Dieter3

So.....is the mystery getting deeper? It's like the more we know, the more we don't know. The truth is out there.

So here's another hypothetical - if you could only have ONE or the OTHER - which would you rather have? The medal, or the document? A semi-evil question, I know....

OPPPPS!! Sorry, Im meant to say "FAIR" example, did I say good? Seriously, it is nice. The case interior isn't, but the exterior seems to make up for it. Let's just say I'd be happy if I was the owner!

Nice! Another code to add to the list!

One of the documents for these went on Yahoo! Japan Auctions, what, maybe a month or two ago? I think it hit 100,000+ Yen.

Very nice! Lush colors on that ribbon and everything looks nice and intact. A good example!!

I wonder, as a matter of opinion - for collectors of the war medals - is this the holy grail, or would it be an original Great East Asia War medal? If you could only have ONE or the OTHER - which would it be? (Don't you hate questions like that!? )

Fascinating! Excellent my friend. I have never seen the wrapper This certainly lends even more credit though to there possibly having been a minimal case, as you suggest. I would find it odd, but not impossible, that these would be issued without a case. But then again, until one surfaces, I suppose we must make that precarious assumption that one does not exist.....

LOVELY!! :love:

Well, these aren't exactly common. I mean common, if they were you would see more on the market. I wouldn't call it RARE, but is it definitely uncommon in my book. Frank, your purchasing experience is similar to one of my Korean Census medals - that I blight for exactly the same price you paid for your China Incident Commemorative. "Buy It Now" on eBay and I just happened to be in the right place at exactly the right time, seller had no idea what he had and I spotted the listing just a few minutes after it went up! :)

Agree, doesn't hurt to try and get as much $$$ as you can! Still, too rich for blood and income at this time. The one I've monitored on Yahoo! Japan over the past few years average 45,000-60,000 yen, so like Rich said, pushing $800.00 with the horrible dollar/yen exchange rate. :(

Well, not EXACTLY one type of medal, but I think safe to say - postwar no doubt, typically aluminum with appointments of lesser quality/cheaper materials in general. Interestingly, you do find specimens with both the very simple non-safety pin attachment device, as well as the safety pin type (one you have shown) and this one in my collection - perhaps from a time when the safety pin attachment was reintroduced, represnting a somewhat later piece? That, or there were different makers, some of which used safety pins, some of which used the non-safety type across the same time periods, but I do not subscribe to this "theory" myself.

Well, the Japanese system is far more advanced and capable than anything we have here in California, which is "earthquake" country, not like Japan though. Still, I can only imagine if something of that magnitude struck California, it'd be total chaos. I remember back to Hurricane Katrina, and how chaotic that was, and the Japanese tsunami really makes Katrina look like a flatulent episode in a mud puddle. In my opinion, the Japanese mentality and Japanese society has evolved in a way that allows Japan to deal with these kinds of things more effectively and efficiently.

Picutures? For now, if you want to sell it, I guess it needs to go into the general marketplace since there isn't a Japanese Trader here....

I contend that this is an earlier, Taisho-era medal slapped into a later issue box! Not original to each other.

Hmmm?? What's the instability?

Here is another example, note the crudeness of the back of the grip, resembles a big blob of solder! Can't be that, so must be poor quality control/inspection (if there was any) when they made this one. I like it though, gives it character!

I wonder if this one also falls into the roughly WWI-period as you see this same mark on 1914-15 War Medals?

Nice! Thanks for posting, very interesting!

Na, it'd drive you crazy! Na, it'd just drive you crazy! ;)

And just when you think you've seen them all - a NEW one pops up!!! :lol:

There is also some interesting variation in the lapel rosettes - they all have the pin attachment, but vary in the width and color of the rays.

Fair to Fair(+) in my book.