8 Officers and 195 Men from the Royal Signals who received this medal for having took part in “Operation Agila” during the period of Independence for Zimbabwe, previously known as Rhodesia. The Rhodesia 1980 Medal is an unusual and rather unique medal, as at the time the Royal Mint were experimenting with untarnishable medals and attempting to cut costs from all the years of making solid silver medals. The idea was now to make medals from Cupro-Nickel, in a similar manner as they had been producing Coins and WW2 Medals since 1947, but these medals were to be plated with Rhodium, to create a medal which would never tone or require polishing. However it was not so practical and naming the medals was another obstacle as it had to be done after the plating, also some examples had the plating peel off. 2 years later when they produced the South Atlantic Medal for the Falklands War, they continued to produce medals in Cupro-Nickel but abandoned the Rhodium plating method."

I have not found a thread focused on the WWI Naval Good Shooting Medal, but wanted to provide information from a current Liverpool Medals catalog about this uncommon award. This is another medal I am unfamiliar with, but can provide the description in the Liverpool Medals listing (https://www.liverpoolmedals.com/product/naval-good-shooting-medal-edvii-3?mc_cid=a4f154f49d&mc_eid=eb61970ca6; SKU J9096) that reads: "Description Naval Good Shooting Medal, EDVII, Benjamin North, HMS Majestic 1903, an experienced Gunner who was Seaman Gunner of AMC HMS Patia surviving her sinking in 1918. Officially impressed: “162998 B. North, A.B. H.M.S. Majestic 1903 3. PR. Q.F.” Benjamin North was born on 9th February 1876 in Northam, Southampton. He first joined the Royal Navy as a young Boy 2nd Class aged 15 on 18th September 1891 his profession already noted as “Seaman”. He rose to Boy 1st Class on HMS Boscawen on 17th Nov 1892. Served as a Boy on HMS Achilles, Australia and the Hawke, with whom he turned 18 whilst on board becoming an Ordinary Seaman on 9th February 1894. He became an Able Seaman whilst on HMS Royal Sovereign on 1st September 1896. Benjamin would then serve on board HMS Majestic from 30th May 1902 until 1st February 1904. During this period he would earn this Naval Good Shooting Medal for his proficiency with the 3 Pounder Quick Firing Gun. After having done his 12 years following turning 18, he was discharged to the Royal Fleet Reserve on 1st April 1905. After 5 years in the RFR he re-enrolled for another 5 years on 1st April 1910. When World War 1 broke out, he was amongst those brought back to the Royal Navy on 2nd August 1914 joining HMS Crescent, whilst the ship was Flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron. He would then see the majority of his war service on the Armoured Merchant Cruiser HMS Patia from 21st December 1914 until the day that the Patia was sunk in the Bristol Channel by the German U-Boat Submarine UC-49 on 13th June 1918, being signed off the ship on 30th June 1918. The Patia was an Armoured Merchant Cruisers being a civilian Commercial Liner ship that had been fitted with weapons to defend it self, being given 6 6-Inch Guns and 2 3-Pounders on H.A. (High Angle) Mountings. Benjamin, conveniently being a recipient of the Good Shooting Medal was recorded as an “Acting Seaman Gunner” on the ship, one of the men on the guns. The Western Front Association provided the following details on the ship: “At 1pm on 13 June 1918, HMS Patia, an armed merchant cruiser serving with the 10th Cruiser Squadron, was torpedoed by German submarine UC-49 in the Bristol Channel. Built at Belfast in 1913, the Patia, a converted cargo ship, spent the war as part of the Northern Patrol, enforcing the maritime blockade enemy and merchant ships and merchant ships in the seas between Greenland and Scotland. According to one account, the Patia was carrying cordite and the ensuing explosion and fire killed a number of men immediately. She also carried depth bombs. These had not been set to safety and when the ship sunk to a depth of 75 feet below surface, they began to explode, throwing up geysers of water and placing the lives of the 300 men awaiting rescue in the water in further jeopardy. The destroyer USS Wilkes, under Commander A. S. Hickey, reportedly rescued over 150 men.” 16 Men were lost on the ship, 1 Officer and 15 men being presumed drowned or killed in the sinking. After that he would finish out his service at HMS Victory I, HMS Vernon, Victory X and then Victory I being shore demobilised on 3rd February 1919. Following his service in the Royal Navy, he would return to the sea as a member of the Merchant Navy during 1920 and 1921. He served on ship 144399 from 12th November 1920 HMS Ormuz/Zeppelin Then ship 136828 from September 1921, HMS Lutzow/Huntsend Later in life he is shown on the 1939 Census living back in Southampton with his wife Alice, he is recorded as a “Ships Rigger” He died in Southampton during 1955 aged about 79."

