Ed_Haynes

While they weren't given out in order and the ability to link a number to any time period is not the exact science that some may claim or believe it to be, the chances of guessing whether it was a long service award or not are increased by knowing the number. Of course, long service may have reflected an interesting career. HSU-winners got long service awards too. Ultimately, the only way to know is to get it researched.

I seem to have only two Mongolian badges for the Spartikad of the Fraternal Armies, for volleyball in 1961 and for the triathalon in 1963. Sorry, nothing from 1958. These are those shown by Battushig as W37 and W38.

A Museum-quality display -- well, actually better than most museums! Thanks for taking the time to post!

Very interesting. Only with reports of such groups will our knowledge come together.

Yes, JC. That is one happy badge.

A newly hosted ribbon bar. Interesting in several dimensions -- no joke, as it is heavily vaulted all around and may not scan well. 1) Honorary Medal of Combat [sic]; USSR: Victory over Japan Medal; "We Won" [quirky colors?] 2) Medal "30th Anniversary of Khalkin Gol; Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People's Revolution"; Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the MPR" Interesting?

My guess would be that the 1950 "Independence" Medal is his father's. If it is in any way related. Work out the ages. Won't work! GD = General Duties. I think. That'd be my guess too. A semi-non-combatant assigmnent? But a Lance-Dafadar?? A NCO equivalent of a NCE?

And he could, of course, have been a European officer serving in an Indian regiment . . . .

Back to the original bar . . . nice but scarcely hyper-unusual, and surely no chance to identify. Not an unusual post-WWI collection. Surely it is post-WWI, as anyone with the Royal Victorian Order would have been close enough to the Royals to get some Durbar, Coronation, or Jubilee medals and since they aren't here worn ahead of the campaign medals, this must be post-WWI. Still, a nice item. And, yes, please share the other ribbon bar.

"Without breaking the bank"? Unlikely. Sorry. These are both rare (and both would require breaking up the group). Try the usual dealers? Sell the children?

Nice one!

I know the feeling, Brian. Much of it is provenance. While it may be , I had doubts about this group, but as I have come to know more, from multiple sources, about how it came to market in New Delhi, the better I feel. Less than 100%, but good enough. MTN-807628 Sepoy Nanda Ram, Royal Indian Army Service Corps (Motorised Transport) - later Indian Police Everything but the Independence Medal 1950 is named. Remounted (as usual, back then). The idiot mounted the 1950 medal backwards though!!

Wow, Jeff!! Fascinating! As I know you know, reliable information on Myanmar awards is nonexistent, but let me see what I can find. I at least now have a couple of contacts who know the language. But the legends are usually totally useless. I hope these are what I think they are?!

Had it been army first, then police or even BSF, I'd have no qualms. Who knows, it could be legit. But just too many questions are raised for me to be entirely comfortable. And I know how most of the officers I know (some of whom have been in service from before 1947) would feel about a policeman entering Their Regiment.

It isn't that uncommon for someone to go from the army to the police. Not that uncommon if they can't manage the DSC. But, in most regiments, going the other way around would be a serious detriment to enlisting. Maybe the Garhwalis would take an ex-copper, but many regiments wouldn't, even if dad were a regimental veteran. Most would be too old anyway. Enlistment is an honour and India has never had conscription. Since everything has happened at least twice in India, I won't say "impossible" but the tale seems highly HIGHLY unusual even if the group felt 100% pukka. Some of our "friends" in the Punjab have gotten very very good in making aged groups. They aren't stupid enough to bring a all-tailors-copies group to market.

An interesting and VERY strange group. Going from BSF to a military unit strikes me as very (VERY!) odd. A shame that, in all this, there are only two named medals. And the name is not that uncommon, so ....

Thanks, Kim. Was just going there to struggle my way through. Assume most are cosmonauts?

Thanks! Good to know it hasn't been shifted. Did you happen to note the recipient's name and details, Christophe? I thought I had, but seem not to have done so. How many double Heroes were there?

Ouch!! This is one reason I upload all images here. And, based on your experience, maybe others should too?

An interesting uniform on display at the military museum in Moscow (in summer 2006 -- who knows if it is still there?). A nice pair, though.

Many of the "Eastern" ribbon bars are safe in that there is so little eBayish interest in them that they are arrely faked. Japan is a partial exception here as one sees many "parts" ribbon bars. Few denizens of eBay get excited by a good Afghan ribbon bar (even if they knew what it was), but when they see something German . . . or even French . . . . It is always sad that an abomination such as this will probably sell at an inflated price to a new collector. The seller will go away happy and rich. The purchaser may eventually learn how he has been cheated and will likely leave the hobby. Let us face it guys, we are an aging hobby with scant new blood and the fakers drive the newbies away.

JC is, of course, right. I'd guess the frst is an aimag or soum badge (the style suggests that) and Battushig never intended to be complete with the ones he shows. There must be thousands if not tens of thousands of these local badges. And the MRYL pin seems to be a fairly recent variety. The early ones are nice and well made, though often badly banged-up. It seems they were worn all the time, with predictable results,. The more recent ones are of lower quality. May be worth showing again the old image (originally from JC?) of that badge in wear.

Most pitiful and fantastical. A perfect example as to why 90.327% of Western ribbon bars are non-colletiible crap. Thiis an especially sad and lunatic example.

Nice examples! I have several. But they do not like to submit themselves to being scanned . . . .

Oops, so true. What an idiot I am! I should have noticed that. Off goes the book "to Siberia", but the medal and the research are a fine thing. Thanks for the correction!