Virtuti Militari Thread

[prosty zolnierz]

there is always the suspicion that when someone " puts the mockers " on something , they have an angle. needless to say that if one is personally happy about an item that ticks all the right boxes then................... the VM has resided over here since the war and has a few knocks etc. it shows wear and although I have no direct provenance I am relaxed in the fact that a breast did sport it. the Cross itself is multi-part construction, discs ? front and rear sandwiching the main body.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Thanks for the additional pic PZ. A fine example of an Owczarski and a worthy addition to this thread.

Now, if you ever consider selling . . .

Cheers,
Tony

[prosty zolnierz]

hello Tony, must have made the right decision on acquiring the VM if A.J.Z awards S of A ! TTFN

[BDinExile]

Hello Everyone,

Just wondering what your thoughts are on this one?

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hello BDinExile,

This cross has all the characteristics of a post war copy. Looks like an older Panasiuk product.

Regards,
T.

[BDinExile]

Thank you Tony for you advise!
If its not too much trouble, are you able to outline the basic characteristics that set a Panasiuk apart from an original.
Thanks in advance

[LwowAK]

What am I missing that this one sold for so little? I would have expected at least 3k.

Virtuti Militari V klasy rz

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . If its not too much trouble, are you able to outline the basic characteristics that set a Panasiuk apart from an original.

There are several things to look for in the Panasiuk copies. But first off I don’t know of any literature on the topic and these are just my own observations. So please don’t take them as gospel truth! Also, while being generically labeled as Panasiuk products, there are variations in these crosses which open up the possibility of other producers.

In general the quality is below the standard of pre-war examples. The center disc details on the Panasiuks are clumsier and less refined, with the eagle having thick borders and placed on a somewhat ‘rough’ background. The eagle pattern seems to be quite consistent on all of them, which has elements borrowed from the pre-war Jan Knedler crosses. Most of the later post war copies do not have the center disc gold plated. The ends of the cross arms are often less concave (flatter) than most of the pre-war crosses with the ball ends being closer together than pre-war crosses (see side by side comparison below). The difference is subtle, yet to the experienced eye stands out immediately to indicate the era of production. The enamel work is often not as well done, although on this example, which looks like an earlier piece, it’s not too bad at all. These are only a few points, and it is important to note that some of the differentiating characteristics do not always apply to all pre-war crosses.

Lastly, the majority of known pre-war VM makers produced crosses with their own unique and distinct characteristics. Those collectors that pursue these crosses and study the variants are eventually able to discern these differences between the producers. To the novice most crosses appear quite similar if viewed separately. A reasonably well made early copy like this one that had taken on some wear and patina can easily be mistaken as a pre-war cross, and both sellers and buyers often do.

Regards,
Tony

[Krakow1]

Here is a fairly rare seen document , it was given posthumously to Sergeant Jan Trzcinski from 25th Infantry Regiment for his deeds in Polish bolshevik war of 1920. It has the letters "S.P." in front of his name (Swietej Pamieci) "sacred memory"

[Dzianis]

What can tell on VM and who the engraver?