Farkas

2 hours ago, gjw said:

Hey all, first off a very Blessed Christmas to all of you and your families!

 

I was surprised with my wonderful Christmas gift my kids got me.  Very happy and thankful.  I've got some great kids (all 8 of them)!

 

Anyway, here it is

 

 

Best Regards 

 

Greg

 

That’s another beauty mate 🍻🍻

Happy Christmas to you and yours 🍻🍻

33 minutes ago, Christian1962 said:

Hi Tony!

Johann Christlbauer was a well-known producer of high end quality medals, especially he produced a lot of silver medals for local fire brigades of towns and cities. They are known from the end of the 19th century and in the interwar period. I must confess that I don't know, how long the company existed. I will have a look if I will find a medal in my collection and post it here.

Regards

Christian

I just own one: Dienstbotenmedaille des Landes Oberösterreich:

 

 

Thanks Christian, that settles it for me.

Corroborates the few scraps I found. 👍

So Gents, did any of you know that Johann is an alternative for Josef? Because I didn’t have a clue 😊

My concern was I found Josef but he died in 1897, too early for our KTK’s. And I was looking for a possible son called Johann or anyone by that name.

Eventually, mercifully I might add, I realised Johann was Josef. Then I found reference to a commemorative medal produced by…

‘private Christelbauer mint of Austria’  in 1899, so that proved the business continued after Josef died in 1897.

With Christians existing knowledge of them , then it’s settled, 😁

I like the sound of 👇

JOHANN (JOSEF) CHRISTLBAUER MINT.

Cheers Gents

tony 🍻

1 hour ago, cabbell2207 said:

Thank you so much Farkas for the information,i really appreciate it.Hard to see from the photos but when its in the light you can just make out the faint finish in the recesses. Diolch

 

 

🍻🍻 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Hello Gents,

I’m usually up overnight at least 2 nights a week, if I can I spend them on here learning a little bit more.

But all to often I get a bit of an OCD type fixation especially when I feel the answer is somewhere waiting to be found.

For this topic, I’ve spent months on and off trying to ID all the makers on the list I found elsewhere, with some success but still not all of them. Hence the big pause. I struggle with the thought of giving up… or did!
With help, I have identified all the makers that I have examples of. So until I have got any additional one or someone else posts on here another mark that they have… F’ the others on that previous list.

So I have offered myself, and accepted, a compromise. 🤝

A new list.

A GMIC list.

Verified with examples.

Amongst mine I have 7 different makers marks.

1. ☘️ (clover symbol) 

2. FA

3. GW

4. HMA

5. JC

6. MKT

7. W&A

1. ☘️ (clover symbol) 

The clover symbol was used by BSW.

BRÜDER SCHNEIDER A.G WIEN

2. FA

FRANZ ADLER METALLWARENFABRIK

3. GW

GYORFFY ES WOLF FEMIPARI RT.

4. HMA

HAUPTMUNZAMT

5. JC

JOHANN CHRISTELBAUR & SON

6.MKT

METALL-KUNSTSTOFF-TECHNIK

7. W&A

WINTER & ADLER, WIEN

I’ll leave it there for now, I’d hate to delete all the above by mistake, list with photos to follow.

Any comments, additions or corrections, complaints or other always welcomed.

tony 🍻

By the way…

I just googled JOHANN CHRISTELBAUR & SON and (😡) found nothing 🤷‍♂️ So for now I have doubts about this one (☹️) 

A whopping 106.9k views for this topic!  Clearly proves that the people visiting this forum would miss GMIC if it was gone…

🍻

58 minutes ago, Harry the Mole said:

Good luck.

thanks Steve 🍻

11 hours ago, cabbell2207 said:

Hello all,

i just recently acquired this 1914 Mons Star Medal and was wondering if it looked good?

Thank you

Hi cabbell2207,

personally I like it,

it’s got the design quirks I look for that replica ones often don’t, the name on the reverse is a bit sloppy but that’s not unusual for these…

but I’m not one of the experienced heads, so that’s just my best guess so to speak.

Also GNR Odger did receive a trio so no problem with that either 👍

cheers

tony 🍻

On 18/12/2023 at 13:52, Harry the Mole said:

They all look OK, although I prefer the military pistols to the civilian one's. It's always nicer to see them in hand too. Maybe you would get 'mates rates?'

 

Cheers,

          Steve

He’s a lovely fella and it’s not been about the money in our dealings so far, giving me extra bits & bobs and a gorgeous old book he knew I’d like.

