Ed_Haynes

Nice, Alex. What those who don't study these don't realise is that side-by-side, face-on, they may all look the same (like a gaggle of Iron Crosses). The difference here, of course, is that each is named, each is truly unique, and each one has a powerful tale to tell whcih, with research, can be teased out. It is a shame, though, that it is so hard to get decent quality replacement ribbon. Not even possible for my ribbon guy in India to make anymore.

And, just for the record(s), the Hero Star I saw this March in UB. Number #1. Figure THAT out. Not the greatest image, but I was shaking.

Reverse. # 223. Badge 100% authentic and authenticated, serial number 100% BAD. Escapee from mint renumbered by intermediate merchant in Ulanbaatar who ruined a Nice Thing (and paid the price).

T 2. Badge good, number not .

Reverse. #79. Provenance and authentication 100%.

OK, there's been so much (well-deserved) confusion over these labor hero badges of late, let me TRY to help by putting up two known (believed) good badges. I'm going to try to pop forum image size limits. T 1.

By the way, the serial number on that otherwise fine T 2 is "223". For the historical record(s).

Oops, missed it. Sorry. Thanks, Dave. Wow. Edited accordingly.

Yes. Not at all outside the realm of the imagination (though the ribbok is maha-kinky). Yet, for South Asia, the 'realm of the imagination' needs to be very inclusive.

Interesting and scary question; just to use the usual (and one very unusual) spepects: Nevsky T2 - $3250 (DM) T2 - doc - $3150 (CR) T2 - $2750 (DM) T2 - $1995 (CR) T3 - $1595 (CR) TR (w/res) - $1400 (NB) T3 - $1390 (CR) T3 - $1350 (NB) T3 - $1320 (NB) Glory 1 solo (456) - $7800 (CR) solo (116) - $2350 (NB) HSU T1 (524) - $16000 (DM) solo (9146) - $7950 (CR) Kutzukov 2 solo - $8500 (NB) (Including recently sold. Ignoring groups, just singles, document status noted.)

Not quite. "Sir" or "Dame" cannot be used except by Crown Subjects. Honorray knights/dames (others) may not. Anyone can use the postnominals, but their government may not recognize them, you can call yourself the Duke of Pimpleprig, and may get away with it in some circles (thereby empowering the imposted crowd), but it might well and appropriately mean nothing legally and legitimally. The Soviet egalitarian socialist attitude toward such feudal stuff ("stuff") may explain in part their deviant approach to the wearing of British orders?

These "," namings are actually pretty common on the Calcutta-struck and Calcutta-named medals. Can't admit to having seen enough native-named (by natives of the British Isles) specimens to comment on those. Given the number of medals being named and the rush in which they were being named, you have to sympathise. Part of the reason most dispensed with WWII naming.

Yes, Tang Si, those are my targets! I consider these three sets of awards to be the gems of PRC collecting. I have the latest two medals in Feng Zhai-lu's group, but just the one undocumented order, so nine holes to fill in my dreams.

Or are you thinking "Purple Haze" . . . oh . . . the flashbacks . . . . Yes, fitted cut-into the underlying whatever. Not wood, but solid. Agreed. Unusual, at the very least (I shan't quote my students and call it "very unique"!). A couple of close-ups, since it is right here.

Thanks for this, Tang Si. And never worry about your English! There are a few of us (Rick, me, ???) who wish things were better with Chinese awards, but we know the problems. Maybe, someday, we can hope . . . .

And, to complete the image, the next step down, the Liberation Merit Medal. This one, #39260, from the Feng Zhai-lu group -- see http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2327

Not much textile skill here, sorry. Really fuzzy fluffy wine-purple stuff. Scientific enough?

Interestingly, the case, too, is numbered on the reverse.

The reverse. Numbered, under the cumbersome pin device, "04763". Aross the points 48 mm, and weights in at 34.7 g isf anyone cares.

Detail of obverse.

Inside. (Not a great image, sorry.)

Scan of case lid.

A few more images, to try to breathe some life into PRC things. The case exterior.

True, Leigh. I only know of maybe half a dozen 1914 Star groups to Indians that have the clasp, and know of three times that many groups to guys who were clasp-qualified but never got or wore it. Kind of like the fate of WWI death plaques to Indian regiments, where many were used as drink coasters in the (British) officers' mess, as it was too much trouble to send them to the families?

It is in the National Archives (nee Public Record Office) at Kew, just out of London. Not sure when I'll be doing research in London next, or I'd offer. With some records on-line (and many collectors thinking everything is or should be!) many of the reliable researchers I have used have moved on to other things (including the grave), as everyone now seems to think research should be on-line, easy, or free. There is, by the way, an OUTSIDE chance that he may have service records at the PRO (sorry, I slipped and used the old name) in the WO 364 series (while they were HEAVILY damaged in WWII German bombing). The fact that the genealogist mob exists has resulted, I think, in some extensive information on these being placed online (they matter, we don't, and where the two communities overlap, we benefit). The PRO website -- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/default.htm -- will lead you to this, though all but browsing costs (as you have discovered). Checking their site: By the end of 2008, they plan to have "A" and "B" online (hope they don't pitch the originals after that!). They will, however, be privitizing these through ancestry.co.uk, so the news may not be so bleedin' good. See http://content.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=L...id=0%3a7935%3a0 to play, but you gotta pay them MONEY. More fun to do research in Kew anyway, in the real records, though there's no nice pub nearby.