JBFloyd

These appeared years ago, but I cannot remember who the issuing agency was. Can anyone refresh my limited memory?

My college ring was white gold and went into the melting pot in the gold boom of the early 1980s. I've never missed it.

It relates to the Royal Hellenic Navy somehow, but does not appear in any of my sources. What is it?

I have two of the badges in my collection (one is part of Chesley Peterson's group). As I recall, that one has a lug back and is hallmarked.

Normal? No. Often seen? Yes. There were numerous connections between the British and German forces prior to WWI. Edward VII and George V were honorary colonel-in-chief to several Prussian regiments (the Kaiser held similar positions) and visits were made back and forth. This often resulted in a number of awards by the visiting side. I've had several Royal Victorian Orders to Prussian Guards officers, for example. Other formal visits (e.g., observers at major exercises) often got a token award; attaches often were decorated at the end of their tour. 1914 brought an end to that, and certain foreign awards dropped out of groups on both sides, mostly to stay invisible. But, multi-national groups are interesting and unusual.

It appears the the symbols on the obverse are those of the National Youth Organization (EON) in the Metaxas Regime (1936-1941), so some sort of EON merit award.

Of course! Now I'll have to delve into the poorly documented world of Metaxas regime awards. At least now I know where to start. Anyone else? Thanks.

Does anyone recognize this cross? It measures 51x51mm and is unmarked.

Concur with the identification. Lots of well-made fakes in plastic, however.

American Legion membership medal.

Current regulations do not allow the wear of state and local medals when in federal service. In 1918, the regulations were not as strict because there were so few medals to wear. However, most state and local medals were awarded and worn after the war, when the veterans were home. When you see photographs of WWI soldiers wearing their state and local medals, it was probably for a "welcome home" event where they received the medals or a formal portrait.

Interesting stuff. Jim Peterson's work was certainly not definitive, but has mostly stood the test of time for 40+ years. I suspect that it will take another 40 years for this information to replace Peterson's version. As a junior officer, Jim Peterson served on MacArthur's G-2 staff for several years at the end of the war. His duties included examination of war booty for intelligence value, so he saw all sorts of things. He also dealt with the Imperial Board of Decorations on the subject of awards. Jim did not read Japanese at more than a rudimentary level, as far as I know. His wife, Midori, was Japanese and was probably his translator, although there was still a language barrier problem. I'll see if I can find Jim's research notes on the subject and maybe those will show the origins of his statements.

Unfortunately, "13879" is not recorded in the issue records, which has many large gaps. The medal numbers near it were issued around 1921.

This has been described as a mark of distinction from Auguste Viktoria, but there are several aspects of it that leave too many questions: 1. If a gift from the Kaisarin, I'd expect it to ge gold and by the house jeweler, perhaps hand-made. It's mass-produced, gilt and marked by "B.H. Mayer/Pforzheim" (22x19mm, excluding the pin) 2. The cyphers I've seen use an intertwined "AV", without an "I", and in a different style. Some use the Imperial crown, others don't. I'd expect an Imperial cypher to be uniform no matter where it was used. Can anyone shed some light on what this piece represents?

And the reverse, with the J. Godet & Sohn maker's tag. While speculation is easy, it seems most likely that the recipient was a German citizen who served in consular post for both Liberia and Spain, with little or no military service.

Here's an unusual combination of awards: Liberian Order of African Redemption, officer Liberian Medal of Merit, silver (it should be on a ribbon of red and blue horiziontal stripes) Spain Medal of Distinction of Alfonso XIII, 1902 Spain Medal of the Red Cross, second class Reverse to follow...

We've had some web site problems, but hope to have the results posted later today, after the numbers are checked.

Is there a full roll of Blood Order recipients? I'm trying to help a friend determine the recipient of "2220".

And the reverse.

Anyone know anything about this one?

This is the Mexican Medal for the French Intervention.

So, in naval terms, a gun captain or turret captain, rather than ship's captain?

So, "..??.. Commander" might be "Vessel Commander" or similar title rather than a naval rank?

Jim, Many thanks for all that. The inscription translation adds another dimension to a rare badge.

Harder yet, can someone translate the inscription?