Ed_Haynes

And, finally, the fourth class, for 5 years. This second (?), red-black-green ribbon was an incredibly common PDR Afghan ribbon and, so, it shows up on all sorts of things (both in Afghanistan and beyond) on which it does not belong. Glance at dealers' sites.

A variant third class which, to be honest, I cannot place within my current understanding of the award.

The third class, for 10 years. The one showing the reverse is, of course, on the earlier (?) ribbon.

The second class, for 15 years.

The first class, for 20 years.

The reverse. The medal is the same, regardless of ribbon.

I think I may finally be getting these things sorted out. For 25 years (no class indicated), on the two ribbons seen. I think the unbalanced red, blue, and white one (that has a "Cuban" feel to it) is the first ribbon (perhaps 1980-87?) with the red, black, and green ribbon being later (maybe 1987-92?).

The reverse is where the answers lie. I think. The medals are dated, numbered, and as at least a part of the lower legend (which I have having trouble deciphering) there is a number (indicating, perhaps, some sort of annual something?). Here are five: 1337 (= 1958 CE) - 41 in center - apparently no number in legend 1340 (= 1961 CE) - 43 in center - "3" in lower legend 1341 (= 1962 CE) - 44 in center - "4" in lower legend 1342 (= 1963 CE) - 45 in center - "5" in lower legend 1345 (= 1966 CE) - 47 in center - "7" in lower legend I think I am reading this right?

To be quite honest, I have no idea what this royal Afghan medal is. I call it the "Anti-Aircraft Medal" due to the obverse image.

And, maybe not ribbon bars, but close enough. Badges for military police and court police. (64 mm long.)

And, actually, a few in cloth. 1- Order of the Saur Revolution (first type), Faid Djamanudin Afghania 2- National Medal of Ghazi Muhammad Akbar Khan, Literacy Medal 3- Medal of Ghazi Muhammad Ayub Khan, State Medal of Malali the Heroine of Maiwand 4- State Medal of Mullah Meshach the Learned, Long Service Medal

Many are, amazingly, still there, some still serving in various armed roles, others wanting to help, but prior party membership is an impediment.

And a few singles. --- ???, Order of the Red Banner --- Medal for Distinguished Military Service, the same but narrow --- ???, ??? --- 10th Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, State Medal of Malali the Heroine of Maiwand All with the same tin and safety-pin reverses.

Oh, yes, the reverses. Here they are:

You are right, of course, Jim. But, as the categories used in the USSR functioned, it was a "nationality". It appears that way on documents all the. See, for example, "Bad Boy" Supyan -- http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3728

Yes, Paul. And lots more now. See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=12313

First to surface from a bunch just in, some lovely (bizarre) PDR Afghan ribbon bars. Order of mounting is, well, flexible. Just a few of these plastic wonders. 1: Medal for Excellent Service, Medal for Excellent Service, Order of the Sun (?); Long Service Medal, Long Service Medal, Long Service Medal 2: Order of the Red Banner; Medal for Excellent Service, Medal for Distinguished Military Service; Medal for Gallantry, 10th Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 70 Years of Independence (?) 3: ???; ???, Medal for Friendship between Peoples (?), ???; ???, Order of the Star, Long Service Medal; Medal for Excellent Service, Medal for Gallantry, 70 Years of Independence (?); 70 Years of Independence (?), 10th Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, Long Service Medal 4: 10th Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 70 Years of Independence (?) Much to learn. And more to come.

So, Charles . . . are you planning on setting up a breeding facilty? I'd like to adopt one of the litters.

So even the monuments get plundered these days?

Still do . . . .

In response to a PM from Gordon, I wrote the following. I am NOT an expert on US awards or awards policies, so I throw this out for discussion. For the critique of all . . . ????

These days, it seems the medal is used pretty frequently as an award for allies and friends, where the standard seems to be rather higher than the standards employed for US troops.

The set. A shame that, unlike their "little brothers", they weren't numbered. And, by the way, the first two are screwback, the third pinback. Varieties or just a fashion statement?

Tim is the man to ask, and I haven't seen him around for a while. Will try to drag him over here to this exotic venue to see the thread if he reappears.

No I surely wouldn't split these up, and I'm sure you knew that before you even asked your question, but without pretty solid evidence of provenance (and not just a named box or an assertion from a dealer or a collector), I wouldn't trust a WWII British unnamed group. Anyone who collects British awards knows what to look for and what to ignore in establishing provenance for British WWII groups. There is a lot of risk and a lot of trust involved and you can never be certain with anything unnamed. It is just that if I showed you a single GV DSO and claimed it belonged to T. E. Lawrence (even assuming he ever got his), I'd think you be fully justified in asking how I think I know that and asking me to prove it. What would constitute a standard of evidence? And what are the legitimate limits of "restoration". Some of it may be benign, but I'd hope we could agree -- at least -- that completely "reconstituting" a group of all unnamed medals around no more than a stack of paper gets pretty tawdry? Some groups, you may never know, and it would be fraudulent and delusional to assert absolute knowledge. Other groups (especially if they come direct from the family) you may know more surely, but having a letter or statement accompanying them would seem a nice touch if you ever expect anyone to believe you. And, of course, when you have a period-mounted, part-named group with legitimately unnamed items (or things like breast stars or neck badges), I'd feel they should stay together, though dealers and collectors frequantly split them off for profit, feeling they can always be "replaced". I was simply trying to understand what standards of evidence apply in other phaleristic fields, but not I am really getting sorry I asked my question . . .