RobW

Hello JM, Here is a Czech re-issue type 2's that has a matte brass finish for comparison. It also has the common ribbon seen on czech vics produced after WW2. Regards, Rob

Tim, The only makers mark that I know of that is a diamond shape is one produced by Arthus Bertrand of Paris. This particular mark was used from 1917. I'm not sure if this helps. Regards, Rob

JM, This particular official French vic was also produced by the firm of Janvier Berchot. While the more regularly seen JB mintmark has the strongly incused 'JB' within the triangle in this case the JB letters on the hallmark are less distinct and often result in them being worn or rubbed down. In some other cases it is just the plain triangle. Here is one for comparison. Regards, Rob

Hello JM, The Czech re-issue type 2 was produced by the Prague firm of Karnet & Kysely. They were the leading producers of most Czech awards and decorations. The re-issue type 2 was produced between 1945-1948 and the pale unblended ribbon also dates from that same period. Production of the vic re-issue type 2's and most extant czech awards and decorations ceased in 1948 following the coup d'état of February 1948, when the Communists definitively took power. Regards, Rob

Hello johnnymac, Welcome to the thread! It is good to see that there are a few more vic collectors in this forum. Yes you are indeed correct in identifying the item as a re-issue, type 2. There were two different varieties of the re-issue type 2 having either a gilt finish or a flat brassy finish. Yours could be either a gilt finished one that has had the finish wear off or it might also be a flat brass finish one. The Kremnice mint produced re-issue type 1 has a much more darker brass finish and there are also obverse and reverse differences between it and the K & K produced re-issue type 2. Interestingly there are far fewer re-issue type 1 seen than the more readily obtainable re-issue type 2's in the market. You are also correct in identifying the major differences between the re-issue type 2, re-issue type 1 and the official strike. There are a number of very slight differences on the reverse including a slightly smaller crown on the double-tailed rampant lion of Bohemia compared to the re-issue type 1, with the base of the double-barred cross (as the Cross of Lorraine) of Slovakia, slightly longer on the left as viewed, with vertical lines in the background. In addition the year dates are slightly larger than that found on the official variety and there is a slightly noticeable difference in the weight, angle, and detail of the surrounding linden leaves. The most noticeable difference on the obverse is the thicker trio of leaves with veins apparent at the base of the feet of victory as well as a different single flower on the right as viewed. In addition there is no designers name of 'O. Spaniel' which is the most immediate give-away. The re-issue types were also consistently seen in the paler ribbon variety that you have illustrated. Hope this has helped. Regards, Rob

Hello Mervyn, With my work schedule slowing slightly here are some details. In 1917 the rank of warrant officer class one was established with the Royal Coat of Arms designated as the badge of rank. In the Australian Army the badge for warrant officers class one was replaced by the Australian Coat of Arms in 1976 and has been worn ever since. The position for wearing the badges of rank of warrant officers changed from the lower forearm to the mid-upper arm at the end of 1996. When I have time I will try and locate the current much larger rank patch that replaced the badge shown in post #86. Hope this helps. Regards, Rob

Hello Thomas, The italian vic mini was produced in a variety of size diameters, with both cylinder and staffa suspender. Unsigned and signed varieties also exist. Your mini, with the wire suspender, was produced during the 1950-1960's period and is also becoming scarcer despite being a later striking. Regards, Rob

Australian Army WO1, embroidered, service dress, c1976 - 1990's. This badge was worn until replaced by the much larger version which has a very large backing area, designed to cover the previous rank patch replaced. See the Australian WO2 corresponding entry. Regards, Rob

A picture would help.

Australian Army WO1, worsted wool, pre 1976. Worn on service dress on the lower sleeve.

