RobW

And the reverse.

Regards,

Rob

Close up of the obverse of the medal. The ribbon is in good condition.

Regards,

Rob

To all,

A recent bay auction finished with this nice czechoslovakian victory medal certificate.

It was awarded to a Sergeant in the Russian Legion and is dated 20 March 1923. Interestingly it also has the vic as well, with a nice unblended ribbon as well.

These award certificates are of such a nice design and are not seen regularly. More pics to follow.

Regards,

Rob

I found this to be an interesting group with it's attached photos. Also, it makes a change from the bigger

ships we usually see.

...

Particularly interesting is his Atlantic Star with France and Germany Bar. Serving in Home Waters the opportunity to be awarded a lot of medals was not there - however, those serving at the time of 'D ' Day in the North Sea - The Channel or, the Bay of Biscay received this Bar. The value of the Medal increases quite considerably.

Hello Mervyn,

What a wonderful group with photos !

It is often these smaller groups, that show solid and continuous; though unglamorous work, that prove to be gems. Constant service conducting mine sweeping and mine hunting was required and was dangerous work. A very nice group it is.

Thanks for posting.

Regards,

Rob

Hello Peron and others, Yesterday I have been to the Feira de Ladra in Lisbon. As you said Peron "they don't grow on trees" here. It was a big flee market, but alas, I didn't find a VM. So,, my search for a nice one continues. Thanks for the tip though, Regards Herman

Hello Herman,

There is such an example located on the following web-site:

http://www.medal-medaille.com/product_info.php?cPath=86&products_id=9215&osCsid=e0cf485b060258ebad1818657379c6f4

As has been alluded to the Portugal vic is not an easy item to find in good condition, and even more difficult to locate, with the combatant star.

Have fun in your search.

Regards,

Rob

Hello Peron.

Read somewhere that, by Decree n-6: 756, July 10, 1920, those who were imprisoned by the enemy but received no summons or an award used the star in the Ribbon. You know something different about the use of the star.

Lambert

Hello Lambert,

While the original decree indicated that only 'combatants' could wear the star it does stand to reason that if personnel were taken prisoner, that would generally result from combatant action. This may explain why these personnel would also wear the star. The regulations are a bit vague and allow for some discretion and differences in interpretation.

Of course, while regulations state one thing it is not uncommon for soldiers/officers to wear items that do not accord with those same regulations.

Regards,

Rob

Thanks

And by the way...this is a picture of another Portuguese victory medal that I have side by side with other medals that belonged to a portuguese officer during the 1º WW

What a lovely group. Thanks for posting this.

Regards,

Rob

Hi there

I am a new member in the forum, and I would like your opinion to this MV that Became in my possession in these days...I am not so sure that this is a real Portuguese VM or a variation? a fake?...can anybody help me? is the ribbon genuine, the suspension does not look like the normal version, and the ring also doesnt look like the normal one...any help ???

Hello peron,

Welcome to the forum and to this area. I am sure that you will find much to read and enjoy about the fascinating area of victory medals.

It is good to have another member from Portugal amonst the group.

Regards,

Rob

Hello JapanX,

Thanks for the pics. They are a good reference.

Regards,

Rob

Hey Rob,

here comes another japanese group (with victory medal so it is inside your collecting area ).

Anyway, this one looks more promising ...

Obverse

A nice group.

Is it common to have the thread attached to stop the medals from swinging around too much?

Regards,

Rob

Hi Gents,

My latest acquisition is the Czech-made Italian vic Unofficial type 1:

It seems to be relatively crudely made, with the staffa a little off-set from the central position - particularly noticable in the reverse view. Diameter 34mm, and what looks like a Czech-style ribbon.

Any comments welcome.

Bill

Hello Bill,

A nice piece. These examples are becoming harder to find even in Italy. Interesting that it has a unblended ribbon.

Regards,

Rob

Hi Gents,

My latest acquisition - the French-made repro Japanese vic:

The planchet diameter is a fraction under 37mm, and all the detail is very crisp and clear. The thickness is 1.8mm, and the edge shows regular file marks:

There are no 'Made in France' or 'Bronze' markings on the rim or suspension ring

Any comments welcome.

Bill

Hello Bill,

As Lambert has already stated; a nice piece you have there. The striking is nice and crisp and it certainly shows the fineness of the detail on the reverse.

Regards,

Rob

Hello Nick,

I can't vouch for the veracity of the group other than I have actually handled it. I agree that the ribbon wear on different pieces is inconsistent and noted the extra wear on the Taisho Enthronement medal compared with those on either side.

I am not sure what extra detail was indicated but it was sold by a Sydney based dealer at auction in October last year. I noted it at the time but not having a victory medal it was outside of my collecting area.

