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Excellent thread with great images!! Any Bulgarians with Turkish Orders bearing crossed scimitars??

Thank you Nick--your posts always interesting and a real treat!!!

Never had luck finding order insignia except obsolete Sarawak items sometimes available on eBay in KL [visits ranging from 1986-2008]. Malaya Trading remained active two years ago but only a few mini medals & some 'national' medal ribbons on offer. You may find some battered pieces like very common British WW II medals in the Chinese part of town. Best hint for KL is to get a first class hotel [Regency, Park Royal, Istana, Shangri La....] concierge to advize you & arrange a guide/transport -- even if you're not staying there. A substantial tip helps even if you do stay in one of these places. You'll have better luck finding Johore Order insignia in European auctions! Never found anything award-related in Mauritius, including information. People supposedly do not even know what post-nominal letters on national heros' statues mean!! Many beautiful beaches and comfortable hotels plus friendly people though.

Your Bertrand-made, 3rd Republic Legion of Honor commander likely dates from the 1920s to 1939-1940 though the interior case maker naming is late style. It probably is silver gilt and likely has hallmarks/silver fineness markings on the wreath ties or top ring. Jacob's Court Jewellers of the World details variations in case maker naming usage that narrows the possible time frame. The Italian Crown commander [Victor Emmanuel III {King of Italy, 29 July 1900 – 9 May 1946} style outer case lid embossing] seems to be from same era -- this jeweler name style with blue ink usually mid-late 1930s. Badge & ribbon ring most likely in gold & usually without hallmarks but sometimes they appear on the small ring at the top of the cross. Date change relationships between use of Cravanzola-Gardino name fully described in Jacob's Court Jewellers of the World.

Note this is the 2nd or 3rd time on offer --- & see the other item from this seller!

An item related to Serbian King Milan? The central monogram appears to be "M". While somewhat similar to designs of the Serbian so-called Order or Decoration of Queen Draga and replacement Order or Decoration of Queen Natalie, among other format differences, neither of these have a 'garter-style [with buckle]' motto ring. However, there may be a small coat of arms device at the lower wreath junction similar to those of the two Serbian awards mentioned above. These elements may offer identification clues.

Wonderful images!! Number 110-112 is a Norwegian St. Olaf.

Thanks for posting this great image! Is there a 'ghost' of a 4 armed cross under the Order of Merit? If so, the ladder ribbon probably may be an Austrian Militärverdienstkreuz 3rd class--especially considering the EK. Arts/Sciences medal has a large diameter planchet about size of Merit Order outer wreath so part of the disc should be visible if decoration is Arts/Sciences. The second to last medal is more likely a Ferdinand-Maria Louisa marriage commemorative medal [blue ribbon w/red edges]; Alex 1879 ribbon similar to Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit [white edged in green then purple]. Lapel pin is a Bulgarian veteran's society badge--don't remember which society but described in the Bulgarian badge book by Petrov.

Looks like there are 8-10 enamel points around the centers. If there's a crown suspension on the badge and a crown atop the badge on the star, maybe a Portugese Villa Vicosa Order Grand officer; if not, likely a Vatican Pius IX Grand Officer. Another candidate is a royal Portugese Agricultural /Industrial Merit Order Grand Officer.

Yes, a Leopold would be strange. Among awards utilizing white/red ribbons, and perhaps [?] a more likely candidate in a Romanian context, is the Medalia "Meritul Cultural" catigori artele plastice [Cultural Merit Medal, Fine Arts division]. {The current Romanian government revived this distinction in the 2000s using the same ribbon colors as monarchy issues.} But why the swords & Eagle? Possibly here we may have a totally Romanian ribbon group mounted by Godet, with swords and a Silesian Eagle add-on. Or a repurposing of a Godet mounting button device + add-on? Or maybe a Croat Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir, military division? Endless speculations!!

Certainly appears to be a casting lacking a suspension 'leaf-pin' -- cannot read inscribed name. Edge and obverse aspects could provide better analysis opportunities.

Great thread & very practical applications-----THANK YOU!!!

RE: POST 230-236 Suspect the 2 unidentified ribbons are [blue + yellow/red squares] a Romanian 1913 Balkan War medal [Medalia "Avintul Tarii" -- (Medal of the Country's Upsurge)] and [yellow-red-blue-white-black...] a 1906 romanian King Carol I 40 year jubilee medal [Medalia Jubiliara Carol I]. If so, quite an individual assortment!!

Fascinating story, translation notwithstanding. Incredible will and undeniable courage on the part of both Yugoslavs & Norwegians!! There must be a story, or at least speculation, regarding Yugoslav prisoners held in Norway.

Thanks for sharing this highly interesting topic!

