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Mike, Hugh, I don't think he is a member of the Royal Household - junior staff would not have accumulated such an array and senior staff or even Royal would not have worn the Dungarpur Indian Princely state medal or indeed the Athos Cross as they would not have been allowed to wear them. Even 'restricted permission to wear' would not have resulted in such a group. Perhaps there may have been a British neck badge (CBE? CVO? CMG? CB?, CH? OM?) worn separately but we'll never know unless we can ID the group's owner. Regards, Owain

Thanks Paul. I've also looked up the LG for awards of Orange Nassau 1920 to 1970. The bulk of the Civil Commanders are gazetted LG 30 January 1948 (47 of which 24 have post nominals) & 29 August 1950 (8 of which 3 have post nominals) but both lists are for WW2 related services, and not one name seems even vaguely Balkan or Slavic thus I suspect our man is not amongst them. OPwain

Gentlemen, Some time ago I obtained this most attractive group of thirteen miniatures - all of which are extremely well made and most are of gold. To date, despite best efforts with colleagues, I have been unable to identify the owner of the group or even draw up a shortlist. The group consists of the following: 1. United Kingdom - 1935 GVR Jubilee Medal - 85,000 approx issued 2. United Kingdom - 1937 GVIR Coronation Medal - 90,000 approx issued 3. Dungarpur State – 1943 Silver Jubilee Medal - Checked 1935 Jubilee Roll - all recipients have Indian names 4. Belgium - Order of the Crown – Officer, 4th Class 5. France - Legion of Honour – Knight, 5th Class 6. Montenegro - Order of Danilo – Grand Cordon, 1st Class - Obsolete after Great War - Checked LG for WW1 awards - not many and all military 7. Greece - Order of the Orthodox Crusaders of the Patriarchy of Jerusalem - 1st Class Sash Badge 8. Netherlands - Order of Orange Nassau – Commander, 3rd Class 9. Russia - Order of St. Anne – Knight, 5th Class (Obsolete after Great War?) 10. Patriarchate of Constantinople - Mount Athos Millenium Memorial Cross 1963 11. Greece - Order of the Orthodox Crusaders of the Patriarchy of Jerusalem – Commander’s Neck Badge 12. France - Palmes Academiques - 1st Class (pre-1955) 13. Russia - Order of St. Stanislas - 5th Class (Obsolete after Great War?) So to recap: Lead medals - 35 & 37 commemoratives Format - very British Very well made and gold (expensive) No British orders No military medals - thus no military service in WW2 To heavy mix of 'orthodox' awards - Constantinople, Greece, Montenegro, Russia Dungarpur medal - 35 Jubilee Roll for Dungarpur only has 15 Indian names - Rajputna Roll (Dungarpur within Rajputna) has 76 names - 25 British - all military or with honours. Time frame - end of WW1 (if Montenegro & Russian awards are pre-overthrow of regimes) to 1963 (Athos Cross) So I believe I am looking for a well to do UK national (possibly an emigre who took on nationality) who is a civilian, with some manner of 'orthodox' connections - an academic, a cleric, or some manner of political person. Without having to name spot by accessing the whole of the 35 and 37 medal rolls - any ideas, suggestions, thoughts? With thanks in advance, Owain

Rusty, The E-bay vendor is 'larsb001' who is based in Denmark, however the miniatures are no longer for sale - possibly sold. The vendor has a 100% positive record and usually has a some very nice high quality pieces for sale - possibly selling some of his collection. I had considered bidding but prevarication and the fact that I already have a miniature allowed them to pass me by! Regards, Owain

Rusty, Further to your detailed research I attach below images of two Ismail miniatures currently for sale on E-Bay - no ribbons and as far as I can see no maker's marks. Kind regards, Owain

Dear Boris, A long overdue thank you for these links - both interesting but no closer to discovering why Menelik received the Spanish Order of the Red Cross. I think I will try and finish my article based on what information I have. If I wait until I have everything it will never see publication! Kind regards, Owain Boris, I have done another check to see if I have made a mistake on identifying the star but I am convinced it is the Spanish Order of the Red Cross - see image below. Kind regards, Owain

