Tim B

I didn't get close-ups of everything and I don't know exact details just yet, so you see what I see.

I might also have an opportunity to acquire some nice examples of the War Cross and wanted some opinions from the other members here. The shots are not the best, but all I have for now. As I am not that familiar with some of these, I would like to bounce the different attachments off members to see if they can identify some of the less common pins. Tim Here's a group PIC:

Hi Rob, Yes, I finally was able to get one of these and have another one with the Linden leaves on hold. So, for now this is the only PIC but it looks correct. Tim

I also had a question on the medal and how it was worn. I've seen the side with the star facing forward (as originally designed), and I've seen the star worn to the reverse with the wording on the front. I actually turned this one around as I thought the ribbon had been incorrectly turned, but now, I'm not sure I should have done that? Some sites state one way and other sites opposite and I've seen several examples with both setups. Tim

I won't bother with my Leon Chalin as the mark is posted above already, but I will add an example of the Paul Leclere mark on another Commemorative Medal. Another triangle that has the letters P and L with a lightning bolt in between. Tim

As I went through my French Commemorative Medals tonight, I thought I would put up a better Arthus Bertrand PIC.

And, Paul Leclere! Was susrprised I had the harder to find pieces and not the typical Monnaie de Paris and Janvier & Berchot examples that are usually more abundant. Tim

Leon Chalin (maybe?):

Nice thread Rob! Made me take mine out and see which maker's I had, and to my surprise... Tim Arthus Bertrand:

I've seen a wide variation is suspension ribbons on these, ranging from the tri-fold, straight, and Romanian style. Was the tri-fold ribbon the one typically worn on the Serb uniform?? Tim Examples:

Yes, I seen the other thread. I just wanted to keep the marks on one thread so future collectors didn't have to search countless pages to find the information. Doesn't really matter, as there aren't many contributors actually adding anything to establish a database. No knocks on those reading if they don't have pieces to add, just a general statement here. Regards, Tim :cheers:

Hello Rob, Good to know and hopefully we can put a maker to an actual piece, providing they are the only ones that had this style. I know you don't see these versions very often. Tim :cheers:

Thought I would add another maker's mark here on this thread despite the apparent lack of interest anymore. Shame, as the thread had potential IMO. Here's one of the marks for Arthus Bertrand on a WW1 Commemorative Medal. I read on another site that the symbol is supposed to be a wheel gear topped with a star but, it looks more like the star is topped by the wheel gear. The letters A.B. et Cie in the bottom of the triangle. Tim

Besides the atypical brooch attachment, you'll notice the details are very defined and the designer's name and E.D.B. are missing. Anyone else have one of these? Tim

One of the things that I've noticed since the original discussion on varieties having more details, is this one:

Well, it's been a year and thought I would bump this one up to see if any new revelations came about on this one. Here's a recent addition. Appears to be the standard issue with the designer's name and E.D.B. on the reverse. Tim

Perhaps the coloration is slightly different on all these, depending on the lighting used in the PIC's. I do see a "deeper", less translucent, enamel on the center item in the first post. This is different from the rest of the ones I have. Tim

Another Knights Class example similar to the one above with the gold-striped ribbon. Note the enamel color and same scroll. Both of these are "Wolfers" btw. Tim

Hi guys! Thanks for taking a quick look here. First, these aren't mine yet and I am really only considering the example on the right (middle in the PIC) as I already have a nice Wolfers example similar to the one shown on the left. Both of these shown are of the Knights Class; neither are Officers. The one on the left is to a civilan, for exceptional services during wartime, hence the gold bands. It does have a mothers (widows) bar as well. The pieces with swords are for the Military Division, while ones without swords are Civil Division. As far as enamel coloring goes; it may have some points to consider but, here are some of my other examples and clearly they have the bluer-green enamel and show the typical scroll type. So, I don't think that really has anything to do with the difference in the bottom scroll design. Tim Officers example-gilt

I've been offered some pieces and wanted to ask a question pertaining to the center design on the French-only centers. I'm used to seeing the bottom scroll under the lion like the example on the left, but the one on the right is different and not normally seen. Is there a time period difference on these? Tim

I'm not knowledgeable on Austrian bars, so please take my question here simply as a part of gaining more knowledge about these pieces. Is it normal for a bar to have the Austrian Commemorative without swords (ie: non-combattant) and the Hungarian Commemorative with swords (combattant) on the same bar? The Austrian ribbon does not show any holes where the swords might have been attached, so..? Tim

Hi Timo, There are a couple of old threads on these that might be worth checking out. Here's one: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35247&st=0 In a nutshell, the French only centers are for pieces prior to 1951/2 when the bilingual centers came into being. However, I believe you can still get these made to order today with either type center if desired. By the looks of this piece you show, I would guess it was made prior to the '50's but cannot really say more definate than that. I would further add a guess, that by the absence of any sword device or palm, this is probably a civilian long service award and not related to military service in any way. Tim

Yes, had that as well; good info. The only reference I knew of on the state issued pieces was this; not sure how complete it is and think its only a listing type reference: Tim

Nice James! Tim

Thanks guys!! This type of infomation is always helpful to collectors, especially for ones that are "new" to certain fields of collecting. Much appreciated! Tim