I have not seen a thread dedicated to early Indian Army Meritorious Service Medals. I apologize if I have missed a dedicated thread, but this seemed like a fun medal to illustrate here. I do not know about this medal, but wanted to post information about this rare Indian Army Meritorious Service medal that comes from from 1848. The photo and description come from a current Liverpool Medals catalog (https://www.liverpoolmedals.com/product/heic-msm-vr-serjt-major?mc_cid=a4f154f49d&mc_eid=eb61970ca6; SKU J9077). The listing reads: "Description Indian Army Meritorious Service Medal, H.E.I.C. Issue, VR, Sergeant Major Robert Sullivan, EIC Depot, a rare medal to a well respected soldier. Officially Impressed: “Serjt Major Robt Sullivan E:I:C: Depot” This attractive and unusual medal was instituted in 1848 and awarded only until 1873, awarded to Europeans who had served in the Honourable East India Company, “For Meritorious Service”, few were awarded in it’s 25 year lifetime. This medal is certainly one of the first, if not the first ever to be issued, records note that the medal was instituted on 20th May 1848 by General Order of the Indian Government, however he was given his medal in early April 1848. The presentation of this exact medal was recounted in the Chelmsford Chronicle on 7th April 1848 in a colourful article detailing his remarkable 33 years of service recruiting for the HEIC and his adventurous early days at the Capture of Guadaloupe in the Napoleonic Wars. “INTERESTING SCENE AT WARLEY BARRACKS On Wednesday morning last, being the day fixed for the presentation of an elaborate silver medal to Serjeant Major Robert Sullivan, at the Hon. East India Company’s Depot, at Warley, in this county, every soldier in the barracks was buoyant with joy at the thought of an honourable testimonial of regard being presented to this very veteran soldier. Ten o’clock was the time fixed for the presentation. All the men, about 600 in number, appeared in their full regimental uniforms. After forming into squares, their bayonets glittering in the sun. Col. Hay, accompanied by all the officers in the depot, in a very neat speech, observed that he felt great pleasure in the pleasing duty he was about to fulfill. The board of directors of the H. E. I. Co. had commissioned him to present Serjeant Major Robert Sullivan with a silver medal, as a token of their sincere esteem for his good conduct during the long period of thirty-seven years in their service, and he fervently hoped, together with his brother officers, that he long might enjoy life to wear it. The medal was then pinned on to his left breast by the adjutant, the old man’s countenance, which is now strongly marked by old Time, beaming with gratitude. The medal is a very neat specimen of workmanship on one side the Queen, and on the other the East India Arms, surmounted with the following inscription—”Serj. Major Robt. Sullivan, for thirty-seven years’ long and meritorious conduct.”—At the taking of Guadaloupe he was boat-swain’s mate, for which he also is entitled to a medal. We cannot conclude without observing that Serj. Major Sullivan is a man of generous and humane disposition, religious without cant, indulgent to the fallings of others, without ever encouraging what he knew to be wrong, a man highly respected by every one, in the words of Goldsmith, “would do good, but blush to find it fame”—The men returned to barracks, each giving vent to his joy at this meritorious and well deserved act of kindness. [From a Correspondent.] “ His retirement as noted in the Morning Advertiser, 4th Jan 1856, at the age of 79: “AN OLD SOLDIER REWARDED. A very interesting ceremony