Australian Army WO1, embroidered polyester general dress, c1976, 7.5 cm x 6.5 cm

To continue here are some more Australian rank patches. Australian Army WO1, embroidered jungle greens, c1976, 7.5 cm x 6.5 cm Regards, Rob

Hello all, Here is a pic of an official type 2 Portugal vic with the combatant star and typical ribbon buckle. Interested to see that this particular thread has had, as of today, 3,160 views. At least some people are looking! Due to work commitments I will be having a break for a while. Regards, Rob

Hello Tim, As indicated here is the U.S. vic battle clasp matrix. Regards, Rob

To all, As Hendrik has indicated there is also the black enamelled bar, also commonly known as the 'Mothers Bar' indicating a posthumous award. Here is a 'Mothers Bar' attached to a Belgian victory medal. This is an original bar, noting that the black enamel is flush with the top surface and edge rim of the bar. There is a later contemporary copy of the bar which is slightly longer and wider than the original, and has a wider rim. It does not however have the black enamel centre; it is just a black painted hollowed recess. Regards, Rob

Hello Tim, When I have time this weekend I shall scan the table and post a pic here. I am hopeful the Intellectual Property and Copyright gods won't complain too loudly about such a small excerpt from Mr Laslo's 23 year old first edition. Regards, Rob

Hello Thomas, Here are a couple of U.S. vic mini's that I could quickly find that have both engagement and country clasps as well as one that has a Navy service clasp. I have others that do not have clasps but I can't locate them at the moment. Aside from the centre two mini's you will notice that there are minute obverse differences between all the mini's and that should be expected. Of note is some of the alternate spellings of the clasps with 'Montdidier-Noyon' spelt two different way depending on the manufacturer of the bars. As I mentioned before I think a good collection of vic mini's will both highlight and complement any substantial vic collection. Regards, Rob

Hello Tim, No it is not the same but it's close. The clasp matrix is similar and lists the U.S. divisions along the top, with the clasp names on the right side, and approximate quantities involved on the left. It appears that it is a case of the same data just presented in a slightly different format. When I'm conducting research on U.S. vics with engagement bars I generally refer to this table initially, as well as a larger compilation which is based on 'Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy 1917-1918' by the U.S. War Office, 1920. This reference lists all the divisions and then identifies the engagement (battle) or service (country) bar (clasp) entitlements down to Regimental level and below if applicable. While the amended list is based on the original publication it has been updated with other information from other sources. It is a handy reference to just conduct a quick first line check to make sure that the medal in question is not a 'fantasy' award made up with clasps added by vendors. I have a similar listing which is based off the official Navy lists and has been updated, from time to time, at the US Navy Historical Website, or at <http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/ww1vic.htm> Hope this helps. Regards, Rob

Hello Thomas, The full-size medal looks okay as an official type 2 Great Britain variety (with W.McM designers name on the obverse), and the mini has a nice finish as well. The ribbon appears to be the correct type as it was slightly wider than the French or other country ribbon at 38 mm. As you have only posted the obverse of the full-size vic it is difficult to tell if the medal is a standard Great Britain type or the bi-lingual South African type. Considering these were sold as a pair, (full-size and mini) you do need to consider where the recipients other medals are. It is unusual but not necessarily untoward that you could find a single vic with an MID both full size and mini. Due to overlapping award criteria the victory medal was not awarded by itself. There should be, at the least, an accompanying British War medal and, if the person served in a designated theatre of war between August 1914 and before the end of 1915, also a 1914-15 Star. In many cases the British War Medal was subsequently sold for the silver content or melted down, leaving a lot of Great War trio's or pairs minus the BWM and thus a 'broken' group. I would conduct some research with the vendor in question in order to ascertain what other awards the recipient may have and where they might be. In that regard having the persons regimental details impressed on the rim will allow for some detailed research to be conducted. In addition, as there is a Mention-In-Despathces (MID) emblem on the full-size and mini, there should also be the opportunity to check the relevant Gazettes to confirm that the MID was awarded and for what actions it may have been awarded. Having the MID should make the recipient a little easier to research as all MID's were gazetted and are thus checkable. If you go to an earlier post on this thread there are some web-links to the National Archives in the U.K which may be of help. Of course this is all moot if the recipient is a South African so research would have to be re-directed to the appropriate places there if that is the case. As for the Laslo volumes I would recommend that you attempt to locate a copy of the 2nd edition. It updated the first edition in a lot of areas and, with the exception of the Battle Clasp matrix for the U.S. Victory medal, there is nothing that is not contained in the 2nd edition. The last time I checked there was a copy listed at 'abebooks.com' and a number of copies listed on 'used.addall.com' although none of the copies are cheap. After that there is always the on-line auction option. Regards, Rob

