Bulgaria Bulgarian medals and ribbon bars

[Daniel Murphy]

So, I have a question. I have a very ugly, very worn homemade medal bar. The bar includes the 2nd, 3rd and 4th class crosses of the enlisted version of the Order for Bravery. These and his 1912-13 and 1915-18 medals are present. I have the documents for the service medals but no others. 2nd Class is marked 1915 and the others are marked 1879. Is this rare and worth restoring, or just neat but not rare?

[Stogieman]

Picture???????? Please!

[Daniel Murphy]

Rick,

Here is the bar. The documents I put away for safekeeping and I cannot put my hands on them right now. This is how I got them, I have never cleaned them.

Dan Murphy

Edited November 12, 2005 by Daniel Murphy

[Daniel Murphy]

And the back. I had always liked it, it was just not very visually appealing.

Dan Murphy

[Ulsterman]

THAT IS A GREAT BAR!!

Please do not 'restore' it. It is magnificent as it is.

May we see the documents?? Please?

Where did you obtain it?

In 25 years of collecting I have never seen an original WW1 enlisted soldier's bar.

[Daniel Murphy]

Ulsterman,

I will not touch the ribbons, would it be OK to clean the crosses to remove the green? and what would be the best way.? I have had this for many years and feel that I must have gotten it at a show. I cannot remember from who or at what show. I have always thought he must have been a well decorated NCO who wore this for many years with pride. I will try to find the documents and post them.

Dan Murphy

[Paul R]

The only problem I would have with cleaning the medals is the potential harm to any of the surrounding finish. It would be too much of a risk as once the damage is done, there is no going back.

Your bar has seen a lot of use and exposure, yet it has a certain charm the way it is.

Just my two cents.

Paul

Edited November 15, 2005 by Paul Reck

[Bob Hunter]

Try a soft bristle brush to remove the verdigris and follow with a light vaseline treatment followed within 24 hours with a complete wipe down of the vaseline. That will get the green out!

[Guest Rick Research]

But will it also strip off the rather cheap finish on these poor little ugly crosses? Vaseline is nasty stuff.

[Stogieman]

I don't think I'd touch it, certainly not take apart even to clean. To me, these home-made monstrosity's are one man's expression of pride in a very DIY way...... I'll bet you he proudly wore this bar every chance he could!

As far as cleaning.......... not sure what to do other than check with the guys...... I confess to not ever cleaning a thing!

[Bob Hunter]

No it doesn't damage even a cheap finish...so far.

[Stogieman]

eeeeewwwwwe Vaseline........ Yuck! You are a braver man than I!!

[Bob Hunter]

We're not talking gobs of the stuff. In moderation with Q-tips. Stops zincpest in its tracks and a dry brush on verdigris.

Of course the best solution is to buy medals and badges in a better preserved state when that's possible.

[Stogieman]

Speaking of Bulgaria, here's a nice complete set to a German. Award document, Medal and imprinted cellophane bag of issue!

[Stogieman]

Whoops, sorry about that... rather small. Here's a bigger view of the packet/medal.

[Stogieman]

Of course I would be miscreant to not offer up the same medal on the scarce Non-Combattant ribbon!

[landsknechte]

How could I forget this one...

[Paul R]

Beautiful Bar!!

[Djedj]

Hi gentlemen,

Might anyone perchance be able to identify the 2 medals on the right of this photo ?

Now I suspect them not to be Bulgarian ; would they rather be Serbian or Romanian ?

Photo is a cabinet card from Poruchik Stoikov probably early 1890s.

He was serving in the Leib Gvard :

Thanks !

[Eric Schena]

Hello:

Those are actually both from pre-unification Italy. The middle one I do not recall the name of off hand but it's definitely from an Italian principality (I want to say Parma but I could be wrong). I'll look it up if no one else finds it before me. The one on the far right is the Order of Francis I of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Yuri Yashnev's site has some good pics of this order here:

http://www.netdialogue.com/yy/Europe/Italy...anzI/FranzI.htm.

Hope this helps!

Cheers.

Eric

Edited January 31, 2006 by Eric Schena

[Dave Danner]

The one on the far right is a Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order (Herzoglich Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden). Given the Bulgarian monarch's background, it would likely be from the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Eric is right about the middle one though. It is the Order of Saint Louis (Ordine di San Luigi) from the Duchy of Parma. The Duchy ceased to exist as an independent state on Italian unification in 1859-60, but the order continues to this day as a house award of the House of Bourbon-Parma.

And why would a Bulgarian officer have an award of a state that ceased to exist before Bulgaria was founded? Because the wife of Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand I was Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, daughter of Roberto I, the last Duke of Parma. The wedding occurred in 1893, so the card probably dates from right after that.

[Djedj]

Thanks a lot Gentlemen !

Ah those orders tell great stories sometimes...

Cheers !

[Eric Schena]

Aha! That Saxe-Ernestine House Order looks a lot like the Order of Francis I and since that parma orde rwas there, I assumed that last one was also Italian.

In any event, way cool photo!

Cheers,

Eric

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gents,

just obtained this from Jacky in Holland, a nice salty piece.

A Silver cross of the Bulgarian Order of St. Alexander.

Can somebody give me some info on award criteria please,

There appears to be a stamp / mark on the silver piece under the ball ribbon ring hanger (appears as a dark round spot in the picture).

Kevin in Deva.

[Kev in Deva]

The Rear:

Kevin in Deva.