RobW

Hello Tony, For those that have an interest, either passing or dedicated, in the Australian slouch hat I would recommend the following reference. 140 pages, with colour and black and white illustrations. ISBN: 0909458235 Copyright: 2002 Hope it is of use. Regards, Rob

To all, After looking through all my references during the week the only badge that I can find that comes even close to that described by Tom is a local New South Wales state Infantry Battalion badge. The pictures is posted below. It has been taken from Part 1 of the Cossum badge book. I have also inquired with those dealers and fellow collectors far more knowledgeable than I in Sydney to no avail. I hope that this has helped if only to reduce the list of badge suspects. Regards, Rob

Hello Mervyn, No problems. The first three books (Cossum badges - Parts 1 -3) are not mine but are actually copies of a dealer friend in Sydney. I managed to borrow them in order to illustrate their covers for fellow collectors in this thread so that they could see what exists. They are indeed rare items. I fear my originals have been lost in the passage of time. As a caveat I am not a 'badge person' but an Interallied Victory medal collector. However, when I have time this week I shall peruse all the volumes I have to try and locate the badge Tom described. The difficulty will be as both the Kangaroo and Boomerang are considered iconic in Australia it could be any badge amongst a sea of possibilities. I will also consult with my dealer friend in Sydney who owns all the Cossum references, including those that I borrowed, and see what he knows. More to follow when I have done some research. Regards, Rob

This is the last volume in my library of purely Australian references by Mr Cossum. 124 pages with illustrations in black and white. ISBN: 0 949530 14 X Copyright 1997. I hope they will be of use to others. Regards, Rob

Here is another volume on the brass buttons used in the Defence Forces. 72 pages with illustrations in black and white. ISBN: 0 7316 3083 1 Copyright 1988.

This volume is a 'must have' particularly for those that are interested in the 'Rising Sun Badge'. This volume is 40 pages in length and illustrates, in black and white, 148 varieties of the Rising Sun badge as well 20 varieties of the Rising Sun collar badges. No ISBN. Copyright 1986.

Here is Part 3. ISBN: 0 949530 05 0. Copyright 1985.

Here is Part 2. ISBN: 0 949530 02 6. Copyright 1983.

Here is Part 1. ISBN: 0 949530 11 5 (PART 1) Copyright 1994.

To all, As fate would have it I have just relocated copies of some of my Australian badge books by J.K. Cossum that had been previously not been seen for a while. As an aide to others I thought it would be advantageous to post images here of all the J.K. Cossum reference books I'm aware of. I am not sure of how available all these books will be to those outside of Australia but it is far better to know these references exist than not. Not wishing to infringe on anyone's copyright I will only post pictures of the covers for the general reference and awareness of all. I will start with the series of three books on Australian Army badges, that were discussed earlier in this post, and will follow with others that have been published later. The format will be cover image, relevant ISBN, and any publishing details. I hope they are of use. More to follow. Regards, Rob

To all, Here is another nice miniature version of one of the other Fascist medals from the period. It is the Commemorative Medal for march on Rome, type 'E' by Johnson (according to the Brambilla reference). The ribbon is a lovely colour; not quite yellow but more of a mustard colour. Hope they are of use. Regards, Rob

To all, To add to the store of pictures here is a nice miniature version of the Commemorative Medal for the Fascist Campaign 'Italy Now and Always' in bronze. As has been previously stated the medal did come with a number of different dated year bars. This mini has 3 but they are not dated presumably indicating 3 years service sometime between 1919-1922. More to follow. Regards, Rob

Followed by part two. The U.S. medal variety is listed without any battle (engagement) orservice (country) clasps which would necessitate a separate display initself. Regards, Rob

To all, As requested by Jim Z and to assist others, here are some panoramic comparison pictures of the archetypal specimens from each of relevant countries in the victory medal series from my collection. While there are other strikes and many different unofficial and reproduction varieties, those that are displayed here are what are deemed 'official' strikes. While I have a much higher resolution version of the combined panoramic comparison I am unable to post it due to new member restrictions. I have posted these smaller matching items to negate the need for too much side scrolling. I hope it is of use to others. Here's part one. Regards, Rob

And the reverses. Regards, Rob

To all, Here is a recent group I obtained, with a nice Belgian vic mini, among others. The Belgian vic mini is 13.5 mm in diameter. I was interested in 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, and War Commemorative Medal. Regards, Rob

