Found - Imperial Russian Coat of arms Pin at Gun show

[nbushyager]

Thanks Chris and Mark. This is why this forum is so great - we all work together to get an answer and learn. Seems that the royals of Europe were incestual with their heraldic devices and their marriages. I agree that the piece does not look of the quality that I would expect from a military/government piece.I am pretty sure that it is a cast piece, but of the era.

So this would have been an item bought in a shop (in Vienna for instance) by either a tourist wanting to take something home or a citizen of Austria-Hungary that wanted to show their support for the monarch. As we may do with a political party pin today? I wasn't sure what it was, but for $2 I was ready to risk that it was old and of European monarch origin.

[Watchdog]

The royals of Europe were incestual with their heraldic devices and their marriages.

Yes it did come pretty close to incest as far as the intermarrying was concerned but at least it was limited to "kissing cousins" or who knows what kind of mutations might have descended the generations?

Of course the same thing happened the world over up until the end of the 19th century (still does in some climes) but I think the "family resemblance" is rather striking amongst the "crowned heads of Europe";



The Mountbatten name amongst British royalty was originally Battenburg (have a peek at Vicount Louis Mountbatten of Burma and the current HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh too for that matter) and the Royal House of Windsor was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The "unpleasantness "of WWI brought about the changes.

The marriages were most usually matters of convenience and "empire building", that of HM Queen Elizabeth II to HRH Prince Philip being a noteable exception as was that of HM Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (although they were 1st cousins and the principles of alliance did apply.)

As for the heraldry, the devices used were sometimes granted by royalty for services rendered, adopted by honourary commanders as a way of making their mark (in the guise of granting an honour of patronage to a regiment) or (more prized by the soldiery) as a result of success in the field, eg; The Napoleonic Eagle worn by regiments who distinguished themselves against Napoloen Bonapartes forces.

There have also been examples of heraldic changes similar to the family name changes such as the Prussian eagle worn by the 14th Hussars which was replaced for the duration of WWI by a very boring Lion and Crown in a circlet because the "enemy device" was deemed inappropriate (why the Austrian eagle didn't suffer the same fate is not known). Of course the rather stylish imperial eagle was re-adopted as soon as was decent much to the approval of the regiment.

All this of course makes our hobby so rich and intriguing as well as providing good stuff to waffle about

Long may it continue

Regards

Mark

[nbushyager]

Thanks Mark.... astonishing how similar they look. A lot of great info in your post and it's much appreciated.