RobW

I dont know if this ebay seller has been mentioned

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=bilylev&&_trksid=p2047675.l2560&rt=nc&iid=261143148264&sspagename=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

Just made me suspicious that the Czech medal is all he appears to sell !!

Hello Martin,

Welcome to the group.

Considering that the vendor resides in the Czech Republic it is not unusual for them to sell just the Czech vic. I have obtained a number of pieces from that vendor and he is reputable. He is also a member of this forum!

Regards,

Rob

A medal for sale on Eb_y.

121038792722

OMG!!

Lambert

Hello Lambert,

While the item in question is quite well worn it is a nice official strike. The Siam vic is becoming much harder to obtain at a reasonable price.

Regards,

Rob

Hello

As You know Serbia did not issue a Victory medal but finaly this Year issue the Badge for 11.November I hope next year it will be more official.If anybody is interested I will send him the photo of the badge Serba-Natalia Ramonda flover and rebbon in colors of Albania crossing Dark green and two black stripes.

my e-mail jovanmara@gmail.com

REGARDS

Jovan

Hello Jovan,

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will find many experienced collectors here, on the vic series, that will be able to help with any queries.

I would suggest this is moved to the 'Other Victory Medal / Related Items' sub-thread. That way the focus of this thread can be the French victory medal. If you have a picture you may want to post it on the 'Other Victory Medal / Related Items' sub-thread for the benefit of all the vic collectors.

Regards,

Rob

Hello Bill,

While the French made clasps are an interesting sideline, I would suspect the fact that the medal is engraved on the front and rim, is probably what attracted the attention. The US vic is seen occasionally with engraving of the recipients details on the obverse of the planchet but in this case it was related to the actual base, and the specific area, and still has the recipients details on the rim. That is unusual and certainly worth the attention.

Noting the fact that Navy and Marine Corps personnel were only entitled to wear one clasp, irrespective of further qualifying service that would have accrued subsequent clasps, I would think that maybe the recipient served at the naval base in Cardiff on a Destroyer and then had later service in the White Sea in support of the Siberian expedition. This is, of course supposition but if the recipient wanted to accurately show all of their service the use of French produced clasps was one way to achieve that.

Having a name inscribed on the rim would lead to possible research options. All in all a nice piece worthy of a place in a vic collection.

Regards,

Rob

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

Hi Gents,

My latest acquisition, continuing the theme of Romania. It's the Unofficial Type 2, with reversed N and C instead of G.

The planchet is 36.3mm diameter and 2.3 mm thick, with ball suspension. It's quite light in colour, and the details are sharply struck.

Any comments welcome.

Bill

Hello Bill,

A good example you have with nice and distinct strikes.

Regards,

Rob

Hi Rob, Jim - many thanks for your comments. It's amazing what's around on the web these days!

Bill

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

A Cuban-made copy apparently, with background detail on the obverse I hadn't noticed before - is it banners?

Bill

Hello Bill,

What does 'is it banners?' mean?

Hi Gents,

Well, this item didn't sell last night.

There are detail differences from the Official Type - for example, Victory's wings are more pointed and the tump she's standing on seems higher - and there isn't a 'C Charles' signature. On the reverse, the palm tree on the Cuban arms is smaller.

Bill

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

Hi Gents,

I've come across a couple of guides to US Army and Navy clasps for the WW1 vic on eBay, and wondered how accurate they are - maybe a member of GMIC wrote them?

http://reviews.ebay....000000005867427

http://reviews.ebay....000000005819214

Bill

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

Rear.

Kevin in Deva.

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

Very nice. I am still trying to find one, but one will show when its mean't to be

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

Rob, would you not agree that there is 4 and not just 2 as you just mentioned? (1) The official strike (2) a gilt official strike (3) a very early unofficial strike and the (4) Cuban made gilt strike, which was made by VILARDEBO y RIERA of Havana. He was the official military supplier for the Cuban Government from the early 1920's into the 1950's?

Jim

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 Rob,

I agree, I have always sought opportunities to get an official type 1 with affordable price.

Lambert

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 Rob,

I agree, I have always sought opportunities to get an official type 1 with affordable price.

I have also noticed that there is a certain frequency to Vic Czech, official and unofficial, and decreased Vic Greek type 1.

Interestingly, at least one time every two months appears a Cuban Vic.

Lambert

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

With regards Silvered Inter-Allied Victory medals I again refer to the bottom of page 8 in "The Inter-Allied Victory Medals of World War 1, II Edition, by Alexander J. Laslo.

Quote

(4) A specimen of the British, Unofficial Type 3 Rumanian, and U.S. Victory Medal with a silver finish has been noted. Since the silver finish appears to have been added to beautify the receipiant's

medal after its issue or purchase, such specimens have not been categorized as a basic type.

Other examples with the added silver finish probably exsist throughout the Victory Medal series.

Kevin in Deva.

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

I think we all came to the consensus or almost ... If the price was more affordable (much) I would not mind acquiring there .. patience ..

Lambert

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

Then we must try to verify is it exactly the same size as the Un-official Type 3, made from the same die and silvered, is it a silver-plated Un-official Type 3 or is it a cast copy in silver?

Kevin in Deva.

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

Here is my first Greek Vic Medal, thanks to RobW for the advise on this medal.

Hello Mel,

Always happy to help where I can.

Regards,

Rob

Is yours the 35mm or 36mm, as both 1 and 2 type suspensions can also be found for sale.

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