Item number: M327

Year: AD 1947

Material: 18ct Gold and Enamel

Size: 157.0 x 39.1 x 7.5 mm

Weight: 34.35 g

Manufactured by: London, Spink

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This specific medal being discussed belongs to the Spink made 1st Class, 1st Type version with a replacement ribbon from the second class.

Interestingly, this medal is a rare version that bears the maker’s hallmark, “SPINK-LONDON,” and a gold purity stamp, “18CT,” on the reverse. Unlike those issued by the British Indian government, this version was commissioned by the Pakistani military from Spink after the AD 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. Only approximately 50 of these Spink marked medals were ever produced, distinguished by their unique back markings and specialised suspension design.

The reason why the Pakistan military wanted them, was to reward some former Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers who were entitled to the awards of the OBI in the period of Independence, but did not receive their awards prior to Independence. Considering the complete break-down of relations between Pakistan & India in 1947 – and after – the Pakistan Military had no option but to place ‘private’ orders for a small stock of OBI’s.

Established in AD 1837, the Order of British India, stood as a distinguished recognition bestowed by the British East India Company for prolonged and faithful service. Following the culmination of the Sepoy Mutiny in AD 1857-1858, the East India Company and the Presidency Armies in British India were placed under the administrative authority of the British Empire in India. Consequently, the Order of British India was integrated into the British honours system in AD 1859. Nevertheless, the order ceased to be used after the partition of India and India’s independence in AD 1947.

The Order of British India was typically granted in acknowledgment of exceptional service during a specific campaign, while officers serving between 20 to 30 years were also eligible for its recognition.

The majority of British medals and clasps were crafted from solid silver, although bronze versions were issued, primarily to Indian non-combatants. British campaign awards were predominantly circular, approximately 36mm in diameter. These medals were worn suspended from specific ribbons, initially made of silk but increasingly replaced with cotton during the nineteenth century. The colors of these ribbons often carried symbolic significance; for instance, the “1939 to 1945 Star” had equal stripes of dark blue representing the Royal and Merchant Navies, red symbolizing the Armies, and light blue denoting the Air Forces.

The Order of British India medal was typically classified into two categories: first class and second class. Recipients of the first-class Medal were entitled to use the title Sardar Bahadur (heroic leader), while second-class recipients were permitted to adopt the title Bahadur (hero). Both classes of recipients utilized the post-nominal letters OBI.

物件編號: M327

年代: 公元 1947 年

材質: 18ct金, 琺瑯

尺寸: 157.0 x 39.1 x 7.5 mm

重量: 34.35 g

製造地: 倫敦，斯賓克

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

此枚勳章屬於斯賓克製作的第一版一等頸章，它所配有的綬帶並不是正確原有的綬帶，而是以其他二等頸章的綬帶替代之。

有趣的是，這枚勳章是一個稀有版本，背面罕見的帶有製造商「SPINK-LONDON」(斯賓克，倫敦)和黃金純度「18CT」的戳記。。不同於由英屬印度政府頒發的版本，該版本並非由英屬印度政府當局授予，而是公元1947年「印巴分治」後，由巴基斯坦軍方委託斯賓克製作的。這款帶有斯賓克標記的勳章僅生產約50枚，其獨特的背面標記和專門的懸掛設計使其別具一格

巴基斯坦軍方之所以要他們，是為了獎勵一些在獨立時期有權獲得英屬印度勳章獎勵，但在獨立之前沒有獲得獎勵的前總督軍官。考慮到公元1947 年及之後巴基斯坦和印度之間的關係徹底破裂，巴基斯坦軍方別無選擇，只能自己訂購少量的英屬印度勳章OBI來授予。

英屬印度勳章設立於公元1837年，是由英國東印度公司授予長期忠誠服務者的勳章。在公元1857至公元1858年的印度兵變結束後，英國東印度公司和印度的總督軍隊歸屬於在印度的大英帝國統治者。因此，英屬印度勳章於公元1859年成為英國勳章系統的一部分。然而，在公元1947年印度分治及獨立後，這項勳章不再使用。英屬印度勳章通常是在特定戰役中表現優異的服務中授予，同時在服役20至30年的軍官也有資格獲得此勳章。

大多數英國勳章和帶扣是用實心銀製成的，雖然也有青銅版本，主要發給印度非戰鬥人員。英國的戰役獎章通常是圓形，直徑約36mm。這些勳章掛在特定緞帶上，最初是由絲綢製成的，但隨著19世紀的發展，棉布的使用逐漸增多。

英屬印度勳章通常分為兩個類別：一等和二等。一等勳章的獲得者有資格使用「Sardar Bahadur（英勇領袖）」的頭銜，而二等勳章的獲得者則有資格使用「Bahadur（英勇者）」的稱號。兩個等級的獲得者都使用OBI作為事後稱號。