Richard, No problem - many thanks - good to see the pictures. Regards, Owain

Hi, I have been advised by dealers in Sana'a that many of these counterstamps are modern and have been added to deceive so I would suggest that unless the coins are very cheap or you have some provenance to steer clear of such coins. Kind regards, Owain

Gentlemen, After some eight years, retirement to UK and lockdown I have completed the group. My thanks to you all for your assistance. Enjoy, Owain

Gentlemen, Some eight years on - retired to UK a year ago and now in lockdown. What to do? Ferret through my Ethiopia drawer and at long last complete the group. Enjoy, Owain

Richard, Happy to help. If the badge is for sale I would be interested. Kind regards, Owain P.S. Can you post a picture of its reverse?

Richard, The top medal is a sports medals for the Directorate of Youth and Sports Eastern District - possibly Egypt or Syria or Iraq. The middle medal is the 15th Anniversary of the UAE. The lower badge a is a 20th anniversary commemorative state security badge from South Yemen. Kind regards, Owain

Rusty, As always your attention to detail is amazing - you should use your work to get a PhD on this topic. One small addition - from the picture of the shop front of L Kramer & Co., the Arabic gives his first name as Leon. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Further to Chris's comments I detail below the 'medallic' contents of the book. I have also noted: Type, Date of Institution, Classes and added, where appropriate, a comment. It is indeed a comprehensive book and the author is to be congratulated on this ground breaking achievement. I would though note the following constructive observations: It is not bilingual - perhaps in the future a bilingual second edition could be considered. There are very few images of the reverse of the awards - even if blank they should be included. There is a mixing of State and unofficial awards (including sports medals) - a better segregation of awards is recommended. However notwithstanding these observations I commend the book to any collector of Arab awards. Owain Syria – Orders 1. Order of Omayyad, 1935, Three Classes (1-3) 2. Order of Military Honour, 1955, Five Classes (Sash & 1-4) 3. Order of Honour of Syrian Merit, Type 1, 1926, Four Classes (1-4) 4. Order of Syrian Merit, Type 2, 1927-34, Four Classes (1-4) 5. Order of Syrian Merit, Type 2, 1934-53, Five Classes (Distinguished & 1-4) 6. Order of Syrian Merit, Type 3, 1953, Six Classes (Distinguished & 1-5) 7. Order of Syrian Merit, Type 3, 1971 for the Air Force, One Class 8. Order of Devotion, Type 1, 1935-1953, Four Classes (1-4) 9. Order of Devotion, Type 2, 1953-2013, Six Classes (Distinguished & 1-5) 10. Order of Devotion, Type 3, 2013, Six Classes (Distinguished & 1-5) 11. Hero of The Republic Medal, 1973, One Class 12. Order of the Syrian Arab Army, 1962, One Class 13. Order of the Arab Army Silver Jubilee, 1971, One Class 14. Order of the Arab Army Golden Jubilee, 1995, One Class 15. Order of War, 1953, Five Classes (Distinguished & 1-4) 16. Order of The War Wounded, 1953, One Class 17. Order of Bravery, 1964, Three Classes 18. Order of Long and Exemplary Service, 1962, Three Types, One Class 19. Order of Training, 1964, Three Classes 20. Order of the Syrian Navy Golden Jubilee, 1998, Three Classes 21. Order of Yarmouk, 1964, One Class 22. Order of The Syrian Family, 1952, Six Classes ( Distinguished & 1-5) 23. Order of Knowledge, 1949, Three Classes (Distinguished & 1-2) 24. Order of 8th of March, 1963, One Class 25. Order of 6th of October, 1948, One Class 26. Order of Protecting The 8th of March Revolution,1969, One Class 27. Medal of the Silver Jubilee of the 8th March Revolution, 1988, Three Classes (1-3) 28. Order of Friendship and Cooperation, 1987, One Class 29. Order of Heroism (Union of the Revolution’s Youth), 1973, One Class 30. Medal of the Union of the Revolution’s Youth, Date Unknown, One Class 31. Order of the Pioneers of the Ba’ath Homs Branch), 1974, Two Classes 32. Medal of the Muhsiniya School, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award 33. Medal of National College of Homs, 1961, One Class – Non-State Award 34. Order of Sukainiya, 1948, One Class – Non-State Award 35. Badge of the Highest Level of Knowledge, Date Unknown – Non-State Award 36. Medal of the Source of Gratitude School, date Unknown – Non-State Award 37. Order of the