Belgium Order of Leopold

[Noor]

Hi,

Just recieved my pretty much first Belgium order to my collection and looking some extra info about that. Mostly I like to know period when this cross was made aprox.

Ribbon is with the rosette.

All te best

Timo aka Noor

[Tim B]

Hi Timo,

I think the actual production timeframe could be hard to nail down as I was told that they continue to manufacture these, even with the French only centers when requested.

With that said, your piece is an Order of Leopold I, and with the gold crown and swords, I would say it's an Officer grade. The ribbon should have a large rosette on it and the crossed swords simply means it a military division piece.

The workmanship quality of these medals go down a bit over time. Absolutely no offense meant here, just the quality is not what it was back in the early 1900's and you can compare the enamel quality between the eras for an idea when your piece might have been made (earlier vs later).

There is another thread on Leopold Orders if you want to search for it that has several examples and a lot of valuable information. These can be quite nice, but be careful...they are addictive.

Tim

Here's an example of my two Officer Class Leopold I Orders.

Edited May 24, 2010 by Tim B

[Tim B]

Here's a later made piece Knights Class (silver swords & crown) with the bi-lingual (French/Dutch) center and you can see the enamel is still nice, but not as fine as the earlier produced ones.

Tim

[Noor]

Thank you very much Tim

[farmer]

Thank you very much Tim

Tim,

I am a new member but a long time collector/resarcher of L1 Order. In my collection I have 7 crosses, exactly like yours (both in Knight and Officer) and 5 came with Korea (swords) bar. This would help to indicate time period for you as Korean War vintage. I have not seen (or own amongst my 400 + Knight/Officer crosses) same cross with dual language inscription center.

However, it is a known fact that French only inscription pieces were made long after 1951 - especially those who were approved for award prior to that date.

Hope this helps you.