Ed_Haynes

Takle it easy, Doc, and post when you can. Though know that you now have us mired in antici . . . . . . . . pation!

A fascinating and lovely pair. While, personally, I don't much like the ass-backwards frack mountings, these are a major slice of history. I await wise words from the experts!

This is a screwback or pinback? I forget the original listing? If pinback, if a nasty bronze SB, in neo-nationalist post-socialist reviley, I might see the box as legitimate (an act of "reaching out", culturally, to Han-occupied Inner Mongolia, etc.), but if a REAL screwback or real silver pinback, . . . ? Maybe an orphan badge just found a home? A warm place to sleep for the night? 'Tis cold in Ulanbaatar these days, despite Tsagaan Sar (greetings, by the way!). After his tomb got demolished, poor Sukhbaatar has needed a warm and padded place to reside?

Nice one! Have been . . . thinking about . . . lusting about . . . a nice Glory 2/3 group!

We can't wait! What a nice group! But he does look like a grumpy old man.

That is a lovely group (though the mounting seems odd). Have you researched it yet??

As a contributor to the Burke's set, I'd say use it with some care, but that may be right here. Not sure. We really REALLY need a good reference book on pre- and post-revolutionary Chinese gongs. If we knew more, more reliably, it could get interesting. The imperial stuff is lovely. My daily exercise is done, so I am not up to the Burke's set just now . . . .

Honestly, JC, I'm never sure. Without anything in the way of a good reference book or any Chinese language skills (my fault, OK), I never pay much attention to these. This looks like maybe a low class, and Liverpool has an 8th class (with mount intact, but a real JOKE ribbon) just now at ?295.00. So . . . who knows. Stick to Mongolia!

Taiwan. Order of the Auspicious (Briliant?) Star. See: http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3118 http://www.medals.org.uk/taiwan/taiwan005.htm http://www.netdialogue.com/yy/Asia/China/R...9/Star/Star.htm

Taiwanese. Let me check my notes. I have a bad memory for these.

That is a very "Chinese" box. I'd have to wonder about its legitimate match with a Mongolian award!

OK, I have been trying to puzzle out the wrestling badges and I think I shall soon ("soon") have emerged victorious and will be able to sort them out here (= "watch this space"). You may also want to glance at the parallel thread: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=6987 . The hardest thing to get right are the ranks. There are no weight classes, everyone wrestles everyone else (just so long they are all male, which is why the wrestlers' vest is designed the way it is ). While there are separate badges for success at the provincial naadam, what I am attempting first are those for the national naadam, in Ulan Baatar (where the first round starts out with 512 wrestlers in competition). Ranks: Дaяaр дуурсaгдaх дaдaй дaян дaрхaн aвaргa / Supreme Champions ? ?Everywhere celebrated whole ocean sacred giant? -- there seems to be no separate badge for this, though the award of a labor hero title seems more common Aврaгa / Giants/Titans ? the top wrestlers who have been victors in two consecutive naadam Aрслaн / Lions ? those who have won all their matches in a single naadam (in the final, ninth round) Зaaн / Elephants ? those who have won up to the seventh rounds Haчин / Falcons ? those who have won in the fifth round More to come . . .

As I try (and try) to make coherent sense of the aimag badges, I have -- wonder of wonders -- found a Wilipedia site that is of great use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymguud_of_Mongolia In addition to having nice aimag-by-aimag maps, it also has valuable aimag-level maps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumuud_of_Mongolia) that show the next lower divisions, the sum. Some badges come from the sum level and without a map you have no hope. As the lowest administrative unit, the bag exists not geographically but only on paper (record-keeping groups of families), we don't ned to worry about them.

As an outsider, this sort of aggressive "re-tailoring" seems dangerously close to faking. Is such practice considered normal? Maybe if some party, for whatever reason, wanted you to destroy what you had . . . ??

Interesting. This medal has obviously had an odd and difficult life. With the regimental number, rank, and regiment intact, this one could probably be researched in the National Archives (a.k.a. PRO) in Kew. Never having researched such a medal to a native (of the British Isles), I am not immediately sure how/where to start, but I'm sure others would know.

Here's the piece Rick spoke of. Doubt it'll make much difference. http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/articles.../medals0307.htm

So true, Ralph. 'Tis sad, random, and absolutely unpredictable. If you look at the self-appointed patriotic watchdogs who have shoved this through and the J. Eager Beaver in the FBI who supports it, it gets even more . . . well . . . deviant. I can't imagine anyone wants to be a test case of the malenforcement of this misbegotten legislation. Will be interesting to see what sort of pall this casts over this year's OMSA.

By request, the reverse. Yes, the number (301) is there twice. A bit of a "lightweight", without screwplate just 19.7 g. Resources were scarce in those days?

And, inside the hinged case, . . . .

Inside this, a high quality plastic box. The blue color is much deeper than it seems here, unfortunate reflection and all.

And another cased specimen, this one of much better quality on all levels. Made by Bertoni (Milan, Italy). It is contained within a white paper outer box.

And inside. The lid just lifts off, no hinge or anything.

With the slipcase removed, the case is made from this plastic (won't last long) and of a darker blue than it looks in this photo (flash washout!).

Wisam al-Tahrir / Liberation Medal Just to show a couple of cased sets of the lowest class of this medal. While these are class used for US forces (as awards of the higher class were rejected, except for Schwarzkopf). The first set is in a paper slipcase.

And inside. While I can find no maker's mark, this is clearly NOT the nasty unofficial US-made variety. I'd guess it is official and from the Huguenin (Le Loche, Switzerland) batch of 385,000 (and not from Spink of London, who made the same number).