Peron's post 69 above shows a metal mounting 'triangle' sometimes used when medals were individually awarded 'en masse'. Examples include 'passing out' parades or national day celebrations when tens of persons were decorated at the same time with the same award, usually by the same official. Awardees would have a metal bar, U shaped pin, or wide cloth tape or thread already attached to their clothing so that the medal 'presenter' could just slip the triangle through that attachment &, voila, the medal hung from the clothing. This saved time and avoided possibility of 'stabbing' recipients with fork type pins. Colonel Guayadier described this arrangement in a late 1950's Sabretache article. At that time, other French enthusiasts posited that this method could be used when an wounded, disabled or elderly person presented medals. A 1970s piece in the now-defunct Swiss collector society's Phalaristic Journal mentioned it as well, perhaps citing Guayadier's work. Unfortunately, I do not have those references to hand for an exact citation. British and Commonwealth presenters sometimes use a somewhat similar procedure hanging the award on a metal hook preattached to recipient's clothing. From time to time, auction catalogs or eBay lisitngs offer French medals with this type device.

No, but plenty of French colonial awards including [lower bar] a generic [Ali name] Nichan Iftikhir officer, Dragon of Annam officer, Royal Order of Cambodia Officer, short-lived Nichan Hafidien [1910-1913] officer, & Royal Order of Comores officer. The last piece top row appears to be a Cherifien Order of Military Merit [Morocco]. The Nichan Hafidien & Cherifien Order of Military Merit may narrow a 'searchable' opportunity. Besides Legion of Honor commander, maybe a St. Gregory commander. Cannot read rank insignia. Appear to be two insignia or stars on right side seen in edge profile. Given geographic range of North Africa, Southeast Asia & Indian Ocean awards and the apparent campaign medals [2nd one a Madgascar & next a claspless China or Dahomey?] + a colonial medal w/2 clasps, maybe a colonial warrior or an inspector??

Excellent presentation with much heretofore unpublished [& unknown/unobtainable] documentation. Sincere congratulations on a magnificent work.

Artan, Again you have made a major contribution to your country's patrimony!! Thank you on behalf of us all as well. What historical significance! The state of conservation is quite pristine. It appears that the donation includes a Black Eagle knight with swords -- presumably Heaton-Armstrong's decoration? Will it be possible to show close-up views of the sword blade engraving, if any, epaulettes and belt buckle too? Sincere congratulations on your success in obtaining these valuable historical artifacts.

Artan, Thank you for these images!!! Your success in obtaining these images is simply amazing.

Thank you, Megan, for starting this thread. Republic-type insignia is made by Kjartan Asmundsson of Reykjavik [mark "KA"--seen on star reverse] as was reportedly the case with much kingdom-type insignia. Most stars [at least] have silver content marks [925 S] as well. At least one Danish company supposedly manufactured kingdom-type insignia. I had the pleasure of viewing the 'original' kingdom-type collar and one of the copies in Holte, Denmark about 40 years ago and was very hard pressed to see much difference between the two. It is quite possible that other Danish-made copy insignia exists. In the 1970s-80s, French-made copies of commander badges emerged, some with French silver hallmarks. While these were mainly republic-type, wouldn't surprize if some acquired crown suspensions!!

Maroc [Morocco] Order of Quissam Alaouite, chevalier, possibly 2nd type.

Collector's cabinets usually are good display 'venues', even for pieces uniform in size. Most have drawers about 5 cm [2 inches] deep and are anywhere from 40 cm [16 inches] to 80 cm [32 inches] in wide/long dimensions. Somewhat deeper drawers, say 8-10 cm deep, provide storage for most cases. Often velveteen or similar material is used to line drawers. They range in overall height from 60 cm to 2 metres. If you are handy with tools, believe there's a GMIC thread describing cabinet construction. Otherwise they may be purchased; sources vary from easily adaptable IKEA type owner-assembled chests to custom-made 'roll-top' dressers. Used cabinets appear from time to time in auctions like Spinks --shipping expense is a real consideration however. Map cases may also be suitable though individual drawers usually are considerably bigger and, as furniture, map cases are much bulkier. Don't forget 'security' issues. Cabinets may be lockable, stored in a secure/safe room or otherwise protected.

Carl Eduard was named honorary Colonel of Seaforth Highlanders sometime after 1900 & held that position until maybe 1917 when he was deprived of his remaining British honors & titles [Carl Eduard received a KG in 1902--George V removed his name from the KG roll in 1915]. Carl Eduard therefore decorated a number of Seaforth Highlanders officers and senior enlisted men [those serving in 'his' regiment ] with Ernestine House Order awards. Usually, such awards stemmed from protocol exchanges and/or Carl Eduard's visits to Seaforth encampments. As you mentioned, the regimental museum at Fort George close to Inverness likely has much more information on the association between Carl Eduard and the Seaforth Highlanders, perhaps including detailed information on your grandfather's award. Ernestine rolls may be another source to consult.

Campaign involved Royal Moroccan military, economic & political efforts to counter and defeat POLISARIO and Mauretanian claims in the Western Sahara region [former Spanish Sahara]. Two key locales were a seaport -- ad-Dakhla [Villa Cisneros under Spanish rule] -- and a trans-Sahara transit nexus -- al-Argub -- and their surrounding administrative regions. Do not remember how long the campaign lasted or even if it's still on-going but almost certainly most active over several years [late 1970s-mid 1980s?]. Al-Qadr relates to the Islamic 'Night of Power' during the latter part of Ramadan when the first verses of the Koran were revealed to Muhammed. Early on, some major events of the campaign [including planning] occurred during Ramadan.