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Good morning from Riyadh, The Arabic reads, 'Al Nil' (the Nile). The miniature of the Republican Order of the Nile is a scarce item as the order is a one class order - star, sash and sash badge. I attach an image of miniature group to a South American minister or similar which includes such a miniature. Kind regards, Owain P.S. Over the years I have acquired piecemeal - a full size breast star, a sash, a case, but no sash badge...........if there is one out there please let me know!

Peter, Subsequent to the 1948 war six pointed stars, which had also been a feature of Arabic design, were no longer deemed acceptable. Owain

Further this order I attach and image of the bronze piece I obtained from the American Numismatic Society auction at Morton & Eden in 2007. This is, I believe, a very early piece, but as to whether it is a specimen or not, I do not know, however as can be seen from the image there is no space for any name to be engraved. Regards, Owain

Hi - what you mention is interesting. I have never seen such an example of the Order of Merit with a space for a name to be engraved - do you have any images? All, of the six pointed stars that I have or have seen have the common reverse. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, A small group just landed - nothing out of the ordinary, but a pleasing set with a wound badge device. Regards, Owain

922F, Good post - yes two types of the Order of Merit. Many years ago I met with Bichay in his retirement in Canada and he specifically mentioned this award noting that he had advised or had been advised that post 1948 a 6 pointed star regardless of historical precedent could/would no longer be acceptable and thus the design was amended to 5 pointed star. I attach below some more examples Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Some more miniatures. These were one of the many lots offered at the Spink auction in December 2017- with an estimate of between some GBP100-200. I bid GBP500 thinking I would be in with a serious chance - they were knocked down at 800 or so - plus hammer almost GBP1,000 for nine minatures - surreal. They consist of 1st Row:- Military Star of Sultan or King Foud (no image of the reverse to ascertain which version); 2 x Military Stars of the Republic (the first has the correct suspension as a bar/clasp on the ribbon and the second is missing its suspension); Medal Commemorating the Eradication of the Gambiae Mosquito 1945. 2nd Row:- Military Medal of the Republic 2nd Class; Medal of Duty 2nd Class; Medal for Meritorious Acts 2nd Class; Medal Commemorating the Cholera Epidemic 1947" ; Khedive Abbas Hilmi's Bravery Medal 1913. .....and I only wanted the Fouad Military Star & Medal for Meritorious Acts.......next time, deo volente. Owain

Good morning from Riyadh, Yes, a nice pair but my own bid was unsuccessful. Ah well, never mind. Presumably the pair was bestowed upon some manner of civilian administrator in the 1920's or thereabouts. I am assuming the Nile miniature was made in the UK as the Arabic, although recognisable as 'Al Nil' (The Nile), is not correct. I took the picture of the above gold and silver Mohammed Ali Medals from the display at the Abdine Palace in Cairo. Kind regards, Owain

Dear GM1, Hi, Very nice chain. If it is a Syrian award, it, along with the miniature of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia both have the wrong ribbons. Whilst the design of the miniature is similar to the Syrian Order of Merit I have not seen this type before. Is there any evidence confirming it as Syrian? If so it may well be a locally made (Spain) piece. Regards, Owain. P.S. I note the Nazi award - if this is indicative of the period and politics of the recipient the Syrian piece could date from the Vichy controlled Syria era.

With regard to the medal of the Order of Mohammed Ali I detail below some of my notes: This Order was instituted on 14 April 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamil and was the senior order of the Kingdom of Egypt. It is named after Mohammed Ali (1769-1849) who was regarded as the founder of modern Egypt and its royal house. The Regulations state, “Article 1. An Order is instituted which bears the name Order of Mohamed Ali, in memory of our illustrious ancestor the founder of our dynasty.” Classes The Order, subject to various amendments, consisted in brief of: v Collar. v First Class or Grand Cordon - breast star worn left side, sash and sash badge. v Second Class or Grand Officer - breast star worn right side and neck badge. v Gold Medal. v Silver Medal. The medals were the senior decorations for bravery for both army and navy. A circular style medal with a rim of sixteen alternating convex and pointed. The obverse centre the Arabic inscription, “Bravery is from self honour”. Below this is the Hegira date 1333, which corresponds with 1915. The reverse consists of a sword uppermost, a space, for the name of the recipient to be engraved and at the bottom the Arabic word “Egypt”. Suspension is from a straight bar suspender. The ribbon is as for the neck badge of the order. I have not seen any miniatures of this award my self but attach the only image I have of a miniature of the silver medal. Kind regards, Owain

Looking at my records I paid GBP10 to Spink back in October 1992! Tempus fugit......Owain

