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The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

Article about: Here's mine, made by famous Wiktor Gontarczyk

  1. #61

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Prezes, I'm also wary of the possibility this is a fantasy piece. Although again, I do feel there's a good possibility that it's the real deal. It would take a close up examinaton of the hallmarks to verify that they are genuine, and then to confirm if the cross is indeed made of gold and that those are real diamonds.

    Andrzejku, yes, I noted that the cross is smaller than the 1st Class Grand Cross, and therefore not correct for suspending from the sash. I guess someone felt that by virtue of the 'bling' factor, as Emil noted , the neck cravat was just not up to snuff.

    Cheers,
    Tony
    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  2. #62

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Here's my grandfather's Polonia Restituta. I know it's not in the best of condition, but it did travel from Vilnius to Edinburgh during WW2 - the long way round via all sorts of places. Unfortunately I don't know exactly when it was awarded as I don't have the paperwork, but I do have a photo from 1933 of grandad wearing one (3rd medal from left) - not sure if it's the same one, but this one is 58mm. I also have the ribbon that you sew in those rows on uniforms; the red with white stripe same as the medal ribbon itself, but it's got a little gold bow in the middle capped with a red and white doodad. Sorry gents, I'm not well versed in the appropriate terms...
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  
    Attached Images Attached Images The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta) 

  3. #63

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Hi Reynard,

    The Cross that is shown in the above photographs is the Commanders Cross of the Order which is worn around the neck, the Cross shown in the Photograph of your Grandfather is the Officers Cross with Rosette.

    The Classes of the Order of Polonia Restituta are as follows:

    Grand Cross
    Commander with Star (Grand Officer)
    Commander
    Officer
    Knight

    Best wishes

    Andrzejku

  4. #64

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    That's exactly what I thought, Andrzejku... As I said, I'm no expert...

    I'm hazarding a guess, bearing in mind that I've no paperwork, that grandad's original award of the medal might have been upgraded after that date i.e. December 1933. He went into politics shortly after that photo was taken - he was a provincial governor between then (Poznan & Vilno) and the outbreak of war, which might be a valid explanation for the difference.

    Here's the ribbon I mentioned - third from left in the top row. Hope this helps.

    The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

  5. #65

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Hi again Reynard,

    Your Grandfathers Ribbon Bars are for the Following Awards, (if you already know what they are Please accept my Apologies)

    Top Row: from Left to Right:

    The Order of Virtuti Militari, Independence Cross, Order of Polonia Restitiuta (Commanders Cross), Cross of Valour (with 2 Bars denoting 2nd and 3rd Awards)

    Middle Row: from Left to Right:

    Cross of Merit Ribbon with Bar (denoting 2nd Award), the Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918-1921, the Commemorative Medal of Ten Years Restored Independence, Legion of Honour (Commanders Cross)?.

    Bottom Row: from Left to Right:

    Order of the Crown of Yugoslav Crown ? (Commanders Cross), Order of St Sava (Officers Cross)

    No doubt some of the other members might be able to clarify the awards.

    Best wishes

    Andrzejku

  6. #66

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    No apologies needed Andrzejku It's nice when what someone else says matches more or less with what I've figured out piecemeal. Thank you. The blue and silver ribbon with doodad bottom on the bottom left I think matches with a Romanian award, though I've not been able to identify it. I'll put up an additional thread not to hijack this one. And yes, that is a Legion d'Honneur in there too.

    From what you say, it does look that grandad had indeed had his Polonia Restituta upgraded at some point between 1933 and 1939, so that makes sense. The unfortunate thing is that the paperwork didn't survive... Did it get left behind when he evacuated from Wilno, did it get lost somewhere along the way, or dare I say it, might it have met its end in my uncle's very leaky garden shed? I don't know unfortunately.

  7. #67

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    An interesting variation on the storage case for the 5th Class cross. I'm assuming that this is an early issue. Picture taken from the recently released book "Dla Ciebie Polsko i Dla Twej Chwały - Katalog wystawy kolekcjonerskiej" (Gdynia, Muzeum Miasta Gdyni, 2011). A most highly recomended book if you can find a copy.

    Regards,
    Tony
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  
    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  8. #68

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Carrying on with variations of cases that housed this order. The Grand Cross was awarded in either a single case that held both the cross, star, and the sash in a compartment, or in two separate cases, one that held the cross and sash, and a separate case for the star. Such a set was listed for sale recently, pictured below, that was awarded to a Bulgarian government official in 1930. The set came complete with the award diploma, two documents containing the formal act and directive for the order, and a group photo picturing the of the recipient (identified by a red arrow). The breast star and its case was missing from the set.

    Regards,
    Tony
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)   The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  

    The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)   The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  

    The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)   The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  

    The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  
    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  9. #69

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    To contrast the separate cross / star presentation, here’s the single case housing both the cross and star. The upper ‘tray’ is removable to access the compartment holding the sash.

    Regards,
    Tony
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)   The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  

    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  10. #70

    Default Re: The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

    Over to the 2nd grade of the order, the Commander's Cross with Star. In addition to being awarded in two separate cases (see Michael’s set in post #35), there are two types of cases this set is found in – one with a horizontal arrangement and the other vertical. I’ve found this grade of the decoration in a single case to be much less frequently encountered than the Grand Cross single set, perhaps suggesting that most were presented in separate cases.

    Regards,
    Tony
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)   The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)  

    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

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