Hello Mervyn, I would agree that outside of Australia they are difficult items to find. ISBN for volume 1 : ISBN 0949530018 ISBN for volume 2 : ISBN 0949530026 ISBN for volume 3 : ISBN 0949530050 I had all 3 volumes back in the early 1990s but have since managed to either lend them to another collector or mislaid them. A dealer friend in Sydney has all 3 volumes and has indicated, that while Mr Cossum does not intend to provide an update to the books, another publishing house and author is apparently going to attempt an update. When I have more information I will post here. I have found copies in the past at some well known used bookstores on the web. I always use <abebooks.com> and <used.addall.com>. I think you might find them there. A small picture from an unnamed auction house will show some detail of the book covers for vol's 1 & 2 for your reference. Hope this helps. Regards, Rob

To all, If you are at all interested in Australian hat badges, as well as general issue unit badges, I would recommend that you try and locate copies of 3 very good books by the Australian author J.K. Cossum. Aside from being marvelously illustrated in black and white, these books are considered the main references for all things Australian hat badges and more. The titles are: a. Australian Army Badges, A Collectors Reference Guide, Part 1, 1930-1942, 35 pp b. Australian Army Badges, A Collectors Reference Guide, Part 2, 1900-1930, 56 pp, and c. Australian Army Badges, A Collectors Reference Guide, Part 3, 1948-1985, 64 pp. I hope this helps. Regards, Rob

Hugh, As far as I have been able to determine, in regards an order of precedence, until 1939 Czechoslovakia only had only 4 official (government approved) decorations. These were: a. The Order of the Falcon, which was established in 5 clases but only one was awarded. b. War Cross 1918 c. Revolution Medal d. Victory Medal All other medals listed in the book were described as so called semi-official, established either by regiments, veteran organizations or others, which were additionally approved for wearing the by Defence Ministry. This of course didn't include the following: a. Volunteer's Cross (Pamětní Kříž Československého Dobrovolce), 1918-1919 b. Commemorative Decoration for the Czechoslovak Volunters of 1918-1919 I would assume that these awards would be worn after the main 1914-1918 awards and before those awarded for service later in 1939 onwards. In addition to these original 4 pieces there was also the Order of the White Lion (instituted in 1922). The Order of White Lion was created in two divisions (civil and military) 5 classes and 2 medals each. It was however awarded strictly to foreigners only. The only Czech bearer was the President of the Republic as a Grand Master of the order. This information has been gratefully provided to me via a Czech friend in Prague and subsequently translated/parsed into English. I hope that this helps. Regards, Rob

To Hugh and Rick Research, Here are a few clarifications and additions to the earlier information about the Czech Revolution Medal. As everybody serving in Czech legions was eligible, many variants were produced. The medal was designed by the French sculptor Antoine Bourdel, and it is his initials 'AB' which can be found on some varieties. The Czech medal book referred to previously lists 4 main varieties. These are: a. French production with signature b. Production 1918 - 38 light bronze with signature c. Dark bronze with signature d. The same as 'b' but without a signature There are also more varieties indicated but unlisted with hollow pieces being described as quite common, so that should clear up the mystery of Ricks piece. I recently picked up a second copy of the 1997 book as well. Order of precedence information to follow shortly. Regards, Rob

To all, Just to confuse the issue I recently obtained this official French vic and it does appear to not have any marks, either cornucopia, triangle, or BR on the reverse. Is it possible that another manufacturer produced this based on the official dies? The only other difference I have noticed is that the makers mark is a bit further from the edge of the rim than that seen on other varieties. Any ideas?? Regards, Rob

Here are the reverses. Regards, Rob

Dieter3, Here are 2 of my japanese vics for a side-by-side comparison. Note the differences in ribbon hues between the two, and the strength of the green band on the medal on the left. Hope this helps. Regards, Rob

Hello Dieter3, The ribbon that is used on the Japanese vic is generally chacterised by having quite a paler appearance than the ribbon used by other countries for their vics. Of note is that the yellow and green bands are generally quiet pale and almost absent, although I have a specimen in my collection that has a definitive green band. All original Japanese vics will have the standard 'hook and eye' on the ribbon reverse, for mounting, as well. The French ribbon again has a number of different variations depending on when it was produced but the colours are generally consistent, pretty vivid and strong. I shall post a side-by-side comparison of two Japanese vics with slightly different ribbon hues when I have time shortly. Regards, Rob

Hugh, There are two such lists in the book that could possibly be an order of precedence but not being able to read Czech I can't tell for sure. Not wishing to post ill-informed comment I am making some inquiries with those more competent than I in the Czech language and medals and when I have a definitive list I shall post here. Regards, Rob