Carol I

You're welcome. And thanks for the details on the manufacturer.

This set is said to have belonged to Queen Maria of Romania

To me it seems that the rays on the left side are more bent than on the right, as if the star was dropped and fell on that side. The museum attributed them to Queen Maria, but since that was not possible, I assumed they were Ferdinand's. It seems reasonable: diplomatic relations with Japan were established during his reign, Prince Carol was on a tour in Japan in 1920 and might have received the order for his father etc. But I agree that none of these is a proof by itself. Thanks for the kind words. I've now noticed that all the pictures are gone from that thread...

... with the ribbon of the Order of the Crown of Romania.

And the grand cross set (the star appears to have been damaged)

King Ferdinand's collar and details

I realised the source of the confusion: last week there was another auction with the same name: http://www.artmark.ro/arhiva-rezultate-licitatii/licitatia-epoca-de-aur-122-2014.html?dir=asc&order=lot_nr It also had a few personal items of the Ceausescu couple, but the majority were items related to their "Golden Era".

26 January 2012 was quite a good time ago. Here is a link to the results of the mentioned auction: http://www.artmark.ro/arhiva-rezultate-licitatii/licitatia-epoca-de-aur-46-2012.html?dir=asc&order=lot_nr

The different metals were supposed to reflect the extent of the recipient's participation in the campaigns.

The bars were described in the decree establishing the medal and there are award certificates mentioning the bar (see below), so one could assume they were issued with the medal.

Thanks for the translation. Is there any other sign that he worked for the railway? Does his uniform say anything about his position/function?

While going through some old family papers I have come across this photo of a Russian official taken in Vilna (Vilnius). There is a note on the back, but I can only read that the photo was taken in 1913. I would appreciate any information you could provide. Thank you in advance.

American, British and French

Gustav Smekal (Brno, June 1911)

Thanks for the reply. Can one use the rank to determine whether he was professionally employed or conscripted?

Eduard Victor Gürtesch (any other info appreciated, thanks)

I have to break my piggy bank, but since I am very fond of it, I'll wait for the next one.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks for the very quick reply. The question about the photo was a long shot, but I was hoping that you remember what it was, even though given the 5 minutes you had in the room this also seems like a shot in the dark.

Thanks Claudio for the images. Do you know what collar was that to the right in the image above? Do you have a photo? Thanks in advance.

From the collections of the National Military Museum, insignia of the dynastic Order of the Ruling House:

You are welcome. I'm glad I could provide some new information. Only now have I noticed that one other question remained unanswered. I think Ferdinand is wearing a dark blue uniform with gold braid, like in the British poster below (from Ferdinand's English Wikipedia page). The top star is that of the Order of the Star of Romania with swords (see below a similar one). The bottom star is that of the Princely Hohenzollern House Order. The first two orders on the medal bar are the Order of the Crown of Romania and the Hohenzollern House Order. I cannot make out the remainder, but they do not appear to be Romanian. Maria appears to be wearing the star of the Order of the Crown of Romania with brilliants (top), but I cannot make out the bottom star. The sash appears to be that of the Order of the Crown of Romania: light blue with steel stripes on the side (top one in the image below).

The absence of the Order of Carol I would place it before 1906. Besides, Ferdinand appears to be in his late 30s or early 40s, which indicates the same date given his birth in 1865.

Ferdinand's photo was taken when he was only Crown Prince and I suspect Marie's photo dates from about the same period.

Yes, the Order of the Ruling House was similar in design to the Princely Hohenzollern House Order. If I remember right, the order was not established in the 1930s, but rather "taken over" by Carol II as the only sovereign ruler of the Hohenzollern houses at that time. The photo below shows Crown Prince Mihai wearing the star of the order. As for the Bene Merenti Order of the Ruling House, here is a photo from the Chancellery of Orders.