took place on Monday last, the 31st ult., at Warley Barracks, the depot of the East India Company, in the presentation of a testimonial to the esteemed Sergeant Major Robert Sullivan, on his retirement from the depot and service of the Company. Forty-four years has he been employed on active duty, and for the last thirty-five years he has held the situation of Sergeant Major in the depot. The directors of the East India Company, to testify their esteem for one who has served them well, determined the testimonial should be publicly presented. The whole of the troops in the depot were formed in three sides of a square on parade. When Colonel Leslie, the commandant, addressed the troops, he stated, “From the high estimation in which the directors of the East India Company held the sergeant-major, they had deputed him to present him with a cheque for 100l., a pension of 2s. per day, and an annuity of 20l.”; and then turning to the fine old veteran, now in his 79th year, he expressed to him the great regret they all felt in parting with him, and in presenting him the gift, expressed a wish that God would bless him, and that he might live many years in health and happiness. The adjutant then read the depot order, in which was the following passage:— “While strictly upholding the discipline of the service, Sergeant-Major Sullivan has been uniformly conspicuous for the temper and consideration with which he has treated all under his control. He leaves the depot with the universal esteem of all ranks, and the commandant most sincerely wishes him many years of happiness and prosperity in his retirement.” The sergeant-major, in reply, said, “He felt most grateful for the kindness and liberality of the directors and for their handsome present; that he had always felt the greatest interest in the welfare of the depot; and for the kindness and respect invariably shown him he tendered his best thanks.” A purse of 30 sovereigns, subscribed by the officers of the depot, was privately presented, and also a very handsome time-piece, with a suitable inscription, was presented by his comrades, the non-commissioned officers. A number of the inhabitants of the town of Brentwood were present to witness the ceremony, and by whom he is equally esteemed.”

Here is another example, also form the most recent Liverpool Medals catalogue (https://www.liverpoolmedals.com/product/royal-niger-company-medal-nigeria?mc_cid=a4f154f49d&mc_eid=eb61970ca6; SKU J9095). The verbatim description reads: "Description Royal Niger Company Medal, bar Nigeria, officially numbered “2054”, a very rare medal to locally recruited forces serving under the Royal Niger Company. Produced and named by Spink & Son circa 1899 on behalf of the Royal Niger Company. Rim officially impressed with the number “2054”. The medal overall is in excellent preserved condition, it has a piece of the original silk ribbon on the medal, this ribbon slightly frayed is very rare, we have never had another with a piece of silk ribbon from the period. Only about 1,000 of these medals were issued numbered in Bronze at the time to the locally employed Soldiers and Police in the region. The 1000 medals were numbered between the ranges of 1 and 2342, however it would only be issued to such a small number of recipients as they had to be still in the employment of the Royal Niger Company at the time of the medals issue to be given the medal. Right as the medal was being issued, during 1899, the Royal Charter for the Royal Niger Company was revoked, the British Government purchasing all their territories owned by the company, forming the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria."

