Elmar Lang

Hello, Your sword is what remains of a State Official's side-arm. The "Viribus Unitis" words are not referring to the famous Austrian warship but they are the motto (Wahlspruch) of emperor Franz Joseph I. Best wishes, Enzo

Hi Christer, your piece is original and having it in the original case (also with manufacturer's mark of Souval?) is a plus. The Merit Order awarded from the government of the Austrian 1st Republic was made by Rothe; Reitterer and Souval. During WW1, Souval was also the maker of the (original) Milit?rverdienstkreuz 1st Class. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, my fault, I'm too often closed in my little Austrohungarian-Soviet garden, so I've missed Glenn's great find. Just a question: did any member of the Anrep or Anrep-Elmpt family receive the EK? Many thanks in advance, Enzo

Hello, a friend of mine has this badge, but I cannot understand when was it distributed. The motto on the Red Banner means "Liberty or Death" and the text below means something related to merits etc. towards the Makedonian Motherland. The other words, "...КЪМЪ ПОРОБЕНАТА..." sound not Russian to me (Bulgarian? Serbian?); the abbreviation "ВМРО" sounds also unknown to me. The fastening is the typical screwback with circular nut. Any idea about date and a possible identification?

Hello, in my opinion, it's a late, wartime piece. I've seen that Kriegsdekoration with identical obverse and reverse already. It would also be necessary to identify the marks. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, back to the Albanian Orders awarded under the Italian rule, I need to remember that their position in the Royal Italian system of honour is completely different from that of France and its "Ordres Coloniaux". Albania was not a colony, but a kingdom with the same ruler as Italy. Victor Emanuel III's title began like this: "...Kingdom of Italy and Albania; Emperor of Ethiopia; (...)". Our colonial possessions (besides small "bureaus" and islands from Greece to China) actually were Somalia and Erithrea only, since Lybia, after WW1 had the status of a region of Italy, with a governor, because of the Mediterranean dividing it from the Continent and Ethiopia, remained with its status of Empire, but under Italian rule. The only state, maintaining a proper system of honour was Albania and, all Albanian Orders were awarded from Victor Emanuel as "King of Albania", in no way as Italian "colonial" awards. Maybe, papers and statistics could still be preserved somewhere at our State Archive in Rome. It's an enormous site and part of it is organized as huge vaults: surprises can happen, because more or less 8 years ago in one of the safes, a group of orders belonged to Mussolini was found. This group was considered as lost since 1943. Among them, the German Eagle with brilliants and a Grand Cross of the Besa, also with brilliants. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

Hello Holger, Italy occupied Albania in 1939 and Victor Emanuel III took also the title of "King of Albania", besides "King of Italy and Emperor of Ethiopia". From that date, the already existing orders of Skanderbeg and Besa, were slightly modified from the model awarded in King Zog's time, adding the Savoy's motto "FERT"", the Fasces, etc. The orders, from then on, were awarded as national Albanian awards, of course, from the ruler, who was in the same time King of Italy and of Albania. The two orders, in the Italian, form were awarded until 1943 but until now I don't know how many pieces have been awarded in the various classes. I know that a deep study on the subject is now in progress in Albania: let's hope that it would became a book soon. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

Hello, I regret to inform that my father's book from the Intelligence Service doesn't illustrate the uniforms and insignia of Albania. It includes those of all other Socialist powers of the Warsaw Pact and Yugoslavia. Best wishes, Enzo

An interesting observation indeed. There are two possibilities, and in both cases the tailor wasn't paying attention to regulations... 1) a Generalmajor with too a short red cloth collar patch (correct Generalsborte, wrong collar patch); 2) a Major where the Generalsborte was used (wrong Borte, correct collar patch). Is there any label sewn inside the inner pocket? From that, one could have an idea about the original owner's rank... Best wishes, Enzo

... but paying attention to the "Borte", the last one looks to me a Generalmajor's field tunic... E.L.

I think he means the three or two lines in the zick-zack. E.L.

Hello, I remember that during the Cold War, the Italian Military Intelligence Service, printed a fine book, fully illustrated with colour plates, depicting the uniforms of the Warsaw Pact and other Socialist/Communist Armed Forces. As soon as I'll visit my parents, since the book belongs to my dad (a retired Army Officer), I'll see if Albania would have also been illustrated, hopefully with the old-fashioned uniforms. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, the Merit Medal for Long Command in silver is of the type awarded to the "Guardia di Finanza": the corps whose duty are the borders control and duties of administrative police. The type for common Army, on the reverse has a vertical roman sword surrounded by a laurel wreath: the empty field is used to engrave the recipient's name. The official type has the "Z" mint's mark on the obverse. It happened that non-mint pieces have been officially awarded due to shortage of medals made at the mint. In these later years, with the exception of the medals for Military Valour, the State gives out the award documents only; the medal have to be privately purchased at the recipients' expenses. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, most possibly, this website is already known to all of us enthusiasts, but www.translit.ru is very, very useful. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

Hello, actually, I don't think that the difference between the Military and the Civil "Jubil?umsmedaille 1898" is in the inscription: these are just variations in the text, between different strikings, both from the award period. The difference is in the ribbon's colour (in any case, I'll check the regulations and the Michetschl?ger). The medal posted from Jef has a wrong, hungarian ribbon. It's necessary to remember that it existed a further 1898 Jubilee Medal: the one awarded to Officers with more than 50 years of active service: it was in gold; with a double-eagle shaped suspension. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, two crosses of this identical type, copies of a XVII-XVIII Century insignia of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, were sold at K?nker (Osnabr?ck, Germany) less than one month ago. They're well made, and a good substitute of an almost imposible to find piece. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, it's exactly the 1915-18 War Commemorative Medal. Each medal should be completed with the bronze ribbon bars, corresponding to the campaign years. The inscription on the reverse "CONIATA NEL BRONZO NEMICO" means that the medal would have been struck with the bronze of captured enemy cannons. Best wishes, Enzo

