Medal news

Since the Romanian collectors have no dedicated magazine or website, i think it would be useful to have a pinned topic where to post news about awards, fairs, expositions, new books and articles, changes in legislation, etc.

Please post any related news in this topic.

On 21-22 December 2005, president Traian Basescu visited the Romanian contingents in Irak and Afghanistan. Basescu awarded several medals and orders (war versions), but the official website didn't reveal the list of awarded persons yet.

This post has been edited by dragos03 on December 22, 2005 08:10 pm

On 21-22 January 2006, the Romanian Filatelic Association will organise a fair in Bacau, Botosani and Piatra Neamt, called "Trilaterala Bacau-Botosani-Neamt".

These fairs are usually meeting places for all kinds of collectors, not only philatelists.

At least we have a picture from Afghanistan:

http://www.mapn.ro/fotodb/20051222_afg/decorat_de_presedinte

And 2 pictures from Iraq:

http://www.mapn.ro/fotodb/20051221/Presedi...itarii_Romaniei

http://www.mapn.ro/fotodb/20051221/Presedi...ol_Nicolae_IOAN - CO of the 20th Inf Batallion

Last night, during the New Year celebration in the University Square in Bucharest, President Basescu decorated two "ordinary Romanians" in front of the crowd.

Plt. Alexandru Dinica was awarded the Knight Class of the Faithfull Service Order for his bravery during the floods in July. He saved a three year old child, among others.

Doctor Raed Arafat received the Officer Class of the Order for Merit. He is the initiator and coordinator of the SMURD ambulance service.

Dr. Arafat is not Rumanian, but Palestinian, who is activating in Tg.Mures.

From what I understood from people personally knowing him, he is indeed an outstanding man and excellent professional.

Gen. Dénes

Raed Arafat is a Romanian citizen, of Syrian origin.

I found an older article (from half a year ago, May 2005), that offers interesting information about the current award system. According to the article, the price to manufacture an order is ROL 5-10 million (EUR 135-270) and the price to manufacture a medal is ROL 1-2.5 million (EUR 27-68). Also, it seems that former president Iliescu awarded so many orders and medals in his last months in office that he almost depleted the available budget. The lack of funds made the new president Traian Basescu unable to award more than a maximum of 2500 orders and medals in 2005.

The whole article (in Romanian) is available here: http://www.9am.ro/revistapresei/Politica/1...escu-deconteaza

In other news, President Basescu exchanged awards with Abdullah II, king of Jordan, during his official visit to Amman (20 December 2005). The king received the Collar of the Order of the Star while Basescu was awarded the Nahda Order with diamonds.

These prices seem a bit too high. I remember seeing the transcript of a jeweller's invoice (more than 100 years old) with the costs for the production of a collar and a grand cross an order. In today's money the costs were about 400 EUR for the collar and 350 for the grand cross. I doubt that a knight's cross was as much as a third of that.

Hallo to all in the Forum, I am a new member, originaly from Ireland, but living in Hunedoara County, and first I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year 2006!

I collect European military medals (including Romanian Royal medals) from 1800s to 1945 period. I think it a good idea to have a place to post information about meetings where medals and militaria items can be brought, we have 2 meetings a year here in Deva they are small and held in the "House of Culture" in April and September, I also go to Brasov, Arad, and Timisoara in the course of the year looking for items.

As a new member I an still learning to navigate your pages so please excuse me if you notice me logged on and saying nothing, and I must say you have lots of interesting information posted all around the site.

I would like to say with regards metal detector searching battlegrounds, I am an ex-military soldier of the Irish Defence Forces, (I served from 1976 - 1997 including service with the United Nations Peace-keeping Forces In Lebanon.)
All items of munition, bullets, shells, mines, etc MUST BE TREATED WITH GREAT RESPECT AND CAUTION it is very nasty and unstable stuff, just because it has not exploded for the last 65 years with regards WW2 objects and the last 85 years with regards WW1 objects when even lightly disturbed can cause an explosion, there are farmers in Belgium still finding items from WW1 in the fields and at least one bomb disposal expert a year is either killed or seriously injured in Belgium per year!!!! and these guys are proffesionals with loads of equipment.

Well thats all for now, again thanks for letting me join.

Welcome to the forum, New Connaught Ranger.

I went to the Deva fair last year but i was very disspointed by the high prices of almost every item.

Award ceremony for Raed Arafat:



and Alexandru Dinica:



(both photos are from www.presidency.ro)

Hallo dragos3, with regards high prices in Deva, its not just there, I travel to Brasov, Arad, and Timisoara, and the prices are what International dealers are looking for.
I also find that because I am originaly from outside of Romania, all prices for me start at a special price of 100 Euro even for items that are currently selling at 10 to 20 Euro on the International market, seems the mentality here is: He a foreigner so he must be rich, and if its old and dirty it must be an antique!!

At the local Hobby Club in Deva for example a certain gentleman has 7 Austrian medals cirrca WW1, when I first asked the price it was 100 Euro, (the collective value of the items was about 55-60 Euro,) the next time I asked he had put the price up to 200 Euro, and a year and a half later he still has them and the price is back to 100 Euro!! All the items are common and can be quite easily found on the net at ebay.

My main interest is European military medals and I have currently over 500 in my collection, including some 46 Romanian medals, and over the next few weeks I would like to post some questions with regard to what they were issued for and dates of issue or manufacture.

As far as I know we will be having a fair in Deva in March, but I have not got a certain date as yet, as soon as I know I will post it here, Also at the Deva Hobby club I am trying to get the other members to encourage more younger people to take an interest in collecting (note just Militaria items, but, stamps, coins, banknotes,etc.) as we have no younger members at all.

I have a good selection of Military Medal Books and if anyone in the forum has a mystery medal from outside Romania I will try to identify it for them if possible.

all the best for now, Kevin.

Some events in February:
- Romantique, at World Trade Plaza in Bucharest, 18-19 February
- numismatic fair in Brasov, 25 February

On January 15, President Basescu decorated (post-mortem) the victims of the helicopter accident in Iasi :
- Cpt. Cdr. Toma M. Augustin and Lt-col Stanescu V. Valentin - Order of Aeronautical Virtue, Knight
- Dr. Puiu A. Liliana - Order of Sanitary Merit, Knight
- nurse Hauta V. Mioara - Medal of Sanitary Merit, 3rd Class

For their role in containing the disastrous floods in the spring and summer of 2005, ten people were awarded the Order for Merit (Knight), two people were awarded the Medal for Merit 3rd Class and one person was awarded the Faithfull Service Cross 3rd Class.

Undisclosed officers from SRI (the Romanian Secret Service) received war decorations for their role in freeing the Romanian citizens kidnapped in Irak.