paul wood

It's the medal of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Benevolent Society, 1855 pattern and was a membership badge, the medal was designed by J. Davis of Birmingham. It is the scarcer of the two major varieties of the medal. Paul

The point of these is that it is part of the Chinese cottage industry that is producing fakes from Imperial to modern times in huge quantities, they cost vitually nothing to produce and if some sucker will pay $10 on E-bay they have made a good mark up. With Chinese and related material avoid E-Bay like the bubonic plague unless you really know what you are doing. Thats my yuan's worth, Paul

The other is an unofficial Tolstoy commemorative in white metal, I suspect it would be very difficut to trace the original riband. Paul

Most interesting. I have encountered many coins, usually the host coins of where the serviceman was based, used as ID tags. I recently encountered a French 2 Franc coin with the reverse erased and used as an ID tag for a member of the tank corps with a beautiful engraving of a tank in the centre.

He is still Grand Master of the Orden vom Goldenen Vlies and still can bestow it as it is a dynastic order rather than a national order. Nice to know he is still allive and kicking must have his mother's, Zita's, blood has she was well in he 90s when she died. Paul

Hendrik, Given that he is a civilian it would appear that the medal is of the nature of a masonic jewel. Several masonic jewels have used the Star of David (or King Solomon's seal) as all or part of their imagery. Unfotunately the detail is to fuzzy to give it a more precise identification. All the best, Paul

Dear Geoff, What a nice pair of medals the 36th sikhs were raised in 1887 and disbanded in then great axe of 1922 and were merged in to the 11th Sikhs. He would have received his LGSC prior to 1930 when they changed the design of the medal so he would have joined prior to 1910. The regiment was not involved in NW Frontier 1908 campaign nor the Abor Campaign of 1911-12. He may well have been based in India or non-combattive zone in WW1 which means (unlike British troops he would not have received a British War Medal). It is very likely that the pair is his sole entitlement. Unfortunatley being an NCO it is nigh impossible to do any detailed research, especially as it is quite likely the regimental records may well be in Pakistan, which is inaccessible. Where he a Jemadar of a Subadar (native commissioned ranks) then it would be possible to obtain his war services. Still I think you ought to be pleased to own such a nice pair to a soldier who gave exemplary service to the King Emperor over many years. All the best, Paul

For anyone interested in Masonic medals and Jewels and related medals and tokens (British and empire) there is a new and very good book by Trever I Harris, The Medals and Jewels of British Freemasonary, London 2007, IBSN 978-0-9554447-0-8. This book has been produced in collaboration with the Library and Museum of the Freemason's Hall and is lavishly illustrated and gives details of the various varieties of the awards etc. There are 8 distinct varieties of the Sussex jewel which was established in 1830 and is still going. including the one with the hallmarked gold ring. The earlier ones are of superior quality (I am thinking of the ones which turn up with the effects of Crimean War officer). Certainly this book answers if not all most of the questions about masonic medals and as far as I am aware it is the first comprehensive work on the subject. Hope this is of interest, Paul

There are many coins commemorating military history. One of the earliest ones that I can think of is the Hanoverian thaler for the 50th Anniversary of Waterloo in 1865. Prussia in 1871 produced the siegesthaler to commemorate the victory over the French in the Franco Prussian War. In 1913 they along with Saxony produced a 3 mark coin to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Leipzig. Russia issued a commemorative rouble for the bicentenary of the battle of Gangut in 1914 (in 1839 they produced a rouble and a 11/2 roubles for the building of a memorial for the battle of Borodino). More recently Great Britain produced a 50 pence for the 60th anniversery of D-Day and in 2006 a 50 pence for the 150th anniveraryof the Victoria cross. If you want to go back to antiquity there are many Roman coins commemorating their various military triumphs. One of the most famous being the Judaea Capta srious which commemorates the defeat of the first Jewish revolt in AD 70. So certainly there is a wealth of numismatic material related to military events and I suspect quirte a large collection could be formed of such material. All the best, Paul

Serbian Orders were made by a variety of manufacturers, mostly Austrian, Karl Fischmeister being the main maker for Obrenovich Orders. I suspect your piece is not made by one of the regular manufacturers and certainly it would have had the enamelled Serb Arms on the reverse. It does appear to be silver,which is most unusual as the Officer's badge of the Takovo was silver gilt and enamelled, it can't be a Knight's badge as they were just gilt metal. It appears what you have is an interesting variation. Possibly even privately made to make up either for a lost piece or for a piece which did not arrive from Serbia, posibly due to the defenestration of Belgrade Thats my paras worth, All the best, Paul