Hello Thomas, As Tim said - welcome back to the thread. I too like the whole collecting field of miniatures. There are just so many varieties of the full-size vics and there are also quite a few corresponding varieties of mini's. Miniatures are a whole new area of vic collecting which is what makes it such fun. They pose more of a research dilemna as they are not generally named or attributed to an individual although I do have a small Great Britain group named to an individual on the reverse of the mounting bar. The mini's of the U.S. and the Great Britain are generally seen in a consistent 18 mm diameter while other countries mini's are seen in a variety of diameters. I have 7 different Great Britain vic mini's and they are all different in strike, minor detail, and reverse lettering and all have been seen on different miniature groups. Some are more detailed than others. Other countries like Belgium, France, and Italy have mini vics in a range of sizes from 11 - 18 mm and they too are very finely detailed pieces. It is my view that the standard of the contemporary miniature medal workmanship is far better than what is generally seen in modern pieces. When I am back in Sydney in a couple of days I shall post some pics of a few different strikes of the U.S. vic mini's with a number of different Army engagement bars and Navy service bars for comparison. Regards, Rob

Tim, A good place to start in the research for U.K. medals is the National Archives. They have a web presence at: http://www.nationala...ocumentsonline/ This has links to all the services as well as Army specific links to the Medal Index Cards, an electronic copy of which can be paid for and downloaded. You could also look at Ancestry.co.uk. It has a military search area as well with links to service records, pension records, and medal rolls among others. http://search.ancest...ult.aspx?cat=39 Regards, Rob

To all, This has already been posted on the specific Belgium thread but I thought I would post it here for completeness as it is one of my favourite mini groups. Like the French miniatures Belgian vic min's were produced in a number of different sizes from 11 - 18 mm in diameter. The Belgian vic mini in this group is 13.5 mm. Of note is the level of detail on the orders, and in particular the enamel work. Due to the limited number of participants the campaign medal for the African Campaign is not often seen. L-R: * Officer of the Order of the Crown * Officer of the Royal Order of the Lion, with palm * War Cross, with palm * Commemorative Medal of the African Campaign * Volunteer Combatants Medal * Belgian Victory Medal * War Commemorative Medal Regards, Rob

Hello Tim. I have checked the front and back of the ribbon and there are no pin holes or marks. Even directly underneath the large star there are no pin marks. Where the screw has been pushed through the ribbon it has left a large hole but this has not caused any pulls in the ribbon. On closer inspection it just looks like the individual has just placed a larger than normal star on his ribbon. Regards, Rob

Hello all, I recently picked this 1914-1916 Croix de Guerre as part of a small 3 group consisting of the CDG, Combatant Cross, and victory medal. Being primarily a victory medal collector I was intrigued by the size of the bronze star on the CDG. It is secured by a screw attachment on the reverse as seen on the pic. I have checked my copy of 'Petite Histoire De La Grande Guerre Au Travers Des Décorations Attribuées Aux Poilus' by André Pascual and it doesn't mention it there. It is far larger than any other bronze star I have seen nor any of the others posted here. Is this an official or unofficial attachment? Happy for any thoughts as to what a bronze star this size represents. Regards, Rob

Here is the Italian Navy vic award certificate. It is larger than the Army certificate measuring 27.5 cm x 39 cm. It was also large enough that it had to be scanned in two parts and re-joined. This one was issued as late as December 1931. This is the more difficult of the italian vic award certificates to obtain. While they do appear on the market it is much less frequent than the Army variety. Regards, Rob