Syrian Railways, 1925, Two Classes (1-2) 38. Order of the First Syrian Red Crescent Conference, 1948, One Class 39. Order of the Damascus International Fair, 1954, Two Classes (1-2) – Non-State Award 40. Order of the Third Damascus International Fair, 1956, Three Classes (1-3) – Non-State Award 41. Order of the Ministry of Tourism, Date Unknown, Once Class 42. Medal of the Syrian Swimming Union, 2015, One Class – Non-State Award 43. Order of the Army Anniversary for Syrian News, 2017, One Class 44. Order of Merit and Appreciation (The Great Syrian Honour), 1950, One Class 45. Order of Seriousness, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award 46. Order of Honour, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award 47. Order of Customs, 2006, One Class - tbc 48. Order of the Nour Damascus Congregation, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award 49. Order of the Greater Syrian Orient – Date Unknown, One Class – Masonic 50. Order of the Economic Group for International Investment Promotion, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award United Arab Republic 1. Order of the Anniversary of the UAR, 1958, One Class 2. Decoration of Victory, 1958, One Class 3. Medal of the Army Day, 1959, One Class 4. Medal of the Silver Jubilee of Air Force, 1958, Two Classes (1&2) – an Egyptian award 5. Medal of the Navy Day, 1960, Two Classes (1-2) – an Egyptian award 6. Decoration of the Republic, Two Classes (1-2) – an Egyptian award 7. Order of the Star of Honour, One Class – an Egyptian award 8. Medal of the War Wounded, One Class – an Egyptian award 9. Decoration of Military Duty, Three Classes – an Egyptian award 10. Decoration of Military Courage, Three Classes – an Egyptian award 11. Decoration of Training, Three Classes – an Egyptian award 12. Medal of Long and Exemplary Service – an Egyptian award 13. Order of the Military College, Once Class – an Egyptian non-state award 14. Order of the Ministry of Education, Date Unknown, Three Classes (Distinguished & 1-2) – Non-State Award 15. Order of the Directorate of Physical Education, Date Unknown, One Class, Non-State Award 16. Medal of the Industrial and Agricultural Market, 1959, One Class -Non-State award 17. Order of the Maamoun High School in Aleppo, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award 18. Order of the Teams of Cubs in the Syrian Territory, 1960, One Class – Non-State Award 19. Order of the School Championship in the Northern Territory, 1960, One Class – Non-State Award Arab Syria 1. Order of Renaissance, 1917, Four Classes (actually 6 – Diamond & 1-5) – a Kingdom of the Hijaz State award 2. Order of Ma’an, 1919, One Class – a Kingdom of Hijaz State award 3. Order of Commemoration of Palestine, 1951, One Class 4. Order of the Silver Jubilee of the Establishment of the Palestine Liberation Army, 1982, Two Classes (1-2) 5. Order of Peace in Lebanon, 1977, Two Classes (1-2) 6. Order of the Air Force Union of Syria , Egypt & Libya), 1975, One Class 7. Decoration of Cooperation (between Syria & Iraq), 1969, Two Classes – an Iraqi award 8. Order of Syria and Iraq Campaigns, 1941, One Class - a Jordanian award 9. Medal of the Ramadan War, 1973, One Class 10. Medal of the Election of Syria and Lebanon Champions for Physical Beauty, 1955, One Class – Non-State Award 11. Order of the Arab School Sports Tournament, 1952, One Class – Non-State Award 12. Order of the Third Arab School Tournament, 1966, One Class – Non-State Award 13. Order of the Fifth Arab Sports Tournament, 1976, One Class – Non-State Award French Orders 1. Syria Cilicia Levant Medal, 1922 2. Legion of Honour, 1802, Five Classes (1-5) 3. Croix De Guerre - Overseas Theatres, 1921 4. Medal of the Wounded, 1916 5. Order of Agricultural Merit, 1883, Three Classes (1-3) Insignia · Seven pages of six insignia per page Syrian-Russian Medals · Syrian Russian Combat Friendship Medal, Date Unknown, One Class · Six pages of six medals & badges per page Syria (Other) State Medals 1. Saint Jean D’Acre Medal, 1941, Six Classes – Ottoman State Award 2. Naval General Service Medal, clasp ‘Syria’, 1848, One Class – British State Award 3. United Nations Medal, Disengagement Observer Force Golan, 1974, One Class 4. United Nations Medal, Supervision of Truce in Syria, 1974, One Class 5. United Nations Medal for Syria, 2012, One Class The Syrian Medal for the Ottoman Period, Date Unknown, One Class – Non-State Award

