Ed_Haynes

And:

Smedley Butler wore two MoH ribbons. But Smedley did things "his way". Not the best image (I have a better one some place), but:

Which one? Antonio's? http://www.coleccionesmilitares.com/

His site and Lukasz's http://www.medals.lava.pl/index.htm need to be at the top of any "ribbons" bookmark list! For medals, Megan's site http://www.medals.org.uk/ and the OMSA database http://www.omsa.org/photopost/index.php are at the head of my personal list.

Have you tried Antonio's various Belgian ribbon pages? http://www.coleccionesmilitares.com/cintas/cintaseu.htm#b

See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=10193

Ah . . . scanning problems and it is scanned with the bar flipped. All is clearer now. What I expected. An uncommon bar to be sure, especially from that era. Thanks.

The bar - Two Polar Stars and a _what_? Blue or green centre??

Is this relevant or is this ungentlemanly politics?!

No, I think (and working from memory, that is a very dangerous thing) it is the VFW. That would be a logical pair.

The Black Star of Benin was a French colonial award and had little to do with Benin (as we know it today). I was pretty freely awarded by the French in WWI to allied officers, for things that had nothing to do with the French colonial project, and that is probably what we are seeing here. The Thai award is more rare, more interesting, and more puzzling.

WWI Victory Medal (with bronze star for one clasp) and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

True, Rick, very true! Those who have never done research cannot understand the work that is involved. And so many see research merely as a momentary increase in money in their pockets when they flog a parasitically researched group. Look around this forum, there are so many (too many) cases of what you describe. It leads inevitably to the researchers keeping silent. So sad, so sad.

Dave makes some very powerful and important points, with which I am in absolute agreement. HISTORY!! There is also a tendancy -- and those of us in the developing world of Mongolian awards have to contend with it constantly -- toward a dynamic that wants more and more and more types and varieties and sub-varieties and sub-sub-varieties, extending down almost to the electron-microscopic uniqueness of each individual award. If there are true varieties that may divulge something about the phaleristic history and changing award processes of the award, fine and dandy. If, however, we are just identifying "noise" in the manufacturing process, minor differences in each batch as they were made up with all the errors and sloppiness of manufacture (making medals is NOT rocket science), then what of any substance are we doing? (Other than giving collectors more items they need to tick off on their checklists -- "Oh, look, a rare type 4, variety 18, sub-variety 42.8 of the ___ -- gotta have it!!") My two hundred Tugriks or five Kopecks worth, Ed

And there would be, of course, not insignificant copyright issues.

Ah, back to the old days. I still remember my first OMSA convention (I won't divulge when, but the CCCP was still alive and well). Several large unjolly folks from the Soviet embassy came in on the public day, went around the tables jotting down serial numbers of the few (and incredibly expensive) Soviet awards that were there for sale. I suspect the original recipients could expect a visit? I know that several dealers were de-numbering their stock then and there, with Swiss army knives, before the gentlemen made it to their tables. Now all they'd have to do is visit several web sites . . . .

No images, probably because the site you have them on is SOOOOO slow. Why not just post the images normally?

No joy on this trip, sorry. But I haven't given up. Next time . . . .

Oops, that is probably not legible! The core part:

His Rao Bahadur recommendation.

And someone's (his wife's?) 1911 Durbar Medal:

Him (the best I can clean up the photo):

Rao Bahadur Motilal Chunnilal His medals. Rao Bahadur title 1906 (badge from the 1911 retrospective awards), as District Collector, Broach, Bombay.

JC 70892 Subadar Khem Singh, Guards 1- 1947 GSM "Goa 1961" - 13653276 GDSM. KHEM SINGH, GUARDS. 2- Raksha Medal - 13653276 NK. KHEM SINGH, GUARDS. 3- Sangram Medal - JC 70892 NB. SUB ADJT KHEM SINGH GDS 4- Sainya Seva Medal "Himalaya" - 13653276 HAV. KHEM SINGH, GUARDS. 4- 25th Independence Anniversary - JC 70892 SUB KHEM SINGH GUARDS 5- 20 Year - JC 70892 SUB KHEM SINGH GUARDS 6- 9 Year - 13653276 CHM. KHEM SINGH, GUARDS.

Lance-Havildar S. Singh, Bombay Engineer Group 1- Poorvi Star - 1525196 SPR S SINGH BOMBAY ENGR GP 2- Raksha Medal - 1525196 SPR S SINGH BOMBAY ENGR GP 3- Sangram Medal - 1525196 SPR S SINGH 4- Sainya Seva Medal, "Jammu Kashmir" - 1527127 HAV. RAJARAM, BOMBAY E. G. (Clearly, he lifted someone else's medal!) 5- 25th Independence Medal - 1525196 SPR S SINGH BEG 6- 20 Year - 1525196 L-HAV. S SINGH BOMBAY E. G. 7- 9 Year - 1525196 SPR S SINGH BOMBAY ENGR GP