Item number: M417

Year: AD 1949-1961

The results after XRF testing

Material: Silver-gilt

Size: 128.6 x 62.0 x 5.1 mm

Weight: 58.35 g

Provenance:

1. Stacks Bowers 2025

2. Spink 2022

This is a Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, instituted by the Government of the Republic of China to reward military personnel who demonstrated exceptional combat merit. It was formerly the Republic’s highest military order and is now its second-highest military distinction.

The obverse bears, as its uppermost element, the blue sky with a white sun national emblem rendered in enamel, symbolising the state. Surrounding it are two tiers of white rays, signifying that recipients of the order have repelled aggression and defeated the enemy, thereby bringing honour and radiance to the nation. The body of the order is silver-gilt. At the terminal point of the upper rays is a circular ring with a gourd-shaped connector linking it to the loop that attaches to the ribbon.

The reverse is flat, with the inscription “Qingtian Bai Ri Xunzhang (Order of Blue Sky and White Sun)” in seal script arranged from right to left along the upper rim. Below appears the serial number “390”, while the identity of the awardee remains to be verified. As the insignia bears no mint mark, it was likely issued as a replacement after the National Government relocated to Taiwan. The screws securing the upper plate, secondary rays, and large rays are relatively large and feature cross-shaped recesses. Judging from its form, this example is a pre-AD 1981 breast order. Its ribbon is composed of red, blue, and white, corresponding to the colours of the national flag, with a broad red stripe at each outer edge, a slightly narrower blue stripe inside each of these, and the widest white stripe at the centre.

Since its establishment more than ninety years ago, the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun has been awarded to 212 recipients. The first was Zhang Xueliang, honoured for resisting Soviet forces during the Zhongdonglu Incident in AD 1929. The most recent was conferred posthumously upon Air Force General Shen Yi-ming, who died in the AD 2020 “Black Hawk” helicopter crash while on active duty. Orders granted before AD 1946 can usually be attributed with certainty, as their serial numbers typically correspond to the certificate numbers “Yong” 1 to 206. For awards after AD 1946, however, the certificates bore archival serial numbers, while the rules governing the numbering of insignia issued or reissued remain unclear, making attribution more difficult. Surviving examples show that Luo Zhuoying, the ninety-second recipient, received a replacement order numbered 395; Chen Cheng, the one-hundred-and-fourth recipient, received an original insignia numbered 104 matching his certificate, and a replacement numbered 264; Hu Lien, the one-hundred-and-ninth recipient, received two replacement insignia numbered 229 and 252; and Chiang Ching-kuo, the one-hundred-and-ninety-sixth recipient, received an original insignia numbered 245. Chiang Kai-shek’s insignia bear unique serial designations—“Special (特號)” for the original award in AD 1930 and “Special One (特壹)” for the replacement in AD 1937—and their present whereabouts remain uncertain, with suggestions that “Special One” was buried with him at Cihu or later entered private collections overseas. Since the Ministry of National Defence seldom issued replacements to the families of deceased recipients, those who survived and retreated to Taiwan between AD 1949 and AD 1961 and may have applied for replacement insignia include Zhang Xueliang, Yu Jishi, Qin Dechun, Zhang Weifan, Huang Weigang, Liu Jiashu, Tian Zhennan, Li Fulin, Luo Zhuoying, Yu Feihong, Chen Cheng, Hu Lien, Rao Shaowei, Jiang Dingwen, Chu Xichun, and Chen Qingkun, and among American recipients, Claire Lee Chennault. Chiang Kai-shek is excluded from this reckoning because his numbering system is unique.

In AD 1926, the National Government established itself in Nanjing, and in AD 1928, following the lowering of the last Beiyang five-coloured flag held by the Fengtian faction, national unification was proclaimed. In AD 1929, the Government abolished all orders previously issued under the Beiyang regime and promulgated the Regulations on Orders for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, which designated the “Blue Sky with a White Sun Badge” as the highest military order. At that stage, the insignia bore the national emblem without surrounding rays and was worn on a breast ribbon. In AD 1935, the Government revised the Regulations on Military Decorations, renaming the award the “Order of Blue Sky and White Sun” and adding surrounding rays, a design that remains in use today. In AD 1937, the regulations were amended again with the creation of the Order of National Glory as the highest military order, whereupon the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun became the second tier. In AD 1952, in view of international circumstances, the term “wartime” was removed from the eligibility criteria so that service members performing meritorious actions outside wartime could also receive the award. The law enumerated meritorious acts such as achieving complete success through judicious planning, securing decisive victory by skilful conduct during battle, advancing at great risk to obtain critical intelligence that led to total victory, rising in moments of extreme adversity to reverse a deteriorating situation, performing exceptionally in hazardous rear-area duties, removing enemy-laid mines or obstacles to clear navigational channels for warships, protecting escorted vessels during fierce naval engagements against superior enemy forces, destroying significant numbers of enemy aircraft in the air or on the ground, or conducting aerial bombardment that definitively destroyed major enemy bases, headquarters, arsenals, cruisers, or destroyers. In AD 1980, the Enforcement Rules for the Regulations on Military Decorations were amended to replace the breast ribbon with a sash.

