My Sacred Treasure

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

This is one of my underdogs. It's obviously missing a piece but I got it for super cheap as part of a trade... more a throw in than anything... but I still think she's beautiful. I do wish I could find the piece to replace it but for now I figured I'd pop her in and share her with you.

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As I'm not very expert in this area and have no Japanese specific Order/medal references I'm not even sure of the class. Also what does it stay on the back?

Dan

[Paul L Murphy]

Dan,

This is a 6th class award. It breaks my poor heart to see it like this From the size of the central mirror I would guess that this is a Meiji period award, the later awards have a larger mirror.

The reverse inscription is common to all Orders of the Sacred Treasure and Rising Sun irrespective of the class and says Merit Medal.

You are unlikely to find the missing part and sending it for repair in Japan would probably cost more than the price of a 6th class order in decent condition. These are pretty well made so it must have been subjected to a serious amount of abuse to break like this !

Regards,

Paul

Edited October 2, 2006 by Paul L Murphy

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

This is a 6th class award. It breaks my poor heart to see it like this From the size of the central mirror I would guess that this is a Meiji period award, the later awards have a larger mirror.

The reverse inscription is common to all Orders of the Sacred Treasure and Rising Sun irrespective of the class and says Merit Medal.

You are unlikely to find the missing part and sending it for repair in Japan would probably cost more than the price of a 6th class order in decent condition. These are pretty well made so it must have been subjected to a serious amount of abuse to break like this !

Regards,

Paul

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for the info on this one. I too hate seeing it this way and would love to get it repaired. Who knows... my son hopes to travel to Japan some day. Perhaps he'd be able to take it with him and get it worked on at some point. No idea how it happened. As you can see two of the rods that attach the missing piece are still in their respective holes in the medal. I actually got this in a large trade for Soviet and DDR awards I wanted... traded some extras in my Third Reich collection. This was the only Japanese piece he had and I insisted it be included in the deal. I figure even broken pieces need love too. And as I say I'm a pushover for underdogs. Even broken I think it's a beautiful piece. It's one series I think I could get hooked on... especially the higher levels of the Order... but have a feeling they're way out of my price range.

Thanks again,

Dan

[Paul L Murphy]

A rough guide to prices of cased Sacred Treasures, based on lowest prices between Japan and elsewhere, would be as follows : -

1st Class : $3,000 upwards

2nd Class : $1,400 - 2,000

3rd Class : $600 - 800

4th Class : $400 - 500

5th Class : $300 - 350

6th Class : $150 - 180

7th Class : $60 - 80

8th Class : $30 - 45

Meiji awards will tend to be more expensive. These are a very rough guide, especially at the upper end. Japanese orders tend to jump in price quite a bit once you go higher than 5th class.

Still cheap compared to a lot of the Soviet items out there !

Best regards,

Paul

[Hauptmann]

A rough guide to prices of cased Sacred Treasures, based on lowest prices between Japan and elsewhere, would be as follows : -

1st Class : $3,000 upwards

2nd Class : $1,400 - 2,000

3rd Class : $600 - 800

4th Class : $400 - 500

5th Class : $300 - 350

6th Class : $150 - 180

7th Class : $60 - 80

8th Class : $30 - 45

Meiji awards will tend to be more expensive. These are a very rough guide, especially at the upper end. Japanese orders tend to jump in price quite a bit once you go higher than 5th class.

Still cheap compared to a lot of the Soviet items out there !

Best regards,

Paul

Hi Paul,

Yeah... they go up pretty quick, but they are beautiful as are the vast majority of Japanese Orders. Perhaps someday... One can dream.

Just out of idle curiosity... if you don't mind me asking, in the condition mine is in, roughly what's it worth? Figuring not much but guess I should know.

Thanks,

Dan

[Ed_Haynes]

A nice badge, but a badly damaged badge. But at least it is what it is, a damaged badge. If ever repaired, what would it then be? I suggest it would then be a "nothing", of scant phaleristic value or interest beyond the novelty value of a repaired badge and the history of the piece will have been destroyed.

Shed a tear or two over it, offer up a bowl of sake, and see it as a piece of history badly treated by history. I'd leve it unrepaired as what it is.

And then go and look for a pretty one (too).

Just my ?5.

[Paul L Murphy]

I would agree with Ed. This is one piece that will live the rest of its life as an afterthought on a swopsie deal ! I doubt if you would find someone willing to pay cash for it so I think you probably got it fairly as an added bonus in your swap.

[Hauptmann]

Hi Ed & Paul,

Well, I guess it is what it is... a shame it was ever damaged. I guess it's all in the way one looks at it and from which side of the collecting fence. For me this, along with several other areas I've dabbled in were sidelines and not something I specialized in. To me, from the photos I've seen it looked as though it was just missing the piece with the jewels. And as the holes are there it seemed to me as though it would be an easy repair if one could obtain the proper piece.

Sad to say it looks as if it's consigned to be a curiosity and still one of only two Japanese awards I own. Perhaps someday I'll be able to delve a bit deeper into this area of the hobby and build up that portion of my collection a bit. Lord knows I'd certainly love to be able to do just that.

But thank you both for all your help.

She might be hobbling on one leg but I still love her.

Dan

[Laurence Strong]

Slippery slopes.....Slippery slopes

[Hauptmann]

Slippery slopes.....Slippery slopes

Hi Larry,

Yup... just what I need! Another slippery slope. Methinks Kim and Nick would shoot me out of a rather large cannon.

Dan