NEW! 1915 Red Cross badge of service. Very rare as not many were issued. Three piece construction. Silver (probably bronze with plating) and red enamels (some under enamel cracking to top arm ). No visible chipping. Ferdinand's crown atop. Very attractive piece. Maker marked to the back of slide 'W&A' (Austrian firm of Winter and Adler, Wien). 34.6mm x 25.5mm. Item # Bul-19 (165)
Officer Long Service in the Army cross, 2nd class (issued for 10 years service). First type (1889-1918) - Ferdinand's issue. Silvered cross of great quality, original ribbon in very good condition. Contained in original case of issue by Johann Schwerdtner, Wien. This Austrian-based firm specialized in Bulgarian Orders, medals and decorations during Ferdinand's reign. Schwerdtner's marked cases are very rare; firm's address indicates a pre-1900 issue. Case interior is padded and raised to fit cross. Silk hinge cover intact (these are ususally torn). Royal cypher and name of award in gold embossing on lid. Most beautiful example we have ever had. Fantastic set for discerning collector. Cross width 35mm.Item # Bul-17. (185)
Kingdom, Order for election of Prince Ferdinand I. Established with the election of the Prince Ferdinand Battenberg (of House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha) as Bulgarian Prince on August 14th 1887. This is the 3rd class of the award (bronze gilt). Probably French manufacture. Comes with original ribbon. Rather hard to find award as only 699 issued in this class. Great details to all, shows age and light tarnish. Overall very good condition. Rare decoration to find outside of Bulgaria. Item # Bul 1. (190)
Order of Saint Alexander. Silver merit cross with swords. Hard to find in this configuration. Awarded to NCO's during WW1 and WW2. This is considered to be the 6th class of the Order. I think this is the WW1 type (rounded edges on the cross). Shows age and light wear. Original ribbon in very good condition. Item # Bul.2 (108)
Kingdom - War with Serbia campaigns 1885 medal in silver. National and Royal house arms topped by crown to obverse, inscription in Cyrillic to edge. Laurel wreath with ribbon binds naming different battles to edge, inscription to centre with date 1885 below. Rarely seen medal and in great condition (few typical wear scratches). Fine detail to all. Complete with ribbon. 32mm in diameter. Item # Bul. 5 (78)
Kingdom - 25th anniversary of the April 1876 Revolt. Ferdinand's issue. Medal in gilt bronze. Maker/designer's (?) name/mark struck to lower right of both obverse and reverse. Quality is good considering the ones I have seen to date were rather poor. Ribbon is of an age but I doubt it is original (nor correct). In any case, a hard to find Bulgarian medal from 1901. 34.5mm in diameter. Item # Bul. 9 (60)
Order for the Courage in Wartime (War Merit Order). Rare miniature of the order, class is hard to determine. This beauty was issued for service during the Balkan War of 1912. Silver star with light blue enamels with gilt badge of the order superimposed on top (small rivet visible to reverse). All higher classes of this order are extremely rare to find. This miniature is fitted with stick pin (knurled type). Some enamel loss to arms of the star. Very attractive and rare piece. 16.8mm in diameter, pin is 40mm long. Cross has inscription in Bulgarian ('For Bravery 1912'). Item # Bul. 11 (55)
Royal Bulgarian Order of Red Cross. 4th class of this rare award. Gentlemen issue (hard to find as more issued to Ladies). All decorations are hard to find outside of Bulgaria. Silver cross with center disk enamelled (dated 1916). This Order was founded in 1917 and given for exemplary service in Red Cross during WW1. Extremely well designed Order with attractive features. All original including ribbon. Perfect enamels. 52mm x 45mm. Great condition. Rare find. Item # Bul. 3 *SOLD*
Infantry bravery decoration, 2nd class. These were issued at the beginning of WW2. Great design. Multi-piece construction, wide pin. Plate mounting nut well marked by Bulgarian maker. Enamelled shield with King's (Boris III) cipher. Military order for courage to bottom. 54mm x 39.5mm. Very good condition to this interesting item. Not many offered for sale in commerce. Item # Bul. 8 (65) *SOLD*
Kingdom - Order of Civil Merit. First type! Officer class in absolutely immaculate condition! It is quite rare for the 1881 -1908 issue to find one in such good shape. All enamels are great, 99% gilding intact. No chips or cracks. Original ribbon lightly darkened with age. Princely crown with red enamel insert is quite large and impressive. Great piece! 77mm high, 50.4mm wide. One may never find a better looking Officer's badge of this type of the Royal/Princely Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit. Item # Bul. 6 *SOLD*
Military Merit Order, 6th class (silver merit cross with swords), 1st type awarded during war with Serbian and Balkan War. All original with silver centre and silvered bronze body. Proper bravery Order ribbon (as awarded during war). Great details to all. Shows age and some wear no damage. Multi-part construction. 46mm. Item # Bul. 7 *SOLD*
Order for Courage in Wartime, a.k.a. Military Bravery Order. This is the 3rd type of the award (1941), 4th class, 2nd grade issued during World War II. Often issued to German officers. Multi-part construction of silver and gilt, with perfect enamels. Original ribbon. Unmarked, but most likely by Friedlander. Excellent condition. One couldn't hope to find a nicer example of this award. 40mm. *SOLD* Item # Bul10.
Infantry bravery decoration, 2nd class with enamelled background. WW2 ear. Great design. Multi-piece construction, screwback. Backing plate well marked by Bulgarian maker. Enamelled shield with King's (Boris III) cipher. Military Order for courage to bottom. 54.5mm x 41mm. Very good condition. Very crisp striking. Item # Bul.13 *SOLD*
