Scott

I spotted this small enameled "Sahara" pin on the web, and wondered if anyone had information about it? The wings appear to be Spanish.

I guess Rick got more out of the first (smaller) photos of the bar than I did. I gladly defer to his experience on such things. :cheers:

What appears to be "soft" details on the Prague bar makes me wary of it's authenticity (to me it looks cast), but others may differ. Price... $10-$20 each?

Thanks for posting your first pattern Wessel!

He's not on my MMI list -- I'll have to add his name. Do you know what rank he was during his service in Spain? I only show 4 other AS/88 MMI winners: Hptmn Franz BREY, Maj Martin HARLINGHAUSEN, Oblt Hans-Sigmund STORP, and Maj Karl-Heinz WOLFF. Thanks Jacques & Paddy PS: I need to make a correction to a comment I made back in post 64: I said the photo of the Egana MMI I used for comparison was from my LC medal bar. I was wrong -- the photo is of a medal bar posted by Jacques earlier in the thread. My apologies for the goof :speechless:

Nice find!

Nice bar Paddy! Can you trace it to someone in the KM?

Many thanks Antonio! :cheers:

I may be wrong, but I assume "Alegoría type I" has the un-crowned matron with shield on the obverse, since that seems to be the most common design. The J.Saz I found at the SOS (crowned matron without shield) must be either Alegoría type II or III, which seems to align with Antonio's info above. In the Medalla Militar document Antonio sent me, the description of the medal's obverse mentions the matron (woman) and laurels, but no shield -- perhaps some artistic license was granted by the medal commissioning authority. Jacques, I recognize the S&L catalog photo you show. What company catalogs are the other two photos from? Can you provide a larger photo of the S&L medal that might show more detail?

Antonio Prieto Barrio sent an email response to my MMI questions, mentioning that the version I posted above is one of many different variants of the medal, and Antonio included a .pdf copy of "Medalla Militar Legislacion Y Normativa" which looks to be a fairly comprehensive reference on the medal (it's written in Spanish, so I'll need to brush up on my comprehension skills). Muchas gracias Antonio!

Nice finds!

Here's a better photo of the mark -- perhaps it is engraved.

Thank you Mike. Can you tell me what maker had the initials SFS? I tried a forum search without success.

The "Saz" design (top) compared to an Egana from my Legion Condor medal bar (bottom) -- sizes are not to scale with each other. Note the Saz design has the woman offering what appears to be an olive branch (peace), while the Egana design has the woman offering a crown of laurels (victory). Would this indicate the Saz piece is a later, more "politically correct" design? Any help solving this mystery would be much appreciated? :speechless:

I found this PKO at the SOS. The bottom of the lower arm is neatly stamped S F S . Two, very small pins at the juncture of the upper and lower arms hold the center enameled sections in place (the pins can only be seen under magnification). Opinions welcome... :cheers:

Close-up. Interesting to note this one (like VonStuben's) has the lion at the foot of a crowned woman, while most other designs have a crownless woman with her arm on a shield with a lion motif. There are other minor design differences as well. Could one be an earlier/later design than the other?

I found this MMI at the SOS. This design is similar to the one previously posted by VonStuben, without the shield on the front, but with the yellow/gold border stripes on the ribbon. The jump ring is soldered closed, and the medal looks like it's always been with the ribbon which shows mild age (the photo makes the ribbon look much fresher than it actually is). I scanned the medal under magnification and could find no sign of a maker mark. The vendor I bought it from said the maker is "Saz" of Spain (?). This strike is thinner in profile than my Egana strke, but the detail is far more sharp and crisp. Opinions?

But... but... but, that same spangen is shown in wonderful, glossy, full-color photos in my $150 first-edition Iron Time! It must be original! :rolleyes:

The cross looks ok to me, but the horizontal pin is certainly unusual (but not unheard of on other TR badges). I'd wait for Jacques to comment to feel comfortable with it.

Nice display Bob. Is that a short-wave radio?

WOW! :speechless1:

I think a close-up of the Prague bar would help. Looks like a big 'bump" in the upper left corner...

Wunderbar!

Francois, have you ever seen a "Type 1" / Droop Tail example in a period photograph? The one you posted above is only the second I've ever seen. I snapped the photo below from the 2009 SOS, it belonged to Ed Anderson. Does anyone else own a LW shooting lanyard with a Droop-Tail eagle?

You might try posting in the "Wanted" section as well... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=36