France ?60 for a Legion of Honour

[bifter]

Me has been offered a Legion of Honour for ?60. It is the 1870 officers type, with rossette,beleived to be from the first world war. It has 4 tiny chips to the enamel; 2 on the blue & 2 on the green on the suspending wreath. And a berry is missing its red. These are very tiny & need close scrutiny to notice.

Also a 'Maroc' medal with Casablanca bar for ?60 too.

Are these good offers or should i say "NO!!!!"

They both have a sexy used feel to them; they came together.

[Paul L Murphy]

I would take them. The Maroc Medal is scarcer than the Legion of Honour. Together they are worth more than you are being asked, I would put the L d'H at about $50-60and the Maroc Medal with bar at about $100-120, given how weak the $ is at the moment. Hence, you are getting ?75-90 worth at least.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Paul L Murphy

[Hendrik]

Mmmm, I beg to differ ... the Legion of Honour seems rather heavily damaged as per your description. Granted, it's an officer class but I'd personally wait till a better quality one emerges at roughly the same price level.

Just my 2 (Euro-)cents worth : if there's damage, the price should be considerably lower than for a pristine one.

As to the Maroc Medal and bar, if the price were in Euros and not in pounds, I'd call it a fair price.

So, my conclusion : ask the seller if he's willing to take less for the pair.

Just for the fun of it, I'll ask a collector friend of mine in France about the current price levels there ...

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Paul L Murphy]

I just re-read the original post. I thought it was ?60 for the pair, if it is ?60 each then it is tooooo much ! The combined value of these is ?75-90, depending on how good they look together and the level of damage.

[Hendrik]

... I'll ask a collector friend of mine in France about the current price levels there ...

Current price levels on the French "market" :

Legion of Honour, Officer class, 3rd Republic issue, SILVER GILT and with damage limited to a very few, near invisible enamel chips : ca. 80 Euros

Same, but REAL GOLD and in pristine, near mint, condition : ca. 175 Euros

So, basically, depending on quality and metal used, anything between those prices may be considered fair. Lesser quality pieces should thus be priced well below 80 Euros.

Maroc Medal with Casablanca bar : ca. 50 Euros ...

Cheers,

Hendrik

[PKeating]

I confirm Hendrik's report. I can walk across the road and buy an ordinary LdG (chevalier) in good condition for ?50-60.00 and a Maroc medal with Casablanca clasp for ?40-50.00.

PK