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I have here with me two sets of ranks for the Ba'ath party member and a Cabinet Minister. Can't tell if they're the real thing or not, but here goes:

Hi Mervyn, the ribbon bar was originally arranged the way it is in the picture, so perhaps whoever mounted the ribbons didn't get it right. That picture was actually the scan I took of the bar before selling it. - Alf

I still have his embroidered Brigadier shoulder slides and I think I may have his poly boards with metal rank insignia as well. Does anybody want those? I recall that quite a lot of this man's uniforms were sold in several lots on eBay some time back.

I also think the asking price may be more than what most casual collectors are willing to pay - GBP395.00 - for a replica. I wonder how many years it will take them to sell the other thousand.

I made an enquiry to Hancocks and they are still selling the numbered replicas. At this point the serial number is still below 200, so they have more than a thousand left to sell. It seems the take up is not so hot?

How odd. These very same bars were in my collection before being sold on eBay. They must have made the rounds!

Absolutely lovely specimens. Any chance of getting the Field Marshal ranks?

No, I think that is a 1962-1996 Order of Temasek, also known as the Darjah Utama Temasek, First Class. The post-1996 version has a different red/white sash. This is the second highest award in Singapore's ODM list, coming after the Bintang Temasek. Less than ten people have been inducted into this order thus far. The BT, on the other hand, is equivalent to the Victoria Cross, and no one has yet been awarded this decoration.

Yes, it seems that with the appearance of these "new" pieces, the market is more than satisfied. Also, the price is high enough that the average collector could not afford it. Do you happen to have pictures of the gold badge that the Slovenian collector showed you? I would be really interested to see the back. The tricky thing about gold badges is that, I think: 1. The owner would hardly wear it, since it is both valuable and expensive. 2. Solid gold does not tarnish or wear out, and it would be impossible to tell visually whether a badge is old, or newly-made. The one I have looks almost brand new, apart from a few very small flaws in the enamel and some very fine scratches on the back, where they show up because the back is so highly polished.

An update on this medal. I took this piece to the Singaporean manufacturer and compared it with the several display examples of the locally made BT there and found it to be almost exactly identical, except these differences: 1. The swivel ring holding the medal to the suspension device was not as well-made, showing a gap where the Spink swivel is nearly seamless. 2. The brooch pin has the ELM stamp (naturally) 3. They had not come across a miniature of the BT thus far One rather interesting point was that the star(s) in the centre of the medal were all inaccurately placed. None of them were perfectly centered, with some even less symmetrical than the Spink example in this post.

That is a nice display.

Valter, thanks for your comments. Indeed, it is true, that about a year ago, there seems to have been many Yugoslav para instructor badges appearing on ebay. I'm not sure if they have been sold elsewhere though (if you know of other sites, please tell us?) What I find strange about those badges is that they seem to be very new, and in perfect condition. The silver metal is bright, and the gold plate looks completely unworn. Compare this to the silver badge I posted above. I obtained this several years ago, and it is quite tarnished. Even the gold is fading from the arms of the badge. I would say there are about ten of these new badges in all variations offered for sale on ebay, for about USD250.00 each. About the gold badges, I haven't seen any offered for sale except one very expensive piece on ebay which nobody seems to have bought at that price. Valter, where did you see these gold badges offered? I am aware that only about 20 of these gold badges were issued. Mine was issued in 1987 to an NCO instructor by General Anton Tus, the air force commander at that time. I think Tus eventually went on to become a five-star general in the new army. I have only seen one other gold badge in someone else's collection, and the only difference is that the hallmarks on the back of the badge are in a different place. Everything else is identical.

I see a lot of very prominent people on that list! Thanks for sharing. I just returned from the Istana Bogor and every portrait of a president there had a miniature on their chest.

I am from Singapore and I must say that Singapore Post does not usually give problems with delivery. I just received a package containing very expensive shoulder boards. The package was ripped right open, probably due to the seller's careless packing. Singpost rewrapped it in a plastic bag and everything was perfect and intact. alf

That looks like the badge that was sold on ebay. Thanks for the comments, guys. I didn't know that there was a difference between the silver badge with a jumper and without. Tomislav, do you know how many of the gold badges were awarded, and when the badge was instituted?

Here is a picture of the silver badge in my collection:

Guys, I have here a Yugoslavia Parachute Instructor badge in gold for your comments: There were around 20 or fewer of this badge awarded. According to the hallmark, this is made of 18-Karat gold, and the gold badge has a rather unusual pinback and locking system, compared to the twin screws on the silver badge. -alf

Apparently, there is a German-Argentine connection which began with a migration from Europe to South America in the late 1800s. Later, Germany was a big player in the modernisation of the Argentine armed forces in the 1920s onward. I suppose that is the reason for the similarity in the pips. Here are more pictures of the ranks, and the reverse:

Here are some photographs of Argentinian generals wearing similar boards, and pips: and here is an excerpt from a book showing the various Argentinian shoulder board insignia: No. 10 in the diagram is of particular interest.

Hi Lawrence, I'd have to say they are most likely Argentinian, but very early boards. From what I have roughly found out, the early Argentinian ranks used pips very similar to those in Europe, and it was only later that they started using the Inca Sun. On the two links you have provided (one of them was posted by myself), the shoulder straps are British and Canadian, both of the Air Force and quite different in origin and symbolism. I'll now post a couple of other pictures substantiating these red and gold ranks as Argentinian, but I'd also love to have more information about these. Alf

Gents, I've just come across these epaulettes for sale and I have no idea what rank they are for, except that they are described as a pair of "Argentina 1930s 'General En Jefe' epaulettes". Any information as to what they really are, the time period in which they were used, and comments about their similarity to European ranks would be greatly appreciated. alf

Thanks, mate! Is this the highest rank in their army today or is there a four-star?

Here are some more photographs in case they could be of some help: The eagles are fixed to the boards by bolts and nuts. It appears the bottom two eagles have been on the boards longer, and the top one is newer and brighter. A promotion perhaps? It also appears that the eagles have been nicely curved to fit the curvature of the boards. And a close-up of the button, in case the crest may give a clue. The details are quite worn out, though.

Thanks, Lawrence! Yes, I have looked at the page, but I am actually looking for a clue as to what the devices on the shoulder boards mean, e.g. what rank it is, and what the symbols represent.

Guys, I am very curious as to what these supposedly Argentinian air force general ranks are. I can't find a chart on these and have not seen them before. Any ideas please? Thanks, Alf