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Auction: 15038 - Banknotes, Bonds and Shares, Coins and Medals of South East Asia sale during the International Exhibition
Lot: 606

Manchukuo, Empire, Grand Order of the Orchid Blossom, An Important and Excessively Rare Collar Chain and Badge Appendant, comprising:
a) Collar Chain, 845mm, burnished gilt and enamel, comprising 21 medallions made up out of eight medallions representing the Eight Auspicious Omens of Buddha, namely a lotus flower, a vase, two goldfish, an endless-knot, a conch shell, the wheel of the law, an umbrella, and a canopy, all in green enamel within gold openwork cloud borders; a further two medallions representing the first and last trigrams of the eight signs of the elements, both again in green enamel within gold openwork cloud borders; all interspersed with ten gold spiralled cloud medallions within gold openwork cloud borders; and a large central medallion from which the Badge Appendant is suspended featuring an Illustrious Dragon on a blue enamel background within a gold openwork cloud border, all connected by gold links in the form of Buddhist endless-knots
b) Badge Appendant, an Imperial orchid blossom crest of turquoise enamel with five yellow enamel petals, suspended from a plain gold replica of the Badge, attached to the Collar Chain by means of a reverse hook, 112mm including Orchid Blossom suspension x 67mm, gold and enamel, with large central pearl and 25 pearls on the flower's stamens, with Osaka Mint mark 'M' and inscription reading 'Grand Merit Decoration' on reverse, extremely fine, and of the highest rarity (2)

The Grand Order of the Orchid Blossom was instituted in March 1934 on the occasion of the Coronation of the Emperor Puyi, as the supreme honour of the Empire, and came in two classes. It became obsolete in 1945.

Sold for
SG$180,000