He said he’s going to auction because that way the price is what it is. I’d get mates rates but as he’s not sure what they are worth nowadays… what would that be 🤷‍♂️

I told him which I fancied most &
he sent me this message yesterday…

“Hi tony, the gun with the loop on the handle is a customs percussion cap pistol and the very large Flintlock is an Austrian one. The ones in the middle with the English crown on and the ones next to it, probably used in the battle of Waterloo, has markings on the trigger guard which confirms the regiment were there, hope you’re doing well, Bob”

So I’ve asked for more pics & if he doesn’t mind me posting them I will.

fingers crossed

tony 🍻

6 hours ago, diwe said:

I have a question regarding the scarlet cloth tunic for the foot regiments, in particular the Coldstream Guards. It was my understanding that general officers associated with the Coldstream Guards (or another foot regiment with the Household division), e.g. the Colonel of the Regiment (a ceremonial position), which is currently Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall, do only wear full colonels insignia on the scarlet cloth tunic. I have seen images of Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall wearing the scarlet cloth tunic (Home Service Dress Tunic) of a (full) colonel. The same applies to the Colonel-In-Chief, HM King Charles III. Nonetheless, I came across a scarlet cloth tunic for the Coldstream Guards that spots a sword and baton (i.e. insignia for a general officer) and saw rank insignia for a general including the Star of the Order of the Garter on a frock coat for generals. Can someone explain? Thanks so much! 

Hi diwe,

as I understand it…

In 1902 the officers rank insignia changed, including adding the extra star for…

captains 2 upto 3 stars

Lieutenant 1 upto 2 stars

2nd Lieutenant 1 star

- From 1902 until 1922 Brigadier Generals wore the crossed sword and baton on its own.

- From 1922 until 1928 the rank was ‘replaced’ /retitled with Colonel-Commandant. 

- From 1928 the rank was again replaced, this time with Brigadier and the insignia as still used today

So with a bit of luck, if the rest of the tunic tallies with that period, I would say it’s a Brigadier Generals or Colonel-Commandant tunic dating between 1902 -1928. 

cheers

tony 🍻

On 26/11/2023 at 14:39, DLE said:

Hello, 

 

I stumbled across this site/forum and I am hoping someone may be able to help.

 

I am looking for information about the above medal/citation.

My grandfather, Sgt. Henry Desmond #72217 Unit B/115 Brigade RFA was awarded this medal for his actions at Salonika in 1918. It is possible he served with the 26th Division for the whole war and they did brief service in France in 1915 before proceeding to Salonika.

 

The decree was issued on July 16, 1918 by the Minister of Defence file # 47901 but I am confused/uncertain what date his actions would have caused him to earn such a medal. He officially received the medal/citation on January 23, 1921 in Belgrade.

I am looking for information as to why he would have been awarded this medal.

The only thing he would tell my father was "someone took my horse and I went and got it back" he did not discuss it in any further detail.

 

When I came across this site, I happened to see a post from January 29, 2015 and a member (Paja) indicated they found a book “Knights of the Star of KaraA’orAe with Swords” by Tomislav VlahoviA and the member translated/posted the names from this book my grandfather was listed in the book. I just don't know what happened.

 

I have information his place of enlistment was Royal Field Artillery (E. Dulwich S.E.) Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Swindon).

 

It is entirely possible information I am looking for is in fire-damaged records in London unfortunately.

My father had the original citation translated (he also has the medal) and we believe it was done correctly, but it does not specify what he did. My father spent many years off and on trying to find out why this medal was awarded but he was unsuccessful.  He has since passed away and I am trying to do this in his memory and so I can share it with my mother.

 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. ( I have included pictures of what I found on the post on this site from 2015).

 

Dana

Hello Dana,

it’s good to see you continuing the search.

I haven’t got the answer but I have a little bit I can add that may help… This is his Medal roll/records from ww1, they are held at the national archives.

They list him as Gunner and show his unit as RFA 345B which is a different unit (I presume) he must have served with earlier. Perhaps that will change the possible location he was serving in at the time?  I’m not too familiar with the RFA set up but I hope this helps a little 

Best Wishes

tony 🍻

Hi Richard, 

just downloaded a couple CPF files at the National archive for you…

cheers

tony 🍻

21007 GNR G.A. CROWTHER R.FA.

I hope someone finds you one day Richard  🤞

On 13/12/2023 at 01:19, hxihiu111 said:

It looks weird to me.

