Markus

Back of badge.

Close-up.

Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III (Spanish: Real yDistinguida Orden Española de Carlos III) was established by the King of Spain Carlos III by means of the Royal Decree of 19 September 1771, with the motto Virtuti etmérito. Its objective is to reward people for their actions in benefit to Spain and the Crown. Since its creation, it has been the most distinguished civil award that can be granted in Spain, despite its categorisation as a military order. It was formally converted to a civil order in 1847. The Order was later regulated in an Royal Decree of 2002 (in which was set the objective of "rewarding the citizens who, with their effort, initiative and work, have brought a distinguished and extraordinary service to the Nation") and by an Order of 8 May 2000. Today the Grand Master of the order is King Juan Carlos I of Spain. I am not sure as to the dating of this badge but was told by the dealer that it was an early 19th century piece. I Could not find any maker hallmarks on the medal and was told it was made from gold. Beautiful order medal that I have wanted to acquire for a while. There seems to be many different makers and versions of this medal. This Madonna is one of the best of all the types I have seen in my opinion. Any other information that the experts could add would be appreciated! Markus

Back of medal with Boullanger name plate. Boullanger was founded in 1896 and was at this address 24 Rue De La Paix until 1911, so this dates the medal manufacture 1896-1911.

Close up of medallion.

My new arrival. Persia Lion & Sun Breast star Boullanger made. 80mm tip to tip width.

Close up of the medallion.

Here is my new arrival, a French made Lion & Sun order, with officer ribbon. No maker marks on the back but looks very much like a Halley or Kretly made badge.

#4 badge

Badge #3

#2 badge

Hi Dieter, Thanks for the suggestion, I will post a few backs. Hope they are legible.

Hi Kapten Windu, I'm clueless as to which Fire station districts owned these badges. Perhaps I will be able to tell you more after reading Paul's book that I am going to order. Best Regards, Markus

2nd half of collection.

Hello Gents, I have always been intrigued with the look of Japanese Fireman badges with their great looking designs and enamel work. So I purchased this collection from a Japanese dealer in one purchase. It is hard to judge the quality of these items in photos so I was pleased upon having them before me in person and I was not disappointed. The quality of the cloisonné work is amazing. The style of enamel patterns remind me of some of the early Republican and Warlord Chinese medals. They are quite petite, only 1.5 to 1.75 inches across. Markus

Here is a link with all of the different types of St. Sava's displayed. Incredible eye candy! My link Markus

This is a close-up of the embossing on the case.

Hi Lorenzo, Here are the front covers of cases. On left Commander, on right Knight case. All the enamels on both these medals 100% intact. Some of the gold plating seems to have worn off or oxidized which seems pretty common for these Garrard made medals. Markus

The front views of the cases. Huguenin on the left, Bertrand on the right.

The best site for looking at practically every Serbian White Eagle model ever made is: My link Here is the reverse of the two medals I own. On the left Bertrand, on the right Huguenin.

Hello Gents, The Serbian White Eagle is uncommon and in high demand so one doesn't see it pop up on Ebay that often. Usually one has to go to a dealer or auction house to find a decent looking specimen. Here are my two Serbian Order of the White Eagles. One is a Huguenin Freres Swiss made and the other with swords is a Arthus Bertrand French made medal. If I remember correctly, the Huguenin Freres White Eagle was around $600US and the Arthus Bertrand was around $700US, both purchased from medal dealers. The Bertrand version with swords is much more rare. Markus

Gavin, I throughly enjoyed this thread and looking at your mint St. Sava. It is amazing how many historic details you were able to dig up on this medals owner. A very nice addition to your growing collection of world medals! This Serbian maker produced a very high quality medal. Also I don't see many of this maker on the market, usually they are Huguenin Freres (swiss) or Arthus Bertrand (french) maker. Markus

Wow Gavin thanks for posting! They are in incredible shape for their age. The design and power of these medals blows me away! One of my favorite Japanese medals for sure. Markus

Close up of Dragon. Nice iridescence in the dragon enamels.

The Annam Dragon Commander in grouping to show size relations. Right to left: Officer badge, Commander badge, Knight badge.