Bulgaria FAKE BULGARIAN ORDERS ON THE MARKET

[Graf]

Tie quality of wearer copy as New World stated,  is as good as the Original

Only the metal is different and they have "R' marked on the reverse

 

Here is a picture of wearer copy

[bbrandon]

I would be glad to hear you guys opinion on this star here below.

On a first impression the medal looks quite fine to me - but there are this very obvious unsharp/blurred corners on edge of the star, especially on the lower right side, that look like the metal was somehow... melted there?

Unfortunately, no info about a mint mark and no other pictures available.

 

[Graf]

Hi bbrandon,

 

It look good to me  Those small imperfections on the corners are not a problem  See a picture of an earlier model You can see similar small imperfections on the back Since no any mint mark can be seen on the back ask the seller to look for such on the side of one of the arms.

If there is any mark  such 0, 1 and 2 the Star is t latest emission  Those numbers are the Bulgarian Mint marks

A Seller from Bulgaria has stated that there were original  samples made without the mint mark .

At the same time i have seen sellers selling unmarked, solid samples of Order of Georgi Dimitrov without the "R" marks as wearer copy. 

 

If there is not a mint mark on the Star, in my opinion, you have to do a gold test That is done by jeweler, who will make a small  but deep scratch and perform the gold test of the metal under the top gild.

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Graf

[bbrandon]

Thanks for your reply Graf. I asked seller about any mint mark - but then he replied that the medal was sold. I am not sure if it was really suddenly sold - or he realized its not marked and cancelled it.

[Graf]

Then sounds that the Seller knew something and got scared when you started asking questions.

Personally i never hold unmarked Star.  Your experience leads me to believe that those Stars like the solid unmarked  Order of Georgi Dimitrov are made from gilded basic material

It is believed that for a some period the wearer copies were made without the "R" mark

 

[Graf]

An Original Gold G Dimitrov Usually the mark is on the  side of  the loop on top of the Order

All Gold G Dimitrov Orders were made with hollow construction to reduce the amount of Gold used.

The wearer copies have solid construction No holes on the back Usually they have the "R" mark and are made of gilded base metal Here are picture of both Gold and wearer copy Both are considered to be original.

Still the quality of the wearer is not as 100% as the Gold samples

I am not sure how the damage on the frond of the replica has happened  I do not think that this is a testing mark

 

 

[Graf]

[Graf]

Fantasy 4th Class 1st Grade Order  1915??!!

[new world]

Is there 1915 year on the lower arm of the cross?

Edited February 7, 2022 by new world

[922F]

Looks to be 1915 although rather crooked and an odd color..... 

 

Note careful chip revealing 'silver' metal lower right cross tip!!  

 

 

[Graf]

This Fantasy Star was assembled from  original parts of 1st Grade and 2nd Grade 4th Class cross

I suspect the arm or enamel was repaired on the 1915 was incorporated in the lower arm in a crocked line.

The body is from the 1st Graded, however the two central medallions are obverse and reverse ones from a 2nd Grade Cross

let's remind  ourselves that there are only two Models from this issue 1915 -1916 and 1915 -1915 and none of them has a reverse medallion

with the 1915 incorporated in the upper arm and the other year on the lower

This Star was sold on eBay France for 389 Euro

[Graf]

This Set we discussed not long ago is for sale on auction  again

It is for sale as a 1st Class

Star 69 mm  the correct size should be 59-61 mm

The Cross is 52 mm wide - the correct size should be 61 mm

The ribbon is not correct. It should be a sash. I like the 'bullet ' hole they made to look more dramatic

The initial prize is 7000 Euro with top estimate -14 000 Euro

 

[new world]

For Bravery set - is it possible they posted incorrect measurements? In that case neck ribbon would be appropriate for 1st call. 

 

The awards look somehow OK on these low resolution photos, it's possible they are real (but a mismatch nevertheless) or assembled using some real parts. However, anyone bidding any serous money would like to see more detailed photos.

 

Anyway, considering the reputation of this seller I would strongly advise against bidding on any items they offer.    

