Ice Cross - Medal

Hello everyone, I've finally found it.

This medal, the ice cross, has always fascinated me and I tried for a long time at an acceptable price. It is normally sold around 150 € in these conditions, if perfect 200 €, its price has risen significantly over the past two or three years.

There is a version, is said to officers, quite rare in silver prices that can reach 6-700 € in the best conditions. A variant is even more curious and rare in silver with black enamel, someone says it is wartime, someone says artisan others attribute to the black shirts of the Republic of Salò.

It is not an official medal, then those who had wanted to buy it, that's why even though in Russia they went to so many people the price is quite high. Few could afford to buy a medal when they returned from the front. The most common is made in zinc alloy and the white paint is very delicate, the silver version should be glazed.

Are considered original wartime those marked "Lorioli-MILANO-ROMA" and "A. Picozzi Milan" in two lines on the arm at the bottom, there are many unmarked, there is no clarity on these because they could have been made ​​by other companies or after the war. On the back are engraved the Dnieper Donets written on her arm at the top, DON on the right arm, left arm BUG, LUGLIO941 LUGLIO942 on the arm at the bottom and CSIR at the center. They are usually classified as produced in 60-70 years if they have the brand Lorioli-MILANO-ROMA on one line always on the arm down because in this period the company changed the name.

Unfortunately many have been repainted, but a careful eye should be able to see any burrs that are on the edge or color differences. Another dilemma is the ribbon sometimes the most recent of the cross, to recognize more recent tapes must assess the color, I've seen use UV lamps to see if the white is due to dye recently.

One Thanksgiving, as always, go to the forum "miles" from whom I learned a lot of useful information.

This is mine.

Badge of the Italian campaign in Greece and Albania

On Saturday I went to Militalia Novegro, as I expected there was a lot of interesting stuff but the prices were really out of the ordinary.
For goodness sake you have a chance to see the goods live and deal with traders, but I think, in these times of crisis, if not slightly lower prices for collecting military will become wealthy few.
Finally I saw that the bulk of the material shown was of German origin, at least 70%, possible that everyone will be looking exclusively Nazi objects?
Anyway I could not come home with nothing, and I found something.
I bought this pin of the Italian expedition in Greece and Albania, and a treatise on the 111th Line Infantry in the service of Napoleon for 30 €.
It was established May 13, 1942 by ministerial N ° 356 and was given to all those who had fought for at least 3 months on the front greek-Albanian-Yugoslav October 28, 1940 April 23, 1941, by regulation was brought above the ribbons on his chest left.
As for the other badges there are several variants,this is produced by Boeri Roma, was also produced by Johnson from Milan to Rome and Fratelli Lorioli from Milan.
There are versions of unmarked and some with no sign Fascist created after the war.
These last two are logically rarest and also the prices may be higher.
The phrase means the obverse: Albania to the victorious soldiers of Rome.

Commemorative badge of the WW2 Russian campaign of the Italy troops - ARMIR - CSIR

This was a purchase from the market , those who sometimes do not expect to do.
I agree with you who follow me on stories and photos.
I saw it on the counter and holds much history and suffering I did not have the heart to leave them .
is the badge that was initially awarded to members of the armed 8 ^ ( ARMIR ), then extended (1967) to all participants in the Russian campaign ( CSIR) . It was established on 05.12.1943 .
The first model, coined by Lorioli , has a diameter of 45mm , the second smallest is a brooch 15mm .
Specifically, this is a first type with the pin stuck in one of the mailorder sabers, there is another variant with the pin welded at the two signs , then vertically. Probably the attack was shifted due to the low seal welding .
It is a distinctive very expensive, the price of this type is around 60-70 € , the one with the pin in the vertical being a bit ' oldest and most rare is around 100-120 € .
There are reproductions , as for the other the first rule is distinctive details. The originals have always crisp details and very present , the replicas being obtained to calculate many times are less clear . In this case to prove the originality I also used the nose, in the true sense of the word, obviously smelling smelled of old stuff, you know when you pull something out of an old trunk Well its smell.
Using this trick you sometimes removes doubts about objects of dubious provenance .