RobW

Hello John, There was no follow-up or reply to the original request by Bison. Since that time the link to that forum is re-directed to a domain hosting web-page. I am not hopeful that such a nominal roll will be surfacing anytime soon from that source. While it doesn't answer your question other avenues may turn up something. Regards, Rob

Hello Bill, A good example you have with nice and distinct strikes. Regards, Rob

Hello Bill, The information being present on the internet is one thing; verifying its accuracy with other information from different sources is half the fun. The fact that a lot of the parent and original documentation is close to 100 years old is also problematic. Regards, Rob

Hello Bill, What does 'is it banners?' mean? I would suggest that it is more likely to be a locally produced example. While it does bear a resemblence to the official strike it is probable that local artisans produced their own copy after the arrival of the official model. It is an interesting piece either way. Regards, Rob

Hello Bill, I have seen these lists before and they have been listed on ebay for a while. While the author is unknown it does indicate in the listing that the information was compiled from a number of sources. It is always handy to have such a list but the references are not indicated so it is anyone's guess how current the information is. Regards, Rob

Hello Kevin, Nice pics. These pictures continue to add to the collection of varieties and sub-varieties and sub-sub-varieties. The list could be endless as time is showing us. The official strikes, in good condition, do not show up all that often. Trying to find one with a corresponding ribbon and clipping all in good condition contiune to prove to be a bit of a challenge. Regards, Rob

Hello Kevin, A nice looking medal in good condition. I note that the ribbon on this Romanian vic appears to be of recent production generally seen in the UK. Is that the case? Is the ribbon clipping and attachment on the back done locally? Regards, Rob

Hello Mel, Have fun with your search. Surprisingly the unofficial types seem to be a bit more prevalent in the market at the moment, than the official strikes. Regards, Rob

Hello Bill, An interesting over-strike error. I have seen a few of these on the Romanian vics. While it is possible that the country names were struck after the main die that would be speculative at best. Without access to the original die we are not likely to know. It is also possible that the planchet moved during the stiking process. Either way it is an interesting die strike error. Certainly plays tricks on the eyes. Regards, Rob

Hello Lambert, That information would be correct. Regards, Rob

Jim, All I'm saying is that in the two groups that I have seen, one had an official stike and the other had an unofficial gilt strike. There are, of course, many more varieties that have been seen in the market. Regards, Rob

Hello Lambert, Have fun with your search for an official type. I have recently obtained a document group of 4 to the same gentleman. Definitely not as easy as finding the medals in the first place, but still worth the search. Regards, Rob

Hello Lambert, I would agree that despite the low mintage numbers for the Cuban vic quoted by Alex Laslo there does seem to be a regular supply of the items in the market. Having said that I have only seen two cuban groups with the vic; one an official strike and the other a gilt version of the unofficial strike. Regards, Rob

No Jim, I don't. Regards, Rob

Hello Kevin, In line with your comments I have also seen a silvered bronze variety of the official Romanian victory medal. Again this is likely to have been done to enhance the finish of the recipients medal. Regards, Rob

Hello Lambert, The Romanian vics, both the official stike as well as the myriad of unofficial varieties are seen irregularly in the market. While they are appearing more often in the online auction houses the prices continue their upward spiral and are becoming a bit more difficult to obtain. If opportunity presents I would try to obtain the official strike first before any of the unofficial varieties. The same can be said for the award certificates. They are seen on an infrequent basis and always seem to attract a premium price. Regards, Rob

Hello Kevin, A closer look at the pics provided from the ebay listing shows what appears to be a test cut on the right front of the obverse on the rim. While it cannot be conclusively determined it does appear that the material underneath is of a silver finish. This suggests an item that is silver. If it were of a silvered-bronze material the bronze would be visible underneath. I would suggest that the item is more likely to be a cast copy in silver. Regards, Rob

Hello Mel, Always happy to help where I can. Regards, Rob

Jim, The medal is 36mm in diameter. Regards, Rob

To all, Here is an interesting us vic with a 'wire loop'. It has a 2.4 mm diameter planchet and not the 3 mm planchet of an 'official type 1' according to the Laslo book. Of note is the unofficial 'OFFENSIVE SECTOR' bar. Apart from a US group of 4 posted here earlier (post # 94), that was listed on another us militaria forum, and a reference (but no picture) in the Laslo book (2nd Edition page 119) I have seen very few other examples. Have any of our us collectors seen this variety before? Regards, Rob

Hello Jim, What an interesting piece. Is it yours? Regards, Rob

To all, While a little of topic, and to further reinforce Kevin's point, here is a picture of what appears to be a silvered Romanian War Cross. While this item is from a current ebay auction it does at least appear to be of silvered appearance and finish. It just goes to show that there are always going to exceptions to the rule. Regards, Rob

That is, I think the most pertinent point. Given that most other Romanian unofficial strikes have been seen in bronze it is indeed likely that this silver piece was a private purchase or commissioned item. Given the distinct similarities to other previously identified Romanian unofficial type 3 variants, it is very suggestive of similar dies. While it is likely that such dies were produced by local Romanian artisans it is interesting that this silver piece has found its way to France. Regards, Rob

Hello Nick, A nice set of documents you have. Was this his only entitlement or are there other documents in the group? Regards, Rob

I would agree Lambert, that this piece does appear to be consistent with others from the same era, and more closely aligns with the 'unofficial type 3' variety. While I have seen other examples where there was a gilt finish, or a much lighter bronze finish, this example was the first one that I have seen with a silvered finish. Without actually holding the example it would be difficult to determine if it is a silvered-bronze example, a zinc derivative, or actually produced in silver. Either way it is an interesting example which generated discussion for a week or so. Regards, Rob