It does to me as well…

there is an extra line I think here too 

and the rim on the left is much wider than that on the right…

However, I’ve just seen some with different but equally dodgy looking variations being sold by reputable dealers so your guess is as good as mine 🤷‍♂️
 

The medal below doesn’t seem right either but to those in the know it’s a known variant 👇

Unless one of our experienced Gents chips in with a ’thumbs up’ I wouldn’t trust it myself.

Such a minefield this game… ☹️
 

tony 🍻

53 minutes ago, Christian1962 said:

This appears to be a Bundesheer Generalmajor between 1933 and 1938:

 

Nice pic at all. Is there an inscription on the backside?

Regards

Christian

Hello Christian,

unfortunately not on this one.

it is a glossy photograph rather than a postcard/rppc which would make sense for that later period.

I’ve tried to get a better image of him…

tony 🍻

15 minutes ago, Farkas said:

just noticed you said F-S 😪

how about this one instead?

tony 🍻

On 03/04/2023 at 14:30, Carlo said:

Hi all, I have had this miniature chain for a while, clearly from an officer who survived the war, based on the toucan silver mark W 4 used since 1922.

In addition to this it also have a manufacturer's mark F-S, which I haven't been able to identify yet, does anyone know anything about it?

 

Carlo

Carlo, a good chance it’s this fella 👇

tony 🍻
 

edit…

just noticed you said F-S 😪

Hello Gents,

no prizes for guessing the theme.,.

& the reverse with all names 👇

& the reverse 👇

cheers 🍻

tony

1 hour ago, Harry the Mole said:

Some nice pistols there. Are you going to buy any?

On 13/12/2023 at 22:45, SillyOldGrandad said:

Because I used to have a thing about Nurse Gladys Emmanuel.        Pete.

Can’t argue with you there Pete…

—-/://—-

On 13/12/2023 at 04:15, dpk said:

They may have (but not confirmed) a link to Liverpool Police.

DPK, I don’t know your reason for a possible Liverpool connection so it may be coincidence but in it’s earliest days there was a strong Liverpool connection with the QNI.

tony 🍻

On 14/12/2023 at 17:48, TracA said:

Farkas,

 

Wow, what a great story and a great way for it to turn out. Being able to dig up records about the seller's father is wonderful icing on the cake.

 

All the best,

 

Tracy

Exactly 🍻

I haven’t a clue what they’re worth yet but I’m going to try and find some similar ones, hopefully, to get an idea.

He’s a retired MOD blacksmith and for years he picked them up whenever he saw one. He just enjoyed cleaning them up, there’s no work required on them… if I’m ever getting one now’s the time!

I’ve got first dibs but I suspect they are going to be worth a few quid. 

Any thoughts about them Steve?

PS… I like the third one from the left, the one below the one with the ring… 

23 hours ago, Harry the Mole said:

Hi Tony,

 

Just to muddy the waters a bit more for you, it should really be referred to as a 'Caliver'. The Caliver was a shorter version of the Arquebus - although both were matchlock. The standard matchlock of the Civil War period came in a variety of bores, and this caused problems for the musketeers on the battlefields - who often found that they had to deform the shape of musket balls to make them fit the barrel. A shorter version of the Arquebus was introduced with a standard bore of barrel, and this was known as the Caliver . The word Caliver  was a corruption of the Italian word for internal measurement - which was Calibre. And that is basically how the word Calibre or Caliber came to mean the size of the bullet for any particular weapon.

 

The matchlock was replaced by the wheellock - a system of igniting the powder which had many advantages over the matchlock, but was rather complicated and expensive to make. The (VERY) basic principle of how it works is when the trigger is squeezed, a wheel spins and causes sparks, which in turn ignites the powder in the pan. After that came the Snaphaunce and Doglock. The Doglock had no internal half-cock position, so the hammer  was held back by a catch - the 'dog' - which engaged with the hammer as it was drawn to the rear. The gun could then be safely loaded and the hammer fully drawn to the rear and ready to fire.

 

The next stage in the evolution of these weapons was the Flintlock, with this variation having an internal half-cock position, As the hammer was drawn to the rear, it was held at half-cock and rendered safe to load. This next bit is off topic, but serves to illustrate the use of half-cock as a safety feature.

