Venezuela (?), order of Industrial Merit

[taras]

I can't remember where this pic came to me from, but I think it's Venezuelan. Does anybody have any ideas on this point?

[paul wood]

In my Opinion it's a funny the centre is that of the Portuguese Order of Industrial Merit, the remainder of the star is that of the Persian Lion and Sun 1st Class. It may be a concoction made about 20 or so years ago by a disgraced former employee of the Portuguese mint.

Paul

[peter monahan]

Interesting! A decade or so ago we had an employee of the Royal Canadian Mint get the jail for deliberately double stamping coin blanks to produce highly desirable 'flawed' coins and flogging them, off through a numismatic dealer. What was this lad at the Portuguese mint trying to accomplish?

[paul wood]

Peter,

The gentleman at the Portuguese mint was producing various forgeries which were recycled in various auction houses. I suspect this was a prototype for his industrial merit using the body of a lion and sun, he also produced type 1 agricultural merits and early tower and swords. He sent some pieces to me and when I told him they were wrong he challenged me to a duel. Just before he was rumbled he took a one way passage to South America where presumably he is still living.

Paul