JapanX

Easiest way to detect baltic fake is letter RSFSR/РСФСР on the national emblem.

Original order has impressed letters.

Fake piece - embossed letters.

+

No points after letters

Here they are

Original vs. Fake

Reverse

Etalon original "transitional" order

Reverse

Naturally same manufacturer made very rare "transitional" orders of friendship.

These are pretty easy to detect.

They have same features as previous fake + changed cental emblem

Etalon "transitional" fake

Step № 6 Check ring reverse

Typical form and extra gild

Original vs. Fake

Original vs. Fake

One merlon is always missing on fake reverses

Original vs. Fake

There are others features (like ears, handle of the sickle, enamel around letters, etc), but I think these four is more than enought.

Time for reverse features

Step № 5 Check waves

We are talking about these places

Original vs. Fake

Step № 4 Check center of the wreath

We are talking about this place

Step № 3 Check splashed "patina"

Very typical feature of Baltic freindship

Step № 2 Check big finger

Original vs. Fake

Original vs. Fake

Very stable feature of fakes!

Now same places on fake order

No "ears"!

Piece on the right (fake) looks even better (at least by obverse) than original!

Ok, so how you detect them?

Rules of thumb to detect Baltic fakes

Here come a couple of simple rules.

Step № 1 Check the "ears" on the emblem

I think this is the easiest way.

Take a good look at this points of original order

Let`s compare them side by side

Etalon original

Very nice quality - silver and hot enamel.

You can`t even compare these ridiculous ugly fakes with this "beauty"

Companion to this thread

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/54952-fake-orders-for-personal-courage-baltic-vintage/?hl=%2Bpersonal+%2Bcourage

These hq fakes appeared on the marked simultaneously with "courages".

No wonder!

Both orders are manufactured by the same workshop

These look really nice...

Etalon fake

Nice gallery of this distant relative!

One thing is for certain – this map is known for quite a long time.

Old photo

Current photo from Christie’s

PDF description of lot from Christie’s

Release.pdf

Another interesting side of the story is that currently there are differences in opinions about his after-war testimonies

Some claim that some of his statements were false

Contra

(interesting piece from NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW)

REFLECTING ON FUCHIDA, OR `A TALE OF THREE WHOPPERS`.pdf

Others totally disagree with this point of view (another piece from NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW) the he was practically a Saint.

Pro

PARSHALL’S “WHOPPERS†EXAMINED FACT-CHECKING THE VARIOUS.pdf

What really interesting is a very strange after war fate of this Commander.

Especially period between 1947 and 1952.

According to the wiki, after the war, Fuchida was called on to testify at the trials of some of the Japanese military for Japanese war crimes. This infuriated him as he believed this was little more than "victor's justice". In the spring of 1947 (Prange interviewed Fuchida on 29 June 1947), convinced that the Americans had treated the Japanese the same way and determined to bring that evidence to the next trial Fuchida went to Uraga Harbor near Yokosuka to meet a group of returning Japanese prisoners of war. He was surprised to find his former flight engineer, Kazuo Kanegasaki, who all had believed had died in the Battle of Midway. When questioned, Kanegasaki told Fuchida that they were not tortured or abused, much to Fuchida's surprise, and then went on to tell him of a young lady, Peggy Covell, who served them with the deepest love and respect, but whose parents, missionaries, had been killed by Japanese soldiers on the island of Panay and Philippines. For Fuchida, this was inexplicable, as in the Bushido code revenge was not only permitted, it was "a responsibility" for an offended party to carry out revenge to restore honor. The murderer of one's parents would be a sworn enemy for life. He became almost obsessed trying to understand why anyone would treat their enemies with love and forgiveness.

Eventually Fuchida become interested in the Christian faith. In September 1949, after reading the Bible for himself, he became a Christian. In 1952, he toured the United States as a member of the Worldwide Christian Missionary Army of Sky Pilots. Fuchida remained dedicated to a similar initiative as the group for the remainder of his life.

Maybe this religious experience made him more cooperative …

I don’t know …

Many reasons why people give other people things.

Got it!