Gerry, I have one, but they only appear very occasionally - later rather than sooner! Owain

Dear Gerald, From my exhibit at the OMRS 2013 Convention. Regards, Owain In 1970 Spink & Son Ltd. manufactured 500 “Good or Faithful Service Medal”. The obverse is similar to the reverse of the TOS medal and reads, “عمان ساحل ” (Coast of Oman). The reverse reads “ الولاء ” (Loyalty) although the artwork reads “Devotion”. This medal referred to by a “Committee to Consider Awards” proposal of circa 1970 as, “The Good Service in The Arabian Gulf Medal” was to be awarded, “to Arabs of any rank serving in the Trucial Oman Scouts and the Abu Dhabi Defence Force. British seconded and contract Officers are also eligible”. Qualification for this medal was to be, “8 years in either the TOS or the ADDF or an accumulation of 8 years in both forces”. Bars for a further 8 or 16 years’ service were to be issued inscribed, “For 16 (or 24) Years Service”. It not known if the medal was awarded as it is not referred to in the UAE Military Awards Ordinances of 1989.

And some more Republic of Egypt miniatures. Ah, cinema in Saudi - a lot of money involved with the various franchises so someone will benefit......... Owain

I attach an image of the reverse of the Egyptian Monarchical miniatures. Owain .....and now for some Republic of Egypt miniatures, Owain

A nice selection - Iran, Jordan, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt x 2, Libya, Jordan, Lebanon & Syria again. I detail below some Egyptian Monarchy miniatures. Owain

Dear Rusty Greaves, With regard to the miniature displayed with the small red stone (or cabochon) this is a miniature of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia although poorly executed as the lower arms of this star should be conjoined. The cross on the suspension crown 'gives it away'. Early examples of the full size in the lower grades has such stars but I have only seen this once seen such in the miniatures and on a higher grade. Regards, Owain