[Graf]

Hi New World,

 

I agree with you

Yes, you are correct about the ribbon i forgot that the 1st Ferdinand Emission 1st Class comes with ribbon

However, still this fancy ribbon with the hole does not belong to the Set

The original ribbon for 1st Class is 40 mm wide

 

Buyer Be aware the Rule apply

 

[Carol I]

Is this piece OK or an example of 'dark margins'-fake?

[Graf]

Hi Carol I

 

This is OK By the size it looks it is Commander Class. - King Ferdinand Issue that means 63-65 mm wide

The dark are is nothing to worry abut The enamel and the War decorations look good

 Compare with this questionable Commander i listed long time ago

 

Cheers

 

Here two good examples of original Commanders from King Ferdinand period

Compare

 

Cheers

[Carol I]

6 hours ago, Graf said:

Hi Carol I

 

This is OK By the size it looks it is Commander Class. - King Ferdinand Issue that means 63-65 mm wide

The dark are is nothing to worry abut The enamel and the War decorations look good

 

Cheers

Great, thanks a lot!

 

Cheers!

[Graf]

This is new production one piece replica  of the 6th Class without the crown of the Royal Bulgarian Order for civil merit Why bother to make them The originals are not expensive at all This one is marked clearly with "R" and costs $30.

[bbrandon]

Unfortunately during the last month, the market seems to be covered with fake Bulgarian Hero Medals as they can now be found regularly at the usual hotspots (see pictures for 2 examples).

Most of them seem to come from Bulgaria, so I estimate that the faker is also located there.

The fakes are very rude/rough made in fantasy versions and the sellers even confirm that they are "replicas" - as the quality is to bad to convince anyone it is original anyway - but they dont hesitate to claim that it is an "original mint made wearers copy" asking already unbelievable high prices for their s-h-i-t.

I am sure, nobody would fall for it - but I feel the fakes soon will get better with time and this faking buttholes are yet again ruining fun for collectors of yet another medal.

 

Lets hope that molten iron flows down on the fakers feet, burning away their wish to spread their fakes forever. 😝

Edited October 25, 2022 by bbrandon

[Graf]

They could be already on the market.  Numerous Stars  and high end  Socialist decorations appeared for sale on few Auctions in Europe. This is not coincidence. It is interesting fact that some of those awards, although  different, come in very similar stereotyped boxes/cases

It looks like similar scenario when several years ago a faker from Bulgaria loaded the market with fakes Royal Orders and few sellers and dealers bought the cheap and knowingly and/or unknowingly  sold  them on profit  to unsuspected collectors.

The same trend can be seen with the high end of the WW2 German Iron Cross, in particular Knight Crosses of the Iron Cross. The market suddenly get supplied with similar Items in a very good conditions by several sellers/dealers at the same time on waives

Well, if there is a demand there will be always people who can "help' with the supply

 

 

[svapr]

Hello, can you advise if it is an original or a copy. Unfortunately, I don't have better pictures.

[new world]

svapr, your award is original.

It's from post-Monarchy period, so called Republican issue. Royal lion was replaced with one without crown and national flag colors were used instead of Ferdinand's logo.

Your example is likely 4th class and is quite rare, as these were awarded for only 1-2 years.

[Graf]

New World described the Order perfectly

 

Yes it is original 4th Class- Officer  Regency/ Republican issue - missing the ribbon

[Graf]

There is a 2nd Class Set for sale on eBay Germany

There are some concerns regarding the Set The major one is the central medallion of the Star

[922F]

Would like to try a needle on that 'enamel' center!   Maybe suposed 'repair'?  Shape of star reverse pin looks crude to me.  Badge looks OK from what I can see [unable to enlarge adequately though].

 

Case insignia pad not countoured to star but seems to be circular shape--a feature of cases made in the late 1990's through 2000's.  A vendor active then claimed such pads were 1920's manufacture.  Usually, such cases have a dark burgandy color exterior and the type of poorly applied monogram this one exhibits.   I have one [without insignia] somewhere and will try to post images.