Poland 1920s Polish medal - original or fake?

[Leclerc]

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.

[Chris Boonzaier]

A wild guess... but for me it does look period... I am always a bit sceptical when the rings are open like that.

Back then was still craftsman time... most awards have the ring soldered closed.

What exactly is the medal?

[Leclerc]

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

[Chris Boonzaier]

Sorry, a typo above, I meant it does NOT look period. (Big difference :-( )

Once again, rings were usually closed back then... at 9-oclock on the 2nd photo it seems not to be, rhis is more often found on cheaper modern awards.

[Leclerc]

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.

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

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 December 26, 2012 by Lukasz Gaszewski

[Leclerc]

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 December 28, 2012 by Leclerc

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Can you put both side by side?

[Leclerc]

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

[Trooper_D]

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 December 30, 2012 by Trooper_D