Yankee

Hi Cimbineus What I meant to say does the reverse white medallion feel heavy in your hand. If the material feels light in weight then it very well could be synthetic. If enamel or unglazed porcelain then it would feel more like a large coin in weight. I noticed some traces of green dye which there must have been some sort of reaction. Wish I had been a better student in chemistry. Thanks Sincerely Yankee

Thanks for that Iver. Those Austro-Hungarians sure did make beautiful cases.

Please excuse spelling mistake. When did these firms go out of business?

Hi Cimbineus Glade it came out in one piece . Are you 100% certain it is bakelite? Is the reverse heavy or light? True it was invented in the early 1900's used for industrial & electrical applications. In the 1920's & 30's was widely used in consumer goods. What is most interesting are the cases. The case for the Signum Laudis is by Maurer. The case in the Dorotheum is by Tiller. It is difficult to imagine that two firms would both manufacture something so rare. Does anybody kmow these two firms had closed their doors for good? Also in the 20's the Austrian Generals used parade uniforms in white. Sincerely Yankee

Hi Bovec 1313 Many kind thanks for your descriptive insight into the possibility of his occupation & criteria to win the zealous service medal. It never had occured that he'd have Bulgarian citizenship. I suppose back then dual citizenship was a rarity. If he had changed his name as you strongly brought up that possibility, tracing the bar would be next to impossible since he could have used either name in the medal rolls. As I learned from you earlier the Serbian records were destroyed in WWII. There would be no possibility to cross-reference the Bulgarian medal even if those do exist . Sincerely Yankee

:jumping: Guys this is one really excellent book. The history, close up details of the illustrations, jewelers, are all combined in making a great read. Amazed by the quality of research that went into each Order, Decoration & medal. Even if you don't collect Serbia you'll be amazed at the awards that the State issued over the years. After reading this book one might easily turn to collecting Sebia. Great work Pavel Sincerely Brian

Just realized it can't be bakelite an early form of plastic. This stuff had not been invented yet. It only came to use in the 20's. Perhaps the reverse is a very fine enamel or porcelain.

Absolutely amazing. I also heard the stories of medals and decorations staining the white uniforms but never knew they did something about it on the medals. Never have seen anything like it before. Thanks for showing. Sincerely Brian

Officer class 1857 era

Hi Timo I'm glade you like the order. From the inception they were seperate orders only to be combined which gives the present form, the Maurice ( military cross ) Lazarus ( charity Angles ). Hallmarks are seldom found if so usually on the French made pieces with a gold hallmark, export marks. Here is an example of one from the Kingdom of Sardinia. Note the wreath was used to distinguish an officer from the knight. Prior to 1857 there was no gold wreath only a bar on the ribbon to designate an officer. After the unification of Italy the wreath was replaced by the crown in 1860. The measurement is 37mm. The early 1800's the sizes are even smaller 28mm-33mm. The Maurice was completely flat no "speed bumps" at the edges. Sincerely Brian

Hi Noor One of my favorite, a very ancient & noble order. Your example is an officer class due to the fact that there is a crown present. Without a crown it would be a knight. Date it around WWI or after due to the fact its silver. The gold examples are 19th century, very delicate and very light. They are not scarce but more rare then the Italian Crown to be sure. Is your example 39-42 mm? Sincerely Brian

' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > Reason for being curious. Now let us hope nobody starts removing crowns for profit gains Sincerely Brian

Hi Beau Fascinating that a German State knight 2nd class with crown less scarce then without. Oldenburg must the only State that has that unique distinction. By chance do you know how many were awarded with crown. Also any idea what the numbers were awarded between 1906-18 with crown. Thanks Sincerely Brian

Hi Pavel Thanks for allowing the opportunity to purchase directly from you. You are correct it would be sent to the States and an English version would be preferable. I will send out a PM for your payment instructions. Thanks for holding a copy Sincerely Brian

Hi Bovec Congratulations in publishing such a fine detailed book that covers all aspects of collecting Serbia. Always a plus to identify & know about the makers which was thoughtful to incorporate in your book. Where can I purchase a copy of your work? Sincerely Yankee

Hi Rujab What a fantastic cased knight 2nd class. Any idea how you differentiate a knight 1st class from knight 2nd class since they were both awarded in gold. Know what year the knight 2nd class was established ? Only able to discover the knight 1st class was created in 1831. Any info greatly appreciated. Thanks Yankee

A small addition to a fantastic thread. 3rd quarter 19th century example.

I apologize for the size of the medal. Not one of my better scans. Unfortunately I do not have the medal at home to scan a larger size. I'll try to get you a better detailed foto.

A SMALL WORLD

Hi Cussonneau What a fantastic surprise that you have the names on file for the 9th Artillery Regiment. Very exciting to see Chamouille recorded in the log. By chance do you have records that would state Chamouille's actions for receiving the AVM. Any idea what the average amount of AVM's that were awarded for each warship that participated in the campaign? Do all Naval AVM's have the recipients ship inscribed? I do not own this medal just wanting some info on it that had been listed in a recent auction. If I had known the importance of the dedication I'd have tried a lot harder to have obtained it. I was also surprised by the warship itself. Interesting the ship was part paddle and part sail that was adopted by the military. I suppose some ships that received the AVM are more desirable then others by the actions that took place what type of warship and how many were awarded to each crew. Or are all Naval AVM's equally rare? How neat to see another AVM to the 9th Artillery Regiment My reverse also has the exact star burst (Scroll) that you desribed. At first I thought it was just the engravers happy touch now I'm thinking this design was issued to all the AVM's of the regiment. Or was this star burst design on many campaign medals. Or just the signature of a particular engraver? Many thanks for that great research. Thanks for the break down of awards to the Turcos. The early Savoy orders are very delicate and rare.... Sincerely Brian

Hi Beau Nice comparison of different era pieces. I was wrong that the Alberts came from the same batch. The blue band around the Duke are different shades of blue and the wreath on yours seems to be a more uniform pattern and more flat as you suggested. Is your case fitted for a trifold ribbon? Was it so easy to replace the bust(Baker)with the new type. Do you know if they used some sort of super glue back then or did they have to take the whole center apart? Perhaps when the bust removed they had to replace the center as well especially if it was glued in place. Thanks

Hi Paul Your knowledge on this field is awesome. I wonder where those two Crimean AVM's are hiding & Italian Campaign ones too. Perhaps there lying comfortably in a West African collector or worse lost in the desert forever. Thanks for informing me on there fighting qualities and how competitive it was for the French officers to have them serve under their command. Sincerely Brian

HI Beau The case looks like the one you had posted a few months ago with that early Scharffenberg address and case design. Is your Albert fairly flat? The reason asking is that I noticed how thin mine is compared to other examples I have seen, almost like a Dannebrog. Perhaps ours came from the same batch :cheers:

Hi Rick I have an Austrian ribbon which explans why it does not fit comfortably into the 30mm cut out trifold design. The case is marked Scharffenberg so I assume the Albert is too. The early Albert knight cases were of a rectangular shape. I think the later cases had the royal arms. I compared the ribbon to the Austian ones I have and they are exact in size which makes you have excellent vision :D