paul wood

I would agree with Claudius. Certainly at best it is an unofficial or privately made piece but more likely it is a recent copy. Paul

Given the present moribund state of the market which makes a dodo seem positively oozing with life. He will need a miracle of titanic scale to shift much of the stuff Paul

Hashim, there are three classes. First Silver-gilt, Second silver and Third bronze, no other classes that I am aware of, Paul

Hashim, Nice to hear from you again. Basically there are two types of Tamgha-i-Khidmat The first type as issued in 1957 is larger and the First class is hallmarked SGP and the Second class is hallmarked SSP. Later probably around the 80s the second type was issued, these are smaller, 37mm and none of the classes are hallmarked. I hope this is of help An unusually large number were awarded in 1957 to cover the period from independence. I hope this is of help, Paul

I agree with Yankee as to date Glenn and you very fortunate to have such a beautiful example. Paul

I believe we had a post on something quite similar recently. It is a Swedish society piece. Paul

Yes the has been an E-Bay scam on AK47 series, what people have to realise that the numbers go from 000001 to 99999. So if somebody is stupid enough to pay a lot of money for an AK47 £5 then as Napoleon XIV said someone should be "coming to take them away Ha Ha." Paul

Peter I wish common sense prevailed with me (I'm down to bake beans and cheap corner shop strong alcohol but I do have some lovely medals). Paul

Various Ottoman Orders, Including the two royal orders and Imtiaz in silver and gold both with die struck naming, Bokhara, Order of the Crown. Paul

If only, Paul

I would have thought $1,500 would be the maximum, shows what rogues and criminals exist on e-$scam. Paul

Yes the crown is definitely Hawaiian. Paul

Basically after the Russo-Japanese war Korea became a Japanese puppet state and was finally annexed in 1910. Hence the Orders, which were made in Japan, have a striking similarity to the Japanese issues Paul

That copy is so awful it has made me regurgitate my breakfast. Paul

Could have made a good Monty Python or Q series sketch. Paul

It appears to be Bavarian but that is all I can really say. Paul

Mark that is extremely helpful, the eagle in the enamel is the Imperial warrant which means it has to have been made by the official maker, given the date it has to be KK for Kammerer and Keibel. All the best, Paul

The first character on the hallmark appears to be an M the other ?, there was and MK who was an assayer in St Petersburg between 1825 and 1838 if that is any help. Paul

Some was squirrelled away by senior officers (I remember a wealthy American antiques collector who went under the title Colonel allegedly had acquired his fortune in the Bavarian region around 1945.) Paul

The vegans are at it again because a minute amount of animal fat is used in the production of the £5 a vegan restaurant is refusing to accept them. Sounds like Meerut 1857 all over again. With the Debden works (where they are printed) being laid siege by an army of vegans. Meat eaters being massacred and thrown into a well and the Bank of England besieged for several months. We live in turbulent times. Paul

Mark It's definitely a date mark. It has to be I85, if it were 183 then would be a KK piece, for gold purity on Russian Order it is either 56 (for 56 zolotniki =14 carat) or 72 (for 72 zolotniki=18 carat) Paul

Wilhelm Keibel was the sole official maker of Russian Orders between 1841 when his partnership with Kammerer ended until his death in 1862, I am wondering if the 583 number is in fact 853 which would be a date mark for 1853 which would fit in perfectly with the WK mark, Paul

Lovely, do you have a maker's mark or date? Paul

Interesting photo, most of Soviet occupied territory remained virtually unchanged until the 1990's and then came the proliferation of Starbucks and MacDonald's and other global chains. I remember visiting Wartburg in 1990, the hotels still had notices in German and Russian and the bathrooms had all the delights of eastern bloc plumbing Paul

The change seems to have taken place at the end of the Crimean War, possibly with the accession of Alexander II, as I encountered a 'touching eagles' second class badge dated 1855 which as far as I am aware the latest date of that type recorded. I have also seen a later type Stanislaus dated 1858. Paul