Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    1920s Polish medal - original or fake?


    Recommended Posts

    Dear friends,

    Once again I need your precious help. Could you please tell me if the Polish badge pictured below could be original / period-correct (1920s) or rather a fake?

    Or is it possibly an old replacement made in London during WWII (like some VM medals)?

    Thanks for you help.

    Click on the pictures to make them bigger.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 4 weeks later...

    Thank you for your answer, Chris. This is a Stracka company medal. The unit fought against the Soviets during the Polish-Bolshevik War. But information about it are very scarce. If anyone has a good link... feel free to share it ;)

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The open ring is a bad point, I agree. However, here is a certified original that was sold some time ago by one of the leading auction houses for orders and medals. Its connecting ring is open. These medals use to look very crude.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Lt. Wilhelm Jan Starck commanded the 2nd Assault Company during the defence of the city of Lwow in the Polish-Ukrainian conflict of 1918-1919. The cross was awarded afterwards to former company members.

    At first sight the cross on the photo seems to be a modern restrike. Quite cheap and easy to get. Still, if you posted the cross in a better resolution (both sides), this could help. Are there any manufacturer's signs on it?

    Edited by Lukasz Gaszewski
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Unfortunately, there is no manufacturer's sign or s/n. But the medal pictured in my post from December 25th is certainly an original. It was sold by a famous auction house that is specialized in such items and they always carefully check their items before they come to an auction. So if their experts think it is an original, I think we can trust them. The only open question is: Is the medal pictured in my first post also an original?

    Edited by Leclerc
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Interesting thread on a period and conflict I was unfamiliar with until I visited Lwow three years ago.

    Thank you for your interest. Here you are. I think the similarities are quite impressive. Both could be from the same maker.

    Just for the heck of it, I have taken the liberty of using Leclerc's photos to create a similar comparison image to his. I have highlighted what I believe to be the same 'flaws' in each. This leads me to come to the following possibilities:

    a) they were both 'originals', both cast from the same master (Leclerc's suggestion),

    b) Leclerc's medal is a 'copy' cast from the auction house 'original', or

    c) they are both forgeries produced by the same faker :(

    A range of other possibilities may well exist, of course.

    Edited by Trooper_D
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.