US NAVY CROSS

[lambert]

A week bought a lot Medal American "post war". and came one which left me very intrigued. Because it does not look anything like the medals of modern manufacturing we found with ease on ebay. The intriguing is that the Ribbon and the brooch is modern, is marked P-30, however the Cross seems to be older.

Any comments would be welcome.

Lambert

[muckaroon1960]

I bought one similar a few weeks ago and found it had a crack in the lower arm? The medal had been cast and not die struck. The edge had a rim mark and was not smooth or marked where the die had punched through the metal. Fortunately I was able to recover the money I paid as I had bought it at a local medal fair.

[Tim B]

Hello Lambert,

With that style brooch and three-digit manufacturer's code, I would say your Navy Cross is circa mid to late 1960's vintage, production wise.  Hard to say how long it might have been used in the system as many were stocked at commands for use as needed.  Could be Vietnam or even later, depending.

Not sure who P-30 is, its one of those unidentified makers at this point.

The quality of U.S. medals and decorations went down considerably after WW2, some manufacturers produced better quality strikes and some had better finishes but after the 1960's most were looking rather cheap compared to the more vintage pieces.  I tend to think that trend is common worldwide honestly.

Here's a close up of a U.S. Mint WW2 example and you can see the difference.  Still, the one you have is a nicer strike for the more common varieties found these days.

I do not believe the one posted in post #2 is fake.  This is common of the quality seen on the later produced pieces circa 1970's and beyond.  Here's another one:

 

Same type of imperfections on the medal planchet.

[lambert]

Hi Tim

Thank you

It is common to see the Navy Cross recently manufactured, with a Metal Lighter and a well darker patina. It is easy identification.
We will try to find information on the Manufacturer "P30" and then identify the time.

Lambert

semper fidelis