Hello, I won't forget to update about Brambilla's new edition. We've been discussing about it a few weeks ago and I'm happy about his decision to publish it also in English. I've seen the draft and it's impressive: (almost) every medal from the former Italian States until the Kingdom of Italy, is illustrated in colour and described with any detail, bibliograpy and archival sources, from the most rare medals for valour of the Sardinian Kingdom (Kings Victor Amadeus III and Charles Emanuel IV), to the unique gilt-cannon bronze Military Merit Medal to the Commander of the Cuneo Brigade (1821), to some immensely rare medals from the Duchy of Modena, Parma, Two Siciles, etc..., until the most common campaign medals, their ribbons, etc.. Nearly 500 pages, devoted to one of the most fascinating and relatively less known fields of European Phaleristic. The books from the Italian History Office of the General Staff (Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore) are highly important because they contain all the decrees and codes on the institution and the regulations of almost all Italian Medals for Valour, Merit and Commemorative Medals, excluding those of the former Italian States. Those books are highly interesting, but they show the age when they've been published. In some ways, the 1910 von Heyden can still be very useful (besides the many mistakes, especially about ribbons and metal...). I'm happy that some threads would be opened about the Italian Orders & Decorations. I'm fond of Imperial Austrian phaleristic, but I won't miss what could be discussed in this room! Best wishes, Enzo (Elmar Lang) P.S.: to Italianpolitic: nice to meet an Italian colleague in these international rooms!

Hello, thank you very much for the many, detailed replies! Yes, actually, that strange crown started my questions, besides my small bibliography (I have Klietmann's "Phaleristik Rum?nien" and a few other, dated references...). The pieces shown are made with much better detail and different, higher manufacturing. My piece is also very well made and almost surely of old production. It comes from private property, but who knows how decorations come in the hands of their former owner, if the descendants just say: "huh, I remember it since ages..." and decide to sell a box full of pins, medals etc. I think that Rumania is a highly interesting field: until not long ago, the prices were extremely fair, if compared to the quality and the relative rarity of many pieces. Best wishes, Enzo (Elmar Lang)

Hello, all original Medals for Valour, have to be emitted from the Royal (Sardinian, then Italian) Mint. Italianpolitic gave a good idea already, but here follows a list of the type of markings a collector should look for: "F.G": for medals awarded from 1833 to 1859 (and especially in the 1848-49 campaign, with a very narrow suspension loop) "F.G" and the reverse inscription "SPEDIZIONE D'ORIENTE 1855 1856" for those awarded in the Crimean Capaign 1855-56 (also with a narrow suspension loop); "F.G." for the medals awarded from 1859 to 1866 (also considering the types with the reverse inscription "GUERRA CONTRO L'IMPERO D'AUSTRIA"; "F.G." with the inscription "CAMPAGNA D'ANCONA 1860"; "F.G." and the reverse inscription "CAMPAGNA DELL'ITALIA MERIDIONALE 1860"; "F.G." and the reverse inscription "CAMPAGNA DELLA BASSA ITALIA 1860 -1861"; crowned "Z" and "F.G" for the medals minted in Rome after 1880 and awarded during the whole WW1. crowned "Z" for the medals awarded from the 30's and during the whole WW2. There are also officially awarded medals without the mint mark, as awarded from the Ministry of Aviation during WW2, but they're an exception. The most important modern work about Italian Medals & Decorations is the 2-volumes set of Adriano and Alessandro Brambilla "Le Medaglie Italiane degli ultimi 200 Anni" (Italian Medals from the last 200 Years): both volumes are now rare to find, but the author is completing the new revised and enlarged edition, fully illustrated in colour, that is planned to be published also in English, during the next year. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

Hello, it should be a cap for a Navy Non Commissioned Officer ("Capo"), with the rank in gold riband applied to the leather strap. I think I could date the cap around the '70s of XX Century. A huge collection of Naval memorabilia from all over the world (including Italy) is being sold at the San Giorgio Auction House ( www.sangiorgioaste.com ); two auctions have already been taken and others are in preparation. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

The reverse:

Hello, following, the images of the Rumanian Cross of the type "Pentru Merit" (excuse me for the confusion between the Cross of Merit and the Order itself. The material is gilt silver and the centre medallion is gold and enamels. As said, the double "C" monogram is missing. Excuse me if I've left some time pass before posting the images. Best wishes, Elmar Lang

Hello, I think that the clean design of the Glory Order is due to the fact that it was directly inspired (and designed under a Socialist point of view) from the Tsarist St. George Cross: both decorations to be awarded to soldiers and NCOs, same metal (gold and silver) rised rim and convex arms/rays, same ribbon... It's the Soviet order I like most. Just my opinion. Best wishes, Enzo

...my father received his Medal for Valour more or less 10 years later his act of bravery in Northern Africa (for the same act, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class, exactly the day after). I thought that a slow bureaucracy would have been a privilege of Italy and of the now dissolved Ottoman Empire... Best wishes, Elmar Lang