It's a 1905 issue, in Lavrouk's auction 44 in Moscow (June 2007) they had one numbered 115240 which was estimated at $3000. Russo-Jap war issues are considerably more sought after than Great War issues and earlier ones from the 1860's and 70's would make even more. Hope this helps, Paul

Appendix 8 and 9 in Spink's British Battles and Medals has a list of all British recipients of all foreign (ie non British ) awards in the Crimea war (including grade). If you haven't got one yet and are even vaguely interested in British Campaign medals you ought to get one. Paul

The Cross of Valour (that is the Amin Dada VC). Is Identical to the Victoria Cross the exception being instead of a Lion good old Idi's mugshot and the motto FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY, the reverse has the Ugandan arms motto FOR SUPREME VALOUR. Does nobody own a copy of Werlich? both sides are illustrated. I can understand the Scottish nurse not wanting to treat him as he had a particularly virrulent form of the disease of Venus. All the best, Paul

Ribands look like Czech War Cross and Medal of the Revolution. Paul

Dear all, I agree that in the scheme of things the Order of Faustin ought to be rarer and certainly in the higher grades it is extremely elusive. I have however handled four Knight's badge (and 2 miniatures) of Faustin I. Strangely with the Legiond d'Honneur I have only encountered two breast stars (one with pastes, a later restoration and the ANS French made specimen). Obviously I can only judge rarety by the examples accounted. By the way has anyone ever encountered the Orders of St Mary Magdalene or St Anne, I certainly never have. If any one has (and preferably has an image) I would be most interested. All the best, Paul

If they were Abyssinian then the charachters would be ahramaic. The charachters look mote Arabic to me. Paul

It appears that almost all Order from the Faustin I period are badly damaged. The Legion d' Honneur is based very much on the French one and the suspension is very similar. I would leave well alone, it is a scarce award and certainly rarer than the Order of Faustin, and given that it is already quite beadly damaged I think attempted restoration could bee quite dangerous. Paul

It is by the famous German medalist Karl Goetz (of Lusitania medal fame), issued in gold, 36 mm, silver, 60 and 36 mm and bronze 36 mm, a very collectable medal. Paul

Dear Andreas, William Edward Manhard, D.S.O. New Years Honours 1917 (so no citation but corps history might help you), Temporary Captain 18/2/16; Acting Major I9/10/16; Temp. Major 9/10/17; Acting Lt. Col. 24/1/19; Lt Col. 12/6/19. Hope this helps, Paul

It is the prize medal for the Russian Society for a Liberal Economy. The medal bears the portrait of Catherine the Great (1762-96) (not Elizabeth Petrovna). Comes in 3 sizes, 63 mm 43 mm and 38 mm and was struck from at least four different dies. The piece you illustrate appears to be in very good condition and as you are probably well aware the Russian market is exceedingly strong. the largest size would make in excess of 1,000 euros while the smaller size would still probably realise 500 The best book (or at least for non-Russians the most accessible) is "Description de Medailles Russes 862-1908, V. P. Smirnov, St. Petersburg 1908, reprinted by Francois van Hoof and Andre Schoevaert on behalf of the Russian Numismatic Society U.S.A. in 1990 (So should be reasonably easy to track a copy down at a reasonable price) and being in French is more user friendly than some of the more recent (and more detailed) Russian productions. Is also useful from the phaleristic point of view as it lists all the early award medals which were especially in the 18th century in the form of table medals but also lists some of the later (especially civil ) awards. Hope this is of help, Paul

It is the prize medal for the Russian Society for a Liberal Economy. The medal bears the portrait of Catherine the Great (1762-96) (not Elizabeth Petrovna). Comes in 3 sizes, 63 mm 43 mm and 38 mm and was struck from at least four different dies. The piece you illustrate appears to be in very good condition and as you are probably well aware the Russian market is exceedingly strong. the largest size would make in excess of 1,000 euros while the smaller size would still probably realise 500 The best book (or at least for non-Russians the most accessible) is "Description de Medailles Russes 862-1908, V. P. Smirnov, St. Petersburg 1908, reprinted by Francois van Hoof and Andre Schoevaert on behalf of the Russian Numismatic Society U.S.A. in 1990 (So should be reasonably easy to track a copy down at a reasonable price) and being in French is more user friendly than some of the more recent (and more detailed) Russian productions. Is also useful from the phaleristic point of view as it lists all the early award medals which were especially in the 18th century in the form of table medals but also lists some of the later (especially civil ) awards. Hope this is of help, Paul

Description is spot on very similar to the Kyfhausser Jugendbund Paul