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A True China Marine Company Diamond


Dirk
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Recently a forum member was fortunate enough to acquire a China Marine Company Diamond which he posted for vetting. As soon as I saw it I knew he had a winner. Later that evening I PM'ed him asking for some details on its shape and measurements as I am building a data base on these with a fellow forum member. During our PM conversation he offered it for sale, as it is not his primary focus of collecting. We agreed on a price and closed the deal. He shipped quickly, and I am most pleased with the device. When he initially posted, he noted these diamonds are a minefield, as there are lots of fakes.

 

He is very correct. In the 12 years I have been pursuing the China Marines I have seen a number of questionable examples on eBay, at auction houses and at shows. I even bought one from an auction house once, but was soon forced to return it because it just "did not feel right". I later learned my caution was correct. So when an advanced Marine collector and fellow forum member moved into my area, we pooled our examples and sat down with a loupe, calipers, a number of period photos and a scale to measure, weigh and study. After much discussion, we built a small data base of what we thought were characteristics of known examples. Because the other member owns the bulk of the diamonds we examined, and is currently writing an article on them, I will hold off detailing the findings until after he publishes his article.

 

But I can share this "text book" example for your observation. In the meantime, if anyone has examples they wish to post and have the ability to measure and weigh their example(s) please feel free. As a side note, several China Marine family members have sent me over the years, photos of the diamonds in their possession. I have posted these on my web site: chinamarine.org under the headgear, uniform and equipage section.

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Robert thanks! finding one almost lead me to do that.....but then I realized the air over there was so bad (even back in the 30's) it might prove unsafe and strange to my non-collecting family members ;)

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suwanneetrader

I sure is great to see a "Real" example. Look forward to you and your friend's data on them, Thanks for sharing Richard

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teufelhunde.ret

Congrats friend! Truly falls into the category the holy grail of China Marine artifacts. PS, sorry I missed your call, have been on a road trip with a fellow vette owner. s/f

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Thank you guys! Am pleased to have it and looking forward to the forum member's publication on these as well. D congrats on the book....eagerly waiting to see it!

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Dirk...

 

Some good photos of a right as rain diamond. Scarce is an understatement. Really a nice shade of blue, glad it found a good home. After our phone conversations about these diamonds, I'm keeping a sharp eye out to see what appears!

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Brig- a big thanks! Yes it will get studied in detail for the data base. Over to you to find the next one....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Brig I told you it was a great event! I joked not since 1941 has so many diamonds been in one place.....btw our blues matched color wise......compared each color to the Bish copies as well.....the Major added some background on Bishes work and numbers produced. again a big big thanks on the map.....you were right in much of it.....now we understand their overall plan.

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While at the Globe and Laurel we photographed the commemorative set of Diamonds made in the 70's. Some colors he got right and some not so much. Some of the info on the plaque is wrong as well as IMO the existence of the Green Diamond but when the Major explained the reasons why these were recreated it is understandable.

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  • 1 month later...
usmcaviator

A phenomenal piece Dirk!

 

A closer shot of the Bisch made repos hanging at the Globe and Laurel. Spooner had obviously added real EGAs, but the Bisch plates are something to watch out for, as they are the closest thing out there to the real deal (cloisonne) They are perfectly flat however and not the right dimensions.

 

Mike

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teufelhunde.ret

Interesting examples to say the least, Nice example you have there Dirk. Other types of enlisted and officer examples from the era can be found in Tim Klie's 352 page book USMC "eagle, globe and anchor emblem 1868-1963" it contains thousands of color pics! AND the only book endorsed by Colonel John Driscoll!

 

If you want to purchase the book, contact Tim for an author copy at [email protected]

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image.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Interesting examples to say the least, Nice example you have there Dirk. Other types of enlisted and officer examples from the era can be found in Tim Klie's 352 page book USMC "eagle, globe and anchor emblem 1868-1963" it contains thousands of color pics! AND the only book endorsed by Colonel John Driscoll!

 

If you want to purchase the book, contact Tim for an author copy at <script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>

 

Hello Teufelhunde, Is Tim Klie's book the one that you mentioned about my dad's snippet Full Dress Blues --1904? If so, did the photo make it into the book? Best wishes, Jim

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