I have finally located a photo of one of the American Judges on the Mixed Courts with one of the most interesting names in U.S. politics, Somerville Pinkney Tuck (24 Sept, 1848-14 April, 1923), along with his flamboyant mustaches, wearing his judicial regalia. The above undated photo comes from an Ancestry.com contribution by his descendants (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/90902621/person/75019188623/media/9e740009-065b-4782-a2b2-0750268cf3e5?galleryindex=2&sort=-created). Somerville Pinkney Tuck was nominated by U.S. President Grover Cleveland to the Mixed Courts and named to the District Court of Mansourah on 6 May, 1894. He was transferred to the District Court in Cairo on 2 December, 1897. The Khedive (Abbas Hilmi II) made him a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, 28-30 September, 1904. He was promoted to Conseiller (Legal Advisor) to the Appeals Court on 9 November, 1908. While still serving on the Appeals Court, h was was made a Member of the International Commission who planned reforms to the Mixed Courts for the anticipated end of Capitulations. On November 11, 1911, Tuck was assigned to the Legislative Assembly created by Khedivial decree within the Mixed Courts to resolve issues that Lord Cromer's proposed reforms failed to effect in the wake of his retirement. Tuck retired from the Courts on 31 October, 1920 after reaching the mandatory retirement age for the Appeals Court (he was 72). Jasper Yeates Brinton (1930, The Mixed Courts of Egypt, Yale University Press, New Haven, pg. 86) states that the retirement age for judges in the Appeals Court was 70 and 65 for judges on the District Courts. In this above image of Tuck's Olympic-class slouching capability, he wears the black stambouline coat, maroon tarboosh, and red sash (of the District Courts). His badge in this photo would have been the gold and silver version of the District Courts' judges. The medals he is wearing on his stambouline are, from the center of his chest running L-R in the viewer's perspective: the Insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati; the 4th Class Officer of the French Legion of Honor (awarded in 1889) and the 2nd Class Officer of the French Order of Academic Palms. This photo must have been taken between the 1889 award to Tuck of the 4th Class Legion of Honor and the 1900 award of the 3rd Class Commander of the Legion of Honor. The 50th anniversary volume about the Mixed Courts (Les Juridictions Mixtes d'Égypte 1876-1926 Livre d'or Édité sous le Patronage du Conseil de l’Ordre des Avocats á l’Occasion du Cinquantenaire des Tribunaux de la Réforme) state he was awarded the 2nd Class Grand Officer of the Order of the Nile (Appendix 1, pg IV). His grave cover in the Menton Castle Cemetery in France (the Cimetière du Vieux Chateau, Menton, Departement des Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) only lists his honors as a "Member of the Society of the Cincinnati" and Comandeur de la Legion d'Honneur. Above is an example of one of the variants of the Insignia of The Society of the Cincinnati, from a Find a Grave listing for Dr. Thomas Earle Van Metre Jr. (1936-1996) buried in Rhode Island (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153080846/thomas-earle-van_metre). The Society of the Cincinnati is the oldest patriotic organization in the United States, founded on 13 May, 1783 by officers of the Continental Army who had served in the Revolutionary War. (https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org). Also see the GMIC thread "Insignia of the society of the Cincinnati", started by g_deploige on 31 January, 2007 in the "United States of America" section under the "Rest of the World: Medals & Militaria" heading. There are several variants of the medals' designs through time. Additional images and descriptions of this award are available on The Society of the Cincinnati website: https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/discover-the-collections/society-of-the-cincinnati-eagles/; https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/the-society-of-the-cincinnati-eagle/; and at https://americanrevolutioninstitute.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/711D7192-BBDC-4CF6-98EA-845427852144. Above is the most well-know and commonly reproduced image of Judge Somerville Pinkney Tuck. It comes from: Harrison, Thomas Skelton, 1917. The Homely Diary of a Diplomat in the East, 1897-1899. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. This portrait is between pp. 44 and 45. It also is archived on Wikimedia (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Judge+Somerville+Pinkney+Tuck+(1848-1923)&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image) and Picryl (https://picryl.com/media/judge-somerville-pinkney-tuck-1848-1923-d6ebce). Tuck was considered an important and well-respected lawyer and jurist in his day.

Above is a low-resolution image of silver and gold District Courts badge from a 23 October, 2022 post on an Arabic language Facebook page called "Heart Eyes" ("عيون القلب"): https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=633430158475027&set=a.633430128475030. The same images also was uploaded to this Facebook page on 18 December, 2016 (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=784999381641169&set=pb.100054241460188.-2207520000). There is no information associated with this image. The cropping on Facebook cut off some of the inferior embellishment and the crescent and star on the superior portion of the crown and some of the superior embellishment. The calligraphy is most similar to what I have called Froment-Meurice Group 2 (see the 5th-9th photos in my post of 6 September, 2021 on this thread).