Regards,

Rob

To all,

While this group is not mine I have been allowed to post a picture of this item for discussion. I don't have any other pics.

A nicer large group comprising:

* Order of the Sacred Treasure 8th class

* Order of the Rising Sun 8th class

* 1914-20 War Medal

* Taisho Enthronement Medal 1915

* 1st National Cencus Medal 1921

* Showa Enthronement Medal 1928

* Manchurian 'Incident' Medal 1931-34

* China 'Incident' Medal 1937

* 2600th National Anniversary Commemorative Medal 1940

* Manchukuo National Foundation Merit Medal 1933

* Red Cross Membership Medal

This large group was contained in a unique velvet lined leather wallet that can be seen in the background. It had black leather on the outside and a much darker blue velvet on the inside lining.

It is the largest Japanese longer service group that I have seen.

Any comments on this group would be appreciated.

Regards,

Rob

This interesting clasp was handmade. It would seem that this veteran felt he was entitled to the Somme-Defensive clasp.

To all,

Has anyone else seen any of these inscribed like battle clasps?

Regards,

Rob

Hi Rob ..

Really do not know ..

Regards.

Lambert

Hello Lambert,

I have seen some lapel pins with a design of the Czechoslovakian vic but I have not seen a miniature.

Regards,

Rob

Hi Gents,

An interesting Cuban vic on eBay - and an interesting price. Item no 390428560487.

Bill

Hello Bill,

While not particularly wanting to describe the specific detail here, lest we inform and educate the fakers which might be lurking among us, a picture or two would illustrate the item. This would be a good aid for subsequent collectors.

Regards,

Rob

To all,

Do any collectors have any miniatures of the Czech vic?

Regards,

Rob

To all,

Given the lack of any response can I safely assume that no collector has one?

Regards,

Rob

Hello Bill,

A nice official example. It is good to see that the item cleaned up alright and looks particularly nice with the new ribbon. Such an attractive piece the cuban vic is.

As others have alluded to in earlier posts they are generally seen with a high price, and, with the Brazil and Siam vics as company, are in the next price bracket for most collectors.

Regards,

Rob

Hello Pagan,

Yes; I would agree. The revese lettering of the South African vic is such an eye catching design. The campaigns in Africa during the Great War are often under-reported and under-appreciated due to the focus being given to actions that occurred in the France theatre.

A nice example.

Regards,

Rob

I saw a British Vic Medal to an Indian Halvidar in an antique shop this weekend, but was concerned that it felt "lighter" than other Brit Vic's in my collection. It didn't have a nice "heft" and seemed detail seemed "thin" on the obverse side. Were Vic's to the Indian Army made differently than others?

Hello IrishGunner,

While there are noticeable differences in the Indian produced War medal things are a bit more difficult with the vics.

Opinion is divided as to whether or not it is confirmed that the vic was even produced in India. Some collectors believe this was the case whereas others believe they were all produced in England and shipped to India. A lack of access to surviving records in India compounds the problem.

The only qualifiying comment I can make is that some vics in Indian groups do indeed appear to have a weaker strike compared to those in UK groups. This is, of course, not conclusive.

Regards,

Rob

Hi

Need some opinions on this that I picked up this weekend. Think this is a replica/repro !!!

The reverse shows signs of the mold having dust or something in it when the casting was made, and where the L.O.Mattei would be, there are faint traces. The medal is approx 35 mm in diameter and weighs 20.5 grams. No ribbon was with the medal.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Hello Rayjin,

This is indeed a reproduction/replica. Produced in the UK in the early 1990's.

Regards,

Rob

To all,

Do any collectors have any miniatures of the Czech vic?

Regards,

Rob

Hi Gents,

Further to my last post, I now have an example of the first type - 'superbe tissage ancien' - and here is a comparison of the two types with a piece of original ribbon:

On the left the 'superbe tissage ancien' and on the right the 'tissage récent' . The first type seems to be quite a good match for the original...

Bill

Hello Bill,

The french produced 'superbe tissage ancien' is indeed of very good quality. It is the same quality as that produced in the late 1920's and early 1930's before the re-issue type medals were produced.

There are a range of modern produced reproduction ribbons but all of these don't seem to achieve the watered blending effect of the silk varieties produced in the 1920's and 1930's.

Regards,

Rob

To one and all,

It is interesting to note that the original Vic thread, started on 13 April 2007, has now had over 40,000 views. It is heartening to see that this particular thread is so highly viewed and is a good resource for all vic collectors.

While I haven't necessarily checked all the other forums, threads and sub-threads at GMIC I would suggest that our little niche has probably the highest view count here.

Let's keep things going.

Regards,

Rob