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Interesting Group--thanks for sharing!! Have you an image of Nordstrom?

Italian badge [hallmarks unreadable but fascist period 1934-44 if a fasces is between characters in lozenge shape punch--other mark is silver content] shows Savoy & another coat of arms. Inscription/letters on scroll below arms would help with ID.

Thank you for sharing these magnificent pieces! Exquisite detail!! Is there a jeweler's stamp in the case lid of your first [U I} example? Perhaps the second case is Cravanzola/Gardino production?

Very interesting! Do you know what other awards he received? Seem to recall that the Senegalese foreign minister visited Ulan Bator around 1986-7... and maybe an Egyptian delegation toured in the late 1970s.

Thank you Peter, clearly the item offered to me with this lot lacks the attention to detail you mention & illustrate and seems to be of much poorer quality.

Paul [email kap73p@aol.com] offers some Bahawal ribbons for sale. Besides the Bahawal-Pak alliance medal and WW II medal ribbon, he now has some Imtiaz-i-Haroonia breast badge and Imtiaz-i-Abbasia neck cravat ribbon and may have a few others. .

A mismatched set of insignia. The star is a grand cross star of the Italo-Albanian 1939-44 type. The badge is a commander or grand officer badge of the same type. cf. A. Lame's Albanian Medals, Vol I p. 144 for star and pp. 154-4 for badge descriptions.

Indian Independence Medal most likely candidate. Next missing award is a British 1939-45 Star.

Some of Artan Lame's GMIC posts [most available via searching 'Albania'] describe Zogist militaria, mainly awards. His vol I Albanian Medals provides the most accessible English language study of decorations. Filip Rrumbullaku's Dekorimet is useful for awards if you read Albanian.

In addition to European makers, several Brazilian jewelers besides Resse made insignia for this Order. Various Brazilian museums offer displays concerning this Order, including the Palace at Petropolis and the Army Historical Museum at Fort Copacabana [Rio]. Two branches of the former imperial family award this Order and other Imperial Brazilian awards. Prince Luiz [Orleans-Braganza, so-called Vassouras branch] seems to be more active in this respect than Prince Pedro Carlos [Orleans-Braganza, so-called Petropolis branch]. Da Costa of Lisbon manufactures Rose Order insignia for these Princes. The Imperial Order of the Rose served as the insignia design model for current Brazilian Order of Merit.

Paul, these are Republika Srpska [independent entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina] awards, if that's what you are asking. Sash with badge = Order of Nemanjic while other is Karageorge Star. These well designed awards reprize elements of Kingdom of Serbia awards. see also GMIC thread 'Medals from the Republika Srpska'. Image from a Republika Srpska site shows a display of some awards in cases. ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' >

Thank you Peter!! Any other comments??

A group supposedly belonging to a mid-upper level Bulgarian diplomat includes this Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler 5th class insignia. The group comprises a Croatian Zvonimir civil commander,and an Italian Roman Eagle lst type commander [both appear to be original based on hallmarks] a British George VI coronation medal [!] + a Bulgarian Civil Merit Grand Officer set, a St Alexander civil commander, two Bulgarian merit medals, & a non-combatant WW I medal. Other awards may accompany this lot, the vendor claims not to have yet seen the whole group. I know nothing about the German Eagle Order insignia except that it has been repeatedly faked. This piece has slightly vaulted enamel on the cross and the number "25" stamped on the ring. Vendor says the "25" mark exactly matches one on an Iron Cross shown imaged below. "25" apparently may signify manufacture by either Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Graveur-Gold-und Silberschmiede-Innungen Hanau or A.E. Kochert of Vienna. The gammadion crosses under the eagles have well defined edges but unequal amounts of white enamel between cross 'legs'. It measures 45 mm across the Maltese cross points, no marks on fan & no "900" fineness mark. Images of insignia detail follow. Could anyone please advise me whether this is a known type of genuine or fake insignia? Another somewhat questionable issue regarding this provenance occurs to me -- if this individual had neck badges from other Axis powers, why a 5th class German Eagle Order?

Not on the small side, but-- Map [or flat file or engineer] cabinets make excellent storage furniture, large ones usually measure 48 inches [122 cm] long by 30 inches [76 cm] or 36 inches [92 cm] wide with drawers about 2 inches [5 cm] deep and up to 20+ drawers. Nowadays, most available new are made of metal but wooden ones sometimes turn up. They often break down like old style closed lawyer's book shelves into 'stackable' units of 4 or 5 drawers each. Cost new depends on supplier & quality anywhere from $100-$200 per unit. Still, a saving over similar custom built items, unless [like some of our members] you have cabinet-making skills. Used ones sometimes available via estate sales or public office [land records, military installation or surveyor] liquidation/upgrade sales. Metal one usually have a sort of acid free paper mat drawer lining; wooden ones often are not lined. They are heavy, bulky but very useful. ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' >

The second image's officer appears to wear a [private organization] St. Lazarus neck badge & star plus another award at his throat. What is the 2nd award? Must Swedish soldiers obtain official permission to wear private organization insignia when in official uniform?

You have 1) Order of Independence [grade could be knight or officer equivalent] & a bravery medal, AND 2) Order of the Star [grade could be knight or officer equivalent] plus what looks like an Order of the Supreme Sun [grade unidentifiable, this design sometimes used as a headgear ornament. Given attachment rings, possibly yours is the latter]. Google afghanistan kingdom medal and/or see dealers' lists for for IDs and additional details. Dr. G. Tammann wrote a practically unobtainable comprehensive guide -- however, his collection and short discussions are more readily available in the 2008 UBS auction of his collection catalog which sometimes appears for sale.

Prices are truly going through the roof!!!! Paying so much will spoil the market for the rest of us!!

Silver gilt pieces usually command higher prices [sometimes double!] than bronze gilt ones as do those with makers marks or the manufacturer's name impressed.

Yes, you have found an U.S. ambassador's vehicle/small boat flag. Your flag is of the design used by bi-lateral [country to country] ambassadors. These flags [and the following ones] usually have gold/yellow color fringe when used indoors but do not have fringe when used outdoors. The following flag used by U.S. ambassadors to international or multi-lateral organizations: U.S. consuls fly this flag: The following 13 star flag, in use before the EU 12 star flag but sometimes confused with it, may be used by U.S. diplomatic officers not holding ambassadorial rank: The U.S. State Department authorizes several other distinct flags for the Department itself, the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary.

Quite interesting--mystery solved!!

Yes, tells or give aways include lack of suspension crown detail/cut outs and cravat loop fixture/connector. Many fake centers made from 'original' dies so enamel work/color can be a useful detail as well. This example may be from a 1960s Hans Schulman or DeGreef sold [or 1980s DeGreef origin] but Fibru-Fisch made lot, of which some 1960s were made of silver-gilt. Looks like a 35 mm ribbon but ribbon replacements not effective in determining much, anyway.

925 in oval = silver fineness. The other in the lozenge is a post WW II maker's & city of origin mark--can't make them out -- likely matches maker's label on case lid.

Blue--Order of Leopold II, based on apparent size likely commander. Red --- Order of Leopold, presumably knight [Flemish -- Ridder]

Dutch Order, presumably Order of Orange Nassau knight

Ah, yes!! Here's his alleged Italian [not including foreign awards] ribbon set...indicating grand cross of Maurice/Lazarus, Crown and Star!! An image of Terruzzi & Balbo which led me to confusion available at http://miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=47765478.