Hauptmann

Hey Rick, nice find! Very nice design. Believe this is one of what I call the "tinnies"... the small pins that the Soviet's seemed to go so mad about collecting. Kind of like U.S. baseball cards and such. It's one I've not seen before but I do like it's look. Anything with trains on it gets my vote!

Dan

These are soviet boards with attached monogramms of the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Even if not counting the fact that boards are soviet, this particular combination of insignia, color of stripes, color of cloth and color of lace is simply unreal: none of the four regiments having the Empress as a Chief did have such combination. BTW, insignia is fake too. As for education, sorry, I'm not an online teacher - I have only answered your actual questions, because I feel ashamed when such cheap stuff is very often being positioned as "real treasures of Imperial Russia" by Ebay dealers. But if I will clearly understand your interest I will definitely tell you more details in personal correspondence.

Many thanks. This is most helpful. Again it's always better to state the reasons instead of just saying "fake" or "bad", etc. Otherwise no one learns what to avoid in future. Deeply appreciate the extra info and the help on the original post!

Dan

Fake.

Can you give the reason(s) why? It will help to educate other members. And if you have pics of an original set for comparison that would be even better for a side by side comparison. I've noticed alot of Imperial Russian items including shoulder boards have been popping up on Ebay of late and I'm sure in other places so would definitely be good to know what to look for to avoid the fakes.

Many thanks!

Dan

Good work but the one on the left looks like someone giving me the middle finger:speechless:

Lorenzo

Wish I could do better. The problem is that jpg's like the original image are difficult to resize as you start to lose detail and it gets blurry as in this case. It was about as far as I could take it. It's much easier to make them smaller and I have a problem that does just that. But for enlarging I have to go through Paint and it's slightly trickier. Also appearances can change depending on what browser is being used and what the settings are as these vary from computer to computer.

Best solution is a new pic or preferabiy scan of the "copy"... and again would be great to have a good scan of the full obverse and reverse and again of the selected area of the crown/top arm of the cross.

But hoping this at least helps a bit for now.

Dan

Copy on the left, original on the right. About as good as I can get it unless I'm provided with a new scan of the copy, especially the section in question here. Might be good to have a full pic of the original for comparison as well... obverse and reverse if possible.

Dan

As it's a request and hoping neither of you mind me reposting your pics:

If a larger pic/scan can be done of the crown/upper cross arm section of the copy to match the original that would be even better. If so, pop it over to me (dwatson@daktel.com) and I'll be happy to edit this and put it in in place of the copy pic included here.

Dan

Just a quick suggestion. I think it would be helpful if comparison pics could be placed one above or next to each other. It's hard to go back and forth between posts that are several posts apart and make proper comparisons. I think having them next to each other would make a good comparison much easier/better.

Many thanks!

Dan

My guess is ORB and CSM as long service, along with the RS that's worn elsewhere as is the missing Lenin Cent. medal. Nice bar for a career mil man, probably. Can be easily recreated (with a decent fake ORB).

Just to add to Eric's comment re: a decent fake ORB... make the CSM (MMM) an unnumbered example. Be nice if you could find one that's unmounted or that looks to have a newer or replaced mount as if it were me I'd hate to muck around with a nice older one, even one that is indeed unnumbered... but that's just me.

A Lenin Centennial medal is an easy find... but I'd try to find one of the military issues as opposed to the labor... but of course they are identical from the front so that's not crucial... again just something I'd do. And you could also get one of the aged ORS copies as finding an original with no number would be a tough one. Again that because I don't necessarily like to mix one individuals awards (even if unknown) with another's awards unless one has no choice for a display.

Dan

Thanks, Dan. You're a lifesaver. NGL

Hi Nick. I try.

How's "High Holy Week" gone so far?

Dan

Hope this helps.

Dan

So I've managed with no effort to have another country represented in my collection... which is of course always a good thing. Again many thanks to Odulf for his kind assistance.

Dan

Have had this one for many years now, sitting on a display shelf. I picked it up in a small antique shop in St. Louis. Of late I'm pondering trying to add a U.S. WW1 uniform (or at least tunic) to my collection so thought I'd see what the actual history of this one was in the hopes of being able to us it with said uniform/tunic for a display. I've now been told that the helmet is actually Dutch:

The helmet has a Dutch chinstrap and liner (size 56 cm).

After the War, the Dutch Government changed the British lining and straps; the lock on the straps are "quick release", to avoid a man being strangled when the helmet was pulled backwards. This type of straps was introduced in about 1948.

The stamps shows the Dutch Lion (with in its paws a bundle of arrows and a sword) and I can see part of the text "GOEDGEKEURD" (translated: approved).

During the War the Dutch Forces adopted the English helmets (and uniforms) and these were continued to be worn until the 1950s, but with a brownish green colour. The pale grey helmets were used by the Dutch Red Cross and Civil Defense for long after.

It has traveled a long way from home, when it showed up in St.Louis....

Many thanks to Odulf for this extremely helpful information!

So I figured I'd pop it in here to share with any of our members who are intro'd in Dutch militaria.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=46602

Thanks,

Dan

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=46602

Thanks,

Dan

Another possibility is the NSKK but not sure what it would signify in that case.

Dan

Looks more like a sleeve diamond to me as opposed to a collar tab. I checked my SS ref assuming black for SS and could not find that exact one. But for Army/SS/Luftwaffe I found the same letter but on round trade patches and all signified an Artificer or Ordinance Technician (Feuerwerker). Hoping one of the other members will be able to either confirm or deny this and nail it down to service, although it seems the SS used more of the sleeve diamonds.

Anyhow that's my best guess... hope it helps.

Dan

Would love to see E-boats/S-boats as well.

Dan

Many thanks for the additional info on these. Can't wait to hear more, see more pics and find out prices. Hoping they're reasonable enough that one could collect the entire series. Would make one heck of a nice display with some appropriate awards and pictures.

Many thanks!

Dan

Looks great! What is the size... always hard to tell in pics without a reference. Any idea on pricing? How will one be able to order them?

Dan

Dan

Hope this helps.

I just learned of this... it's a national disgrace if we let this historic ship, last of the Great White Fleet and last survivor of the Spanish American War meet her end at the breakers or being sunk as a reef. How much money is wasted by our idiot politicians in this country alone... and we can't pay enough to save this... the last warship of it's kind in the world?

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=dKtS_ru6IRo

Dan

Yes. If you go here you will see some examples of same as well as one to the VP as well as many others:

http://www.jeanpaulleblanc.com/USForeignAwardsToUSCitizens.html

U.S. citizens can be awarded Orders including those of Knighthood... but only in an honorary capacity... in other words if an American is awarded an Order of Knighthood by the British for example... they cannot use the title Sir (or Dame) but they can put the initials of the Order at the end of their name. They also generally cannot accept any benefits of said awards such as payments, pensions, etc. This was the case with Soviet awards received during WW2, some of which came with payments, free travel, etc. Such things can only be accepted with the special permission of the U.S. Congress.

Hope this helps.

Dan