PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE IN THE OFFICE Through TUESDAY 09/16,
AFTER That Date, We Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/17 until TUESDAY OCTOBER 7th!!
Ron Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/10 until FRIDAY OCTOBER 10th!!
So there MAY be SHIPPING DELAYS on MILITARIA Orders Placed AFTER 09/10 through 10/10!!
BUT We Will DEFINITELY Be ABLE TO SHIP Orders Placed Through TUESDAY 09/09,
And MIGHT Be ABLE TO SHIP ORDERS Placed through MONDAY 09/15, But After That we CANNOT SHIP Until TUESDAY 10/07!!
Update 09/09/25: WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH non-PayPal CREDIT CARD PURCHASES!!
BIG WEBSITE CHANGES are in the works and this Issue WILL BE CORRECTED sometime in OCTOBER!!
If you would like to PAY for an Artifact valued at OVER $100.00 with a CREDIT CARD, please email and I will get an invoice emailed to you ASAP!
We are HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR ORDERS during this time, and we will promptly SHIP MOST orders within ONE Business Day of Receipt of Payment!
And, as always, if you would like to fund your $100.00+ order through a Bank that offers ZELLE, ASK ABOUT our ZELLE DISCOUNT!!
That DISCOUNT also applies to PayPal GIFT (Fee-Free), Check, and Money Order payments!!
Thank you for visiting. We hope you will find some vintage artifacts here on our site to add to your collection.
We look forward to serving your collecting needs, Ron & Kanae
ARTIFACT:
This is a very rare, and beautiful, early 20th century Chinese Order of Wen-Hu, aka The Striped Tiger, III Class, with the original Case of Issue.
This Order was instituted in 1912 and abolished in 1928. This particular medal is most likely circa WWI or 1920, when many were given out to non-Chinese recipients for WWI period actions.
The medal itself is in excellent condition, but these are tiny flakes to the enamel at the high point of the tiger, small cracks in the translucent red enamel on the background star at 12:00, 5:00, and 9:00, and there is a tiny flake that has come off on this same area on the 9:00 arm. Also, the central panel is slightly loose and can rotate. It appears that someone tried to fix this in the past, but it needs to be tightened again. The neck ribbon is not present.
The box is missing the top half of the closure hasp and has a crack where this hasp was removed. There are also various chips to the lacquer around the box, but they are quite small for the most part and do not detract. These is a stress crack the long way across the top of the box, but it does not pass through the lacquer all the way, so again, does not really detract.
VINTAGE:
Circa WWI or 1920.
SIZE:
Box: Approximately 6-5/16" in height x 4" in width x 1-1/8" in thickness. Medal: Approximately overall size 5-1/8" in height x 2-3/4" in width. Medal planchet size 2-7/8" in height x 2-3/4" in width.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Gilt and enameled silver.
ATTACHMENT:
Loop.
MARKINGS:
Medal: 老天利製 (Lao tian li zhi) - Maker Mark
Box: 三等 : III Class
文虎勲章: The Striped Tiger
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a Chinese collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. VAJJJX20 LEGIEX08/02/22
CONDITION:
Medal: 7+ (Very Fine+): The medal itself is in excellent condition, but these are tiny flakes to the enamel at the high point of the tiger, small cracks in the translucent red enamel on the background star at 12:00, 5:00, and 9:00, and there is a tiny flake that has come off on this same area on the 9:00 arm. Also, the central panel is slightly loose and can rotate. It appears that someone tried to fix this in the past, but it needs to be tightened again.
Box: 6 (Fine+): The box is missing the top half of the closure hasp and has a crack where this hasp was removed. There are also various chips to the lacquer around the box, but they are quite small for the most part and do not detract. These is a stress crack the long way across the top of the box, but it does not pass through the lacquer all the way, so again, does not really detract.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