 

Even some relatively modern weapons used the half-cock as a safety device rather than a proper safety catch. The Maxim-type guns had no safety as such, and during WW1 the guns were kept at readiness by having them at half-cock. Maxim type guns had to be cocked twice to load them, the first pull of the crank merely placed the extractor over the base of the round in the belt when the action was cycled. This was the half-cock position.

 

On the second pull of the crank, the cartridge was withdrawn from the feed belt and taken to the rear. As the lock returned to battery, the round was fed into the breech, the extractors moved up and grabbed the base of the next round, and the gun was ready to fire. Unlike other machine guns, the Maxi guns - of which the Vickers gun was a modified Maxim - the gun fired from a closed bolt. In other words, there was ALWAYS a round in the breech unless the gun was at half-cock. This was why Maxim guns were water cooled - it was to stop the round cooking off in a hot barrel.

 

Cheers,

            Steve

 

 

Steve, thanks for taking the time to impart some knowledge… 

I now know the expression ‘going off half cocked’ was around long before I would have guessed.

& you got me googling Arquebus which was a first for me 😊 there is quite a history of evolution which isn’t surprising I know but not something I have considered before.

Between yours and these pictures my friend sent me of his flintlocks… he’s selling up and I was already tempted but now I really want one

Something fresh & interesting that I now want & need to buy a book about 👍 

cheers

tony 🍻

49 minutes ago, SillyOldGrandad said:

The Queen's Institute of District Nursing.         Pete.

How did ya know that Pete? 👏
 

😁
 

What an awesome looking thing Steve, well done mate. Nearly 5 foot, I bet that feels heavier than 7.5lbs after pointing it for a while.

I know nothing about such things but someone I know just sent me a lovely picture of his flintlock collection he’s parting with so I’m curious…
if it’s a musket not a flint lock, doglock or matchlock (2 I’ve not heard of 😊) do they all have different firing mechanisms? Is it all about evolution/different eras or just cost as you mentioned?

I just thought muskets were long guns and flint locks were the small versions but that both worked the same.

Now I see on yours and recall (from films) there is a smouldering string to ignite the powder and then there was flint on a flintlock but what about the other two you mention?

I guess match is a clue but can you teach me the differences 👍 

cheers

tony

On 10/12/2023 at 13:42, SillyOldGrandad said:

Royal Engineers.       Pete.

Nice one Pete, thanks.

Then traditionally it should have a whistle attached I think… though clearly not as useful as this alternative, 🍻🍻

1 hour ago, TracA said:

Farkas,

 

Outstanding! Thanks for sharing. I really love the attention to detail on the design of these buttons. What a fascinating area of collecting.

 

All the best,

 

Tracy

Thanks Tracy,

I was lucky but there was a bit of good karma involved too…

I spotted a button listed in n EBay as ‘unknown’ and managed to work out what it was, I messaged the seller and told him what it was.

It turned out the seller was a lovely fella called Bob, in his seventies, he told me he was selling off his 50 year collection to fund another hobby and apart from a few he would be listing the military ones in joblots shortly. 

I kid you not, I scrambled to get funds ready… and bought every one!

That was 6 x joblots of 68!!

i pissed a few people off apparently but I wasn’t sharing unless I had too!

Apart from knowing they were going to be listed, another advantage I had was, it is usual with large joblots, if someone only wants/needs a few items in it, it is unlikely they’ll spend as much as someone who wants many or all of them.., my advantage was I wanted at least 50 or even 60 out of each lot of 68.

I’ve got a lot of buttons but I don’t spend much on specific ones unless I want them for a uniform that is missing them. I also love a bargain. However mine are 99% post ww1. Because the best are Victorian,  there are so many that are scarce it was a non starter   🤷‍♂️ or so I thought 😊

 

1 hour ago, TracA said:

I really love the attention to detail on the design of these buttons.

They truly are 👍👍

I wasn’t intending to but I can’t resist showing you them all 😊

These were the first

then these

then the artillery lot 

then these 👇 

these got a lot of interest.

Next up these 👇

and lastly these 👇

Even better in the flesh and I’ve not even opened them all up yet.

Truly an honour to pick up Bobs collection. Also a pleasure to tell him they’re staying together with me not being broken up and sold. 

Lastly, over the time I chatted with Bob he mentioned his Father was Royal Navy in both wars but sadly he and his family knew nothing of his service… not even one ship he served on.

So the cherry on the bun was that I was able to find a load of records for him including these 👇

So all because I messaged him about his unknown button, a series of events unfolded that brought some joy to all involved…

That’s good karma in action.

cheers

tony 🍻