Martin, I think the script reads, 'Al Jumhouriya Sourie' - The Syrian Republic. Regards, Owain

I think government produced but not a state award i.e. not worn on uniform, Owain

Nice piece - bit of a shadow at 6 o'clock on the obverse. Owain

UKR/Chris, This is one of a large series of souvenir pieces issued every year - see attached example from 1982. Owain

Hi, This is a commemorative or souvenir medallion issued by the 'Emirates Branch of Overseas Palestinian Workers' - my translation may not be 100% accurate but it conveys the general sense of the inscription. Owain

Hi, This is Iraqi and the bust is that of Abdulkarim Qassem - the reverse is the badge of the new Republic post 1958 Revolution - it was used for the new order of the republic - both became obsolete upon Qassem's overthrow a few years later. I suspect this is some manner of commemorative medallion and it is not an official award. Owain

Gentlemen, The badge with the Arabic script is the Sarajevo 'branch/chapter' of Schlaraffia. The Arabic reads, "This is the medal of our great Imam". The owl, a common symbol of Schlaraffia, badges supposedly signifies wisdom. I believe that Schlaraffia societies were/are great 'bon viveurs' and thus perhaps the owl should more properly link wisdom to refreshment - in vino veritas! Owain

Thanks Bayern & Trooper, I attach images of all the miniatures - attached to a Belgian chain of miniatures. As you can see a variety of formats, but all are well made and all bear the same inscription. Trooper's image is yet another, so a total of five designs so far. I believe all are of French (or Belgian) manufacture (post WW1) and I think they follow a format adopted by similar associations/societies in France. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Whilst not masonic I attach an image of a badge awarded by a Catholic institution - a church (?) in West Ham. The text in the centre reads "For Merit" and the surrounding text reads, "West Ham SS A London". It is possible that this a French manufactured/authorised piece as the "A" may be "at" London. Has anyone seen this or something similar or know its background? Many thanks, Owain P.S. Apologies if this is the wrong forum.

Gentlemen, My good friend Eli Ghossoub has just published a book on the awards of Lebanon. It is the first book on the orders, decorations, and medals of the Republic of Lebanon, from the French mandate until the current time, with their related decrees. It consists of 384 pages, A4 size with hardcover - it is in English and Arabic and divided in 4 chapters: I. The official Levant or French Mandate Orders, Decorations and Medals II. Official Orders, Decorations and Medals of Lebanon since Independence III. UN Lebanon related official Orders, Decorations and Medals IV. Unofficial Lebanon related Orders, Decorations and Medals (Local and International) For information - Elie's contact details - mobile: 00961-3-655048 (inc. Whatsapp) - Price Euro 85 + shipment (available in France) or $90 + shipment (shipped from Lebanon). It si hoped that a supplier in the USA may soon be confiremed. Regards, Owain

Chris, I'm now getting a copy - please note it is all in Arabic. Regards, Owain