Ed_Haynes

And unloved, mate, unloved. Medals require cuddling, you know . . . . Otherwise, they may not breed (where did you think miniatures came from?!).

While some may snarl, I like these!

Lovely stuff, I can take photos of boxed goodies too. Maybe I should . . . .

What else can I say!

Those other unholy contrivances do not qualify as ribbon bars! Those misbegotten shoggoths do not count.

An ex-student of mine manages a local bank branch (showing what a history degree is worth) and cut me a deal on safety deposit box rental (the size of a small European city car). Means my babies do not live at home. When we ship our youngest off to college, . . . ??? Space is a major problem. But when we can reclaim teenage daughter cubic-meters-o-trash, . . . ? Much family negotiation awaits.

Lucky man, have sent PM.

No, not sure I want to know

It is just that Rick never met a ribbon bar he didn't like

. . . and after. All the way up through the last post-WWII colonial wars.

No, the TOE was for services outside of metropolitan France, in the colonies. Much more interesting! I have a few random, rogue, French single items and, when the pros have posted I may add a few. (No interest in Vichy stuff, though.) The only CdG I have in a group (and a triple gallantry group!) is one of which I am quite proud; it is already up over at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2331&st=19 so I'll not double-post here.

But we have, somehow, gotten way, way on a medal group that deserves discussion. Two threads' worth, in fact.

Funny, after 40 years of observation and collecting (OMSA #1299), I'd put the Nazi stuff at closer to 30%. But, I agree, the 70% (or whatever%). Might be worth seeing what percentage of OMSA members show Nazi-era stuff as an interest. Will see if the secretary can dump that sort of data our way. Can't recall the last Nazi-era article in the JOMSA. But, then, someone would say, "Oh, the OMSA does not represent the collecting universe." And what does, a SOS gathering?

This may be true (may be true) in the US, but is it true globally? And do you mean militaria as a whole or medals? I wonder . . . . The last OMSA convention I attended surely didn't relfect this. (And I don't include things like MAX/SOS that are, almost by definition, Nazi stuff wall-to-wall.) No way to know, but interesting questions to ponder anyway.

I'd bet on 2014, just eight years, as a date for the interest and price explosion. The naming and research potential of British awards makes them items of much greater collector interest. There is also the linguistic problem that the collecting world is overwhelmingly Anglophone, and even many collectors of German items never bother learning German. Likewise, the fact that a fair number of these WWI German aviators went on into the Luftwaffe may reduce the market interest in them outside certain circles. Plus I think it is fair to say that there will always be more interest in awards to the winners than to the losers. Not sure any of this "should" be this way, but I just think it is this way. My two annas worth.

Thanks, Kevin. So little information is available oncontemporary Irish medals. Your contribution, tale, and lovely eye-candy is appreciated!

Yes, I was just looking for that thread and Claudio beat me to it. Amazing how people don't read even our own forum widely.

Rather like the first variety herders' badge . . . ?? Well, to choose between socialism and feudalism, . . .

Agreed.

Do we know what the earlier ones look like? That is the coat of arms shown here, after all, not the much later version shown in your posting. Sure, this coiuld easily be a "nothing", but you never know.

Even sadder is the elderly gentleman (and I have seen this more than once), just in off the long train ride from the villages, who arrives in New Delhi, goes to one of the familiar dealers with his treasure lovingly wrapped in a handkerchief. It is his ancestor's treasured Victoria Cross that he does not want to sell, but must to raise funds. As he tearfully unwraps the family's pride, we learn that the Victoria Cross was a four-pointed star with a crown, crossed swords, and a wreath. Who wants to be the one to tell him that his 1914-15 Star will not solve the family's financial crisis?

Rupees, of course. And, yes, there could have been a confusion, as the number he gave would normally have been expressed as Rs. 20,00,000 (twenty lakhs), so possibly confused (from Hoshiarpur, after all) by goofy gora comma use. Yet Rs. 2,000 would have been too much (they used to be stable, commodity-like, at Rs. 500, now have moved into the Rs. 1,000 range, alas).

I am thinking "wall plaque" as in a government office. There is H04, but this seems not at all to be THAT.

In case you woudered about the levels of insanity that exist on eBay, see: http://cgi.ebay.in/SILVER-MEDAL-FROM-GEORG...1QQcmdZViewItem At current rates, this is something like US$44,000. But, for some reason, it got no bids?????

Yes, Rick, I have always wondered this too. Why were (appreantly) lesser occasions commemorated by medals, but this only by a pretty "low-end" (ugly) badge. Maybe, someday, someone will choose to and be able to look at the records? Isn't that a more interesting question, that tells us more about how the system worked, than who was awarded Red Star # 666,666?