Authentic Godet made POURE LE MERIT pin?

[kevin710]

HI
I've never seen such a small blue max pin before.The seller proclaim it might be made by "Godet" but there is no marker on it though.please give me any advise,thanks.

[Steven M]

Hi Kevin,

Don't take this the wrong way, but you really need to invest in some publications so that you can make educated purchases based on your knowledge. Asking opinions is OK sometimes, but if you are serious about this, invest some money in books before you purchase the items - that is said from the standpoint of experience, no sarcasm intended.

Now...

Below, are photos of what I believe to be an original Godet PLM boutonnière. Every quality example in miniature that I have seen has been suspended by a marked boutonnière device as shown below.

The piece you are looking at could possibly be OK, but it is really hard to say without a hands on. I am not prepared to go as far as saying it is no good, but I will say that I would not buy an example unless it was affixed to the original boutonnière. Godet was commissioned to produce awards for royalty, and no matter what they turned out in any size, it was ALWAYS of exceptional quality.

Even IF it proved to be good, I don't think I would spend that kind of money on something that is completely unattributable.

I DO NOT like the ribbon on your example as it looks to be made of polyester, a material that wasn't even in existence in the early part of the 20th century. However, it could be an addition later.

May I ask what the seller is asking for it? These usually fetch amounts in the $1500+ range when the marked boutonnière is present. Of course, this is just one man's opinion.

You would be better to purchase some reference publications which feature attributed known good examples. This area of collecting has been HEAVILY infiltrated by very high quality fakes and requires MUCH knowledge in how these were made, and knowing about the different color of enamel used at various times. Personally, I have not ventured into this high dollar area any further than reading on the subject. Making an uneducated purchase at this level will REALLY hurt you.

[kevin710]

Hi Steve
Thanks for your valuable information.I will try to get some books to educate myself but the truth is my English is limited.I came from Taiwan and there are very few original information in this area.I found this forum through the Goggle search.
About the price,the seller is asking for $100.I have no idea about the real one worth that much as you told.
I really appreciate your heartfelt help.I think It's a right choice to follow your advice to withdraw from this deal.Thanks again.

[Steven M]

Hi Steve
Thanks for your valuable information.I will try to get some books to educate myself but the truth is my English is limited.I came from Taiwan and there are very few original information in this area.I found this forum through the Goggle search.
About the price,the seller is asking for $100.I have no idea about the real one worth that much as you told.
I really appreciate your heartfelt help.I think It's a right choice to follow your advice to withdraw from this deal.Thanks again.

Kevin,

No problem, and you are welcome. I am glad that understand where I am coming from, as I hate to see collectors make the same mistakes that I did. I wish that I had the benefit of someone to "set me straight" early on. On a side note, wonderful and rare pieces DO come along for what we might call a "steal", however, those opportunities come as rarely as the high end items we seek. "If it seems too good to be true...then it probably is". Keep that in mind and you will do well.

I am not going to accuse the seller of anything dishonest as they may not know what they have, however, nearly every person in the world with even the slightest interest in militaria knows how incredibly rare the PLM is, and for such a low price, I would always be wary when it comes to items like this. Best to you.