Dear Rusty Greaves, With regard to the miniature displayed with the small red stone (or cabochon) this is a miniature of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia although poorly executed as the lower arms of this star should be conjoined. The cross on the suspension crown 'gives it away'. Early examples of the full size in the lower grades has such stars but I have only seen this once seen such in the miniatures and on a higher grade. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, With regard to Arabic miniatures I would refer you to the new topic I have just started. Kind regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Further to discussion on another thread concerning miniatures of the Egyptian Order of Ismail I was asked about other Arabic miniatures. Accordingly I detail below an article I wrote some years ago and which was published in the then Broadsheet of the Miniature Medals Branch of the OMRS. Please feel free to add to add, amend and of course correct as necessary. Kind regards, Owain Miniatures of the Middle East & Arab World Owain Raw-Rees, Miniature Branch Member No. 65, OMSA No. 4978, OMRS No. 3088 I have been for a number of years a member of the Miniature Society and whilst having had a number of articles published in both the Orders and Medals Research Society Journal and the Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America I have yet to submit any draft to the Miniature Medals Branch Journal. To be honest I do not even collect miniatures, but was encouraged to join the Branch by my late friend Henry Rye. I specialise in the full size awards of the Arab world and over the years, by default, have acquired a number of miniatures or have found references to such. Accordingly I would like to take this opportunity to provide a brief overview of such awards. In ascertaining whether there are miniature awards applicable to any particular country there are to be two key deciding factors: Whether British military personnel have served in a particular area? For example during the Gulf War, or have been on secondment such as to the Trucial Oman Scouts, or on loan service such as to the Sultan of Oman’s Forces. In the event that British military personnel received full-size awards corresponding miniature awards will have been manufactured. Incidentally during my time in the Middle East I have no evidence of any of the local military forces wearing miniatures. Indeed in most instances there are very few occasions when the various Arab forces even wear full size medals. Which company has manufactured the awards? Usually, if of European manufacture, it is reasonable to assume that at least some of the senior orders have also been manufactured in miniature. Listed below, in alphabetical order, is a brief review of each country. Algeria Prior to independence French awards were issued and thus miniatures are of a French design. The post independence awards, headed by the National Order of Merit, are little known and I do not believe that any miniatures have been manufactured. Bahrain Until recently all awards were made by Spink and thus miniatures should be available of most awards and examples have been seen of the following Orders - Sheikh Issa, Bahrain, Achievement and the Military Service. Comoro Whilst a French colony the senior Orders of the Star of Comoro and Star of Anjouan were awarded to French personnel and miniatures are known. A series of post independence awards has been instituted but as of writing I have no evidence of any miniatures. Djibouti Under French control the Sultanate of Tadjouorah instituted the Order of Al Anouar which was awarded mainly to French officers and officials and thus miniatures are not uncommon. Following independence the Djibouti has instituted its own series of awards, the senior of which is the National Order of the Great Djibouti Star. These awards are of French manufacture and awards have been made to French military personnel so it is reasonable to assume that miniatures do exist. Egypt British involvement in Egypt is well known and the first miniatures date back to the Khedivate with the Khedives Star of 1882-1891 – see Dennis Poole’s article in Broadsheet No. 41. The next miniature was the Khedives Sudan Medal of 1896-1908 and its subsequent issue. Miniatures should to exist of all of the main awards from the period of the monarchy - the most common being the Order of the Nile. Miniatures of the senior Order of Mohammed Ali are also known. Other miniatures include the Medal for Meritorious Acts and of Devotion, the Order of the Felaha (Agriculture) and the 1947 Cholera Medal. Royal Egyptian awards were made initially by J.Lattes and then Tewfiq Bichay - both of Cairo. (Examples of the Order of Ismail manufactured by Gardino of Rome are also known.) After the 1952 Revolution the first order instituted was the Order of Independence, since obsolete, and miniatures of this order are known to exist. Bichay also manufactured miniatures of other Republican orders and medals and such as the Order of Sport and the medal Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Egyptian Air Force. Federation of South Arabia The short existence of the awards of the F.S.A. limited their distribution and whilst a number of British personnel received appointment to the Order of the Hero of South Arabia I have no evidence that Spink, the manufacturer of the F.S.A. awards ever made any miniatures. Hejaz During the First World War a number of British personnel were awarded the Order of Renaissance. As this was a locally manufactured award any miniatures would have been obtained in the U.K. and such miniatures appear to be of a similar design to the Order as redesigned as a Jordanian award. (Subsequent research shows both Hijazi and Jordanian issues in miniature.) Examples are known of miniatures of the only two Hijazi medals – Independence and Ma’an, although I have no evidence that any were awarded to British personnel. Iraq During the period of the monarchy many British personnel were recipients of the Order of the Rafidain and the Active Service Medal and miniatures of these awards are plentiful. Miniatures also exist of the scarcely awarded Gallantry Medal – please refer to Roger Colbourne’s article in Broadsheet No.48. Miniatures also exist of the Iraqi 1939-45 and Victory medals. All of these miniatures appear to be of British manufacture. Garrard is known to have manufactured some of the royal Iraqi awards. By the reign of King Faisal II most Iraqi awards were made by Huguenin of Le Locle, Switzerland. Huguenin retained the contract for Iraqi awards after the 1958 Revolution and continued making Iraqi medals until at least the mid 1970’s. I have no evidence of any miniatures from the Republican period. (Subsequent research shows a large series of miniature Republican miniatures.) Jordan As mentioned above the Hijaz orders of Renaissance and Independence became Jordanian awards and with the institution of the Order of the Star a number of these awards have been issued to British personnel over the years. The awards have been manufactured by various companies, including the London Goldsmiths & Silversmoths Company Ltd., Garrard, Bertrand of Paris and the Egyptian firm of Bichay of Cairo and it appears that miniatures exist of all the European manufactured awards. Miniatures also exist of a number of the Jordanian medals with examples known of the following: Order of Military Gallantry, 1941 Campaign, 1939-45 War, 1948 War, and Long Service Medals. Kuwait The Order of Kuwait was manufactured initially by the Kuwait Gold and Silver Company and after the Gulf War by Garrard – I have not come across any miniatures of this award. With regard to other Kuwaiti awards miniatures do exist of the Order of National Defence, the Military Duty and Military Service medals. These awards were manufactured by Spink and examples are also known by Bertoni of Milan in Italy. Of course the most well known Kuwait award is the Order of the Liberation of Kuwait and I have seen examples of the three junior classes in miniature. The official issue of these classes in full size appear to have been manufactured in the Far East. Lebanon Of the senior Lebanese orders the most commonplace are those of Merit and the Cedar and the bulk of these orders appear to have been manufactured either by Bertrand, Bichay or Huguenin and miniatures of both orders exist. (Subsequent research has seen miniature issues of most Lebanese awards.) Lybia The first series of awards were instituted by King Idris in the 1950’s and consisted of three orders and two medals. These were manufactured by Bichay and whilst I have no evidence that any miniatures of the orders were manufactured I have seen an example of the medal of Mohammed Al Mokhtar in miniature. With the overthrow of the monarchy Colonel Qaddafi has over the years instituted various medals manufactured by Bichay, Bomisa of Milan, Italy and also the IKOM the State