In AD 1918, Premier Duan Qirui of the Republic of China established the Bureau of Seals and Inscriptions in Beijing to oversee the manufacture of official seals, insignia, stamps, and related items. In AD 1929, this bureau was taken over by the National Government, with responsibility for the manufacture of orders and insignia assigned to the Decorations Branch of the Fifth Bureau of the Office of the President. In AD 1950, after the Central Government relocated to Taiwan, the Fifth Bureau was reorganised and its Minting and Casting Division consolidated the various facilities responsible for the manufacture of seals and insignia. In AD 1956, the Minting and Casting Factory was incorporated into the Casting Division of the Central Engraving and Printing Plant, with the Fifth Bureau likely retaining supervisory responsibilities. In AD 1962, it was renamed the Casting Office. In AD 1996, the original Third to Sixth Bureaus of the Office of the President were merged into the First to Third Bureaus, with most responsibilities of the former Fifth Bureau reassigned accordingly. In AD 2005, the Casting Office was abolished, and the manufacture of seals and insignia was transferred to the Central Mint.

物件編號: M417

參考書目編號: 1949-1961

年代: 公元 1905-1912 年

XRF分析結果:

材質: 銀質鍍金

尺寸: 128.6 x 62.0 x 5.1 mm

重量: 58.35 g

來源:

1. SBP錢幣拍賣 2025

2. 斯賓克拍賣行 2022

這是一枚中華民國政府頒行，用以獎勵有特殊戰功的軍人的「青天白日勳章」，曾為中華民國最高級勳章，現為次高級軍職勳章。

獎章正面上蓋為琺瑯質的青天白日國徽，代表國家。四周兩層大芒、二芒均為白色光芒，象徵榮獲此章者，有禦侮克敵，使國家光輝四耀之功勳。章體為銀質鍍金。上方光芒末端有圓環，以葫蘆形綴接的裝飾，連接綬帶的圓環。

背面為平背，上方環列篆書「青天白日勳章」，由右向左順讀。下方為勳章編號「390」，具體獲頒者待考。此章無印鑄單位鑄字，可能為國民政府來臺後補發。用以固定上蓋、二芒、大芒的螺釘較大，為十字凹紋。

依其形制，此章當為公元1981年前的襟授勳章，綬帶為紅藍白三色，配色與國旗同。最外側為各一道稍寬的紅帶，其內各一道稍細的藍帶，中央白色最寬。

自設立以來九十餘年，「青天白日勳章」共有212位獲頒者，首位獲頒者為在公元1929的中東路事件中抵禦蘇聯軍隊有功的張學良。最後一枚追贈予在公元2020年在黑營直升機墜毀事故中罹難，因公殉職的空軍上將沈一鳴。

公元1946年以前獲頒之「青天白日勳章」，多依其一同頒發的證書號，庸字1號至206號，歸屬較為明確。公元1946年以後獲頒之「青天白日勳章」證書則各依其檔案流水號，加以頒發及補發的章體編號規則不明，是故較難以辨認歸屬。依存世實物而言，第92位獲頒者羅卓英，其補發的勳章為395號。第104位獲頒者陳誠，其初獲頒的勳章與證號相符，為104號，補發的勳章為264號。第109位獲頒者胡璉，其補發的兩枚勳章分別為229與252號。第196位獲頒者蔣經國其初獲頒的勳章編號便為245號。蔣中正之勳章編號則為公元1930年初獲頒之「特號」與公元1937年補發之「特壹」，「特壹」現有陪葬慈湖與流落海外私人藏家二說，具體待考。因國防部極少補發予身故者之家屬，故以羅卓英病逝於臺北的公元1961年為限，公元1949年至1961年間，仍存活而退守臺灣，可能申請補發者有張學良、俞濟時、秦德純、張維藩、黃維綱、劉嘉樹、田鎮南、李福林、羅卓英、俞飛鴻、陳誠、胡璉、饒少偉、蔣鼎文、楚溪春、陳慶堃，美