Italian breast star?

[heraldic40]

Hello,

Can someone help me to identifity this breast star?Is italian or not.On back, in circle G.GUCCIONI ROMA,and has and one silvermark.

Thank you!

[heraldic40]

And the back side..

[922F]

G.GUCCIONI, as you probably know, 'manufactures' some of the current Italian national and Vatican decorations as well as insignia for some of Italy's former ruling families. I say 'manufactures' in quotes because some pieces are apparently subcontracted to other makers and some are made in house. Many GUCCIONI marked pieces are in 800 or 925 fine silver--cannot make out the mark on your star. A correspondent reported seeing San Marino St. Agatha Order stars as well as an 'ephemeral Order insignia' with GUCCIONI maker's plates/plaques too. GUCCIONI had a shop on Via del Orso in Rome [visited most recently last year] near CRAVANZOLA's retail shop. Contact info: Via del'Ors0 17, Roma, phone - 06 68307839; website www.guccionedecorazioni.com

["Realizziamo tutti gli Ordini Cavallereschi della Santa Sede, della Real Casa di Borbone-Due Sicilie, della Real Casa di Borbone-Parma, il Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta, gli Ordini al Merito e al Merito Militare della Repubblica Italiana ed altri."]

Your piece looks like insignia for some Order of St. John or other. With the crown, maybe one of the King Peter of Yugoslavia origin Orders?

Edited November 17, 2011 by 922F

[heraldic40]

Thank you very mutch for the promt answer!Please tell, this piece is a contemporary?How old can be,and who is the value?

[JimZ]

I would have have guessed at it being an SMOM award, although I am not familiar with it. However, eight pointed cross + crown would make me more inclined in that direction.

Jim :cheers:

[heraldic40]

What is SMOM award?You explain me please?

[JimZ]

Oh apologies - "Sovereign Military Order of Malta". 922F refers to it as well as the "Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta"

Jim :cheers:

[922F]

Your star was most likely made in the past 10-15 years to present based on workmanship and the GUCCIONI maker's plaque format. My references [Cardinale, Cartone, and the SMOM website] indicate that this design star is not a SMOM insignia. Many websites discuss Order of Malta varients; often organizations deriving from King Peter of Yugoslavia related Malta Orders use this type of star insignia [a gilt crown above the cross]. Value is hard to determine, check dealer lists, ebay & similar sales.

[JimZ]

Search as I have online I still cannot identify this breast star and my suggestion remained a guess.

922F, are there any links that you may post to show how this breast star is connected to King Peter of Yugoslavia.

Also could you fill us in on the history of King Peter of Yugoslavia related Malta Orders as I am not at all familiar with these.

Thanks.

Jim :cheers:

[922F]

Sorry for my delayed reply, have been away for a while. There's a discussion of King Peter's Order within the Order of St. John GMIC thread. Among others, The White Cross [a book published in the late '60s-early'70s] describes the King Peter organizations from a favorable viewpoint. The ANS library in New York has a copy of The White Cross; it may still be available to borrow. Dissenting views on such Orders' 'validity' are elsewhere, perhaps most available online at Calthrop's Corner and Guy Stair-Sainty's websites. A couple of the surviving Orders of Malta claiming descent from Peter's group have websites showing this insignia design. Try Googling Sovereign Order of St. John - King Peter. Peter's son, Alexander, terminated association with these orders in the 1970s when he accepted an honor from the Rome Order.