Mint in Zagreb, Yugoslavia – none of these appear to have been made in miniature form. (Subsequent research has seen miniature issues of the Order of the Great Victory.) Morocco Whilst under French influence the Orders of Hafidien and Alouite, were awarded to many French military personnel and these awards in miniature are not difficult to find. Following independence a number of orders were instituted - and these orders along with various medals were made by Bertrand – e.g. the Orders of Interior, Merit, Star and Throne and miniatures do exist. Oman With the long history of British involvement in Oman and the manufacture of the majority of Omani awards by Spink miniatures of almost all Omani awards appear to exist. The only non-British manufactured medal is that commemorating the 25th anniversary of the accession of Sultan Qaboos, which was made by Huguenin, and I have no evidence as of writing as to whether a miniature of this award exists. The miniatures of the Omani Police Force are dealt with in Colin Hole’s article in Broadsheet No. 68. Palestine Following the institution of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat has instituted two awards – the Order of Sacred Jerusalem and of Bethlehem 2000. These both appear to be single class neck badges and I have no evidence of any miniatures. (Subsequent issues of recent Palestinian State Awards have miniatures.) Qatar The primary Orders of Qatar – of Independence and Merit, have been made by Bertrand, and the cased insignia do not include miniatures. With regard to the medals, to date, two series of awards have been manufactured by Spink but never distributed and no miniatures of these series have been made. Qu’aiti Sultanate in Hadhramaut This Sultanate from 1948 to 1967 awarded two medals - the Order of Distinction and the Order of Merit. These were manufactured by the Royal Mint and were awarded in a number of instances to the British Military Resident Advisor. I have yet to see either of these awards in miniature but do believe that they exist. (Subsequent research shows miniatures manufactured.) Saudi Arabia A limited series of awards was instituted in the 1950’s and manufactured by Bichay – miniature examples so the Order of Abdulaziz are known. With the accession of King Faisal this series became obsolete and only in the early 1970’s was a new series of awards instituted. The Order of Abdulaziz and Faisal both are manufactured by Bertrand and whilst the presentation cases do not include miniatures many awards of the former were made to coalition personnel after the Gulf War and I would believe that some of the recipients may have had miniatures made. The most common Saudi award is the Liberation of Kuwait Medal of which miniatures are plentiful. The full size award was initially manufactured by Spink and Huguenin, with later varieties made by Graco of Texas, USA. Of the other Saudi medals - for Merit and the medals for the Army, Air Force and Navy these are manufactured by Bertrand and no miniatures appear to exist. A later series of awards has been instituted, 10 out of 12, have been manufactured by Fattorini of Brmingham and one each by Spink and Huguenin. The initial proof sets included miniatures however the mass production does not appear to have included miniatures. Spink manufactured the Combat Medal and a number of miniatures have been seen. Also seen is a miniature of the Saudi Military Management Medal Somalia The only Somali Order is that of the Somali Star. This was made by Gardino of Rome, and the presentation cases often include a miniature. There are a number of Somali medals and whilst also of Italian manufacture, I have no evidence that any miniatures were manufactured although I have seen a small 27mm diameter version of the 1960 Independence Medal. Syria The situation here is similar to Lebanon. Of the senior Syrian Orders the most common place are those of Devotion and Civil Merit and whilst examples are known by Bichay, the bulk of these orders appear to have been manufactured either by Bertrand or Huguenin and miniatures of both orders exist. I have not seen any miniatures of any of the Syrian medal series. Sudan Prior to independence there was a series of four medals awarded to the Sudan Defence Force and a number of these medals would have been awarded to British personnel. Following independence various series of Sudanese awards were instituted – initially for the Republic of Sudan and latterly for the Democratic Republic of Sudan. Awards were made by Garrard and Spink and miniatures do exist of the senior Orders of the Two Niles and of the Republic. Miniatures are also known of the Order of Regional Government and the Star of Military Accomplishment. Tunisia Whilst under French influence the Order of Glory - the central monogram of which changed with each ruler, was awarded to many French military personnel and the award in miniature is not difficult to find. Early pieces appear to have been made in Paris by such firms as Boulanger, Dupetitbosq and Fayole. Following independence a number of orders were instituted - initially the Order of Independence and the Order of the Republic. These orders along with various medals were made by Bertrand and whilst I have not seen any miniatures I suspect that examples do exist. United Arab Emirates Until recently all of the awards of the U.A.E. and its constituent parts were manufactured by Spink and a number of such awards were made to British military personnel and miniatures are not uncommon. The include the earliest medal for this region being the Loyal Service Medal of the Trucial Oman Scouts - four British officers were awarded this medal – please refer to Colin Hole’s article in Broadsheet No. 43. Miniatures are also known of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force Inauguration, Police Accession and Defence Force Service Medals, the Dubai Defence Force Service Medal, and also of the U.A.E. Armed Forces Amalgamation Medal and 1976 Lebanon Peace Keeping Force Medal. Of the modern series of U.A.E. awards I have no evidence that miniatures have been manufactured and the same applies to the separate series of awards for the Ministry of the Interior, Dubai Police and Sharjah Police – these three series have been made by Fattorini of Birmingham. Finally there is the Order of the Tower of Qassimi being the sole award of Ras Al Khaima – manufactured by Spink and the presentation case of the order does include a miniature. Yemen Arab Republic, and Republic of Yemen. A series of awards were initially manufactured in 1964 by Bichay but no miniatures are known, with the exception of a miniature star the Order of Mercy. This series became obsolete and a new series was made by Skinner of Bond Street, London. Skinner manufactured a number of the orders with miniatures and examples are known of the Orders of the Republic, Ma’areb, Justice, Seventy and 26 September. With regard to the lesser awards no miniatures were manufactured. With the unification of north and south Yemen in 1992 the awards of the Y.A.R. and P.D.R.Y. were to some degree merged into the new awards system of the Republic of Yemen. I have no evidence that miniatures of the new series, which I believe of be of German manufacture, exist. Whilst not miniatures in the normal sense the presentation cases of the Orders of the Hero of Yemen and War Wounded do include miniature pin-back versions of the full size awards. Yemen – People’s Democratic Republic No known miniatures of the awards if the PDRY appear to exist and the design of the full size awards follows an eastern European / Soviet style, with manufacture by the State Mints of Berlin, Budapest and Moscow. Zanzibar The most often seen order is that of the Brilliant Star - a number of British officers received this award over the years and miniatures are not uncommon. Examples are also seen of the Order of the Alijeh. It is believed that the majority of early awards were made by the London firm of Elkington & Co. Miniatures also exist of the 1896 Zanzibar Service Medal - see Dennis Poole’s article in Broadsheet No. 34, and also of the 1936 Jubilee Medal. The above is but a brief overview and I am sure that there are unrecorded miniatures awaiting discovery and no doubt many variations of the various miniatures referred to. I have not included a bibliography for this article as no specific reference exists but I have noted in the text where specific articles in the Broadsheet have dealt with a number of Arab miniatures. Much of the information given above is the result of a number of years of collecting and observation. I would especially thank Ivor Bush for the opportunity over the years to view his medal collection, which contains a number of Arab miniatures. Some of these have been photographed and are illustrated with this article. I hope that the article does give an insight, however slight, into a most interesting aspect of our hobby. Owain Raw-Rees, June 2003, Riyadh, K.S.A.

