Is Tostrup {Oslo} out of business??

[922F]

Does anyone know whether the order insignia manufacturing firm Tostrup of Oslo still makes awards or even exists?  If not, what manufacturer now supplies Norwegian awards?  Thanks for your help!!  

[paul wood]

I have checked their website and it appears to be not working, also their frontage in Oslo now seems to be a Zara shop, unless they have relocated it seems like they no longer exist.

Paul

[922F]

Thank you Paul, I could not even find their former website [don't even remember when I saw it last, maybe 3 years ago?].  Any idea who makes their awards now.  At one point, the Norwegian state mint [or their contractors] made medals but inquiry there received no reply.

[922F]

Learned that Tostrup reportedly ceased official award production, maybe around 2011-2.  Further details solicited!!

[Kvart]

Tostrup went bankrupt in the 1990-ies. Since then, there has been several suppliers of Norwegian ODMs:

- David-Andersen AS (Oslo)

- Sporrong AB (Sweden)

- Reide AS (Norway) (not sure if theh produce anything, they might just reassamble it)

- Poellath GmbH (Germany)

- Opro Produkter AS (Norway)

 

Edited January 19, 2017 by Kvart

[922F]

Thank you for this very useful information!!  It appears that Opro Produkter AS [http://emaljemerker.no/pictures] makes or supplies the Order of Merit and other medals,  Reide AS [http://www.reide.no/REIDE ENGLISH/00100E.htm],  Poellath GmbH [http://www.poellath.de/index.php?Orden4d5bf447e56ee4da6b08dcd283] and Sporrong AB [http://www.sporrong.com/gallery/medaljer-jetonger/] can supply medals.  I cannot locate David-Anderson's website.  Do you know which company manufacture the Order of St. Olav?

Again, my since thanks for this information!!

 

[Kvart]

I'm glad to help. May I ask the reason for your inquires, as this is a very narrow field in the world of phaleristics?

Tostrup went out of business in 1992. David-Andersen then became the official supplier of the Order of St. Olav. However, these were still produced in Tostrup's old workshop, and stamped Tostrup, cf. Hallberg p. 29. In 2011 Opro became the new official supplier of this order and the insignias are supposed to be stamped Opro. But I have not seen this stamp myself yet. The awards of St. Olav have been greatly declining the last years. Only a handfull every year, and maybe no grand cross during that year. The last years several of the awarded commander crosses have been in gold, a version that to my knowledge has not been produced since 1958. So I think there is a huge degree of reuse. Thus little need for new produced insignias.

Some Orders of Merit are stamped David-Andersen on the reverse. If you give me some time, I should be able to find a picture of this stamp.

Oh, the royal mint also produced some Norwegian medals until the late 1990-ies:

- Den kongelige mynt (Norge)

But the mint was privatized in 2003 and sold to a company (Samlerhuset AS ("The collector's house Ltd")) which use it as a factory for mass production of so called "collector's items". Like commemorative silver coins, sold for 100 times their real value in silver and so on. They are utterly crap and Samlerhuset AS should not be taken serious in any matter. After 2003 the mint has never produced any official ODM and I doubt they ever will.

 

 

[paul wood]

Kvart,

Thank you for the most useful information.

Paul

[922F]

Hello Kvart, and again many thanks for your informative reply!!

I am interested in helping document award manufacturers as an adjunct to collecting insignia.   Writers like Antti Ruokonen make solid effort towards this topic.  When Jeff Jacob was drafting Court Jewellers of the World in the early 1970's, I did some preliminary research work for him. Recently, I decided to update [in a basic way] his effort.  It seems best to capture data as quickly as possible before more is lost, given the apparently smaller number of order insignia manufacturers, at present.  This useful information should be collated as accurately as possible.   

Some well-known long-established makers [Bertrand, Cejalvo, Faude & Huguenin, de Greef, ELM] remain involved as 'international market' players while other not so well known firms appearto mainly specialize in their own national & 'related' awards [Gladman & Norman, Ásmundsson, Opro].   Newer firms such as Worth should be documented.   Verifying the likelihood that some ‘retailers’ may possibly subcontract manufacture and subsequently market insignia with their own markings [on pieces or in cases] exists as well.  

When I obtain sufficient material or when specific instances arise, information shall be shared [c.f. post 42 in GMIC thread: Estonia. Modern military medals].    

For organization purposes, data may be gathered in a geographic systematic method.  I began with Scandinavia since that seemed a more realizable objective given the relative accessibility of material and sources.

Could you kindly expand on the ‘Hallberg’ reference?  I am not familiar with it.  

Best wishes, EJ 

[Kvart]

I see. It is a good project you have there. I look forward to the outcome of it

Harald Hallberg's book "Norwegian decorations - awarded with ribbon to be worn on uniform or civilian clothings": http://medals.no/index.html

It is a book from 2012 dealing with almost all Norwegian orders, decorations and medals to that time. It is pretty good, although some shortcuts had to me made during the production of the book. The language is mainly Norwegian, but some short summaries and headlines are in English.

I'm planning to write a book about Norwegian ODM myself, in English. A lot has happend the last few decades or so. But due to other projects in life and at work, I won't have time to really start this until after 2019.