Dear Rusty, Many thanks - I am glad my information was of use. With regard to the miniatures at Spink I think that, perhaps, you are being too harsh. I have collected Arab miniatures for some 25 years and did bid on a number of lots (almost entirely without success), and I agree the prices attained are somewhat surreal and are not , well at least to my mind, sensible. However miniatures are not necessarily made by the principal manufacturers and thus in many instances only approximate to the full size issues. When miniatures accompany the full size presentation awards then there would be an element on conformity, but if bought as stand alone items from other out of country manufacturers the variations in design and quality can be and is vast. I do not believe any are fakes - they may be badly made, but there is not a market - as far as I am aware in fake miniatures - there is not the demand to justify making them. My observation and concern with the 'pairs' offered would be that the 'breast star' only issues may have had badge suspensions which have been removed (almost definitely) to allow the previous owner to display badge and star miniatures, whereas normally a miniature is always the badge of the order with a device upon the ribbon to indicate the grade of the order. Anyway my tuppence worth....... Kind regards from Riyadh, Owain

The Arabic mark is that of Tewfiq Bichay. Close examination will show a date mark. Bichay worked for Lattes and took over the business which his son Fahmy Tewfiq Bickay continued until the early 1970s whereupon he emigrated to Canada. I met him couple of times in the 1990's. A nice man with a large amount of records and documentation which, sadly, since his death has been lost. Bichay made Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Libyan, Saudi, Syrian and Yemeni awards. Regards, Owain

See new thread - Yemeni Wound Awards

Ramin7, Many thanks for this correction - almost 2 out of 4 words is good for me! Owain

Markus, A beautiful star. Perhaps I am stretching my reading of the script, but it would appear to read (as far as I can interpret the slightly mangled script), "Nishan Qajr Fateh ??" ( Qajr Order of Victory ??). Or perhaps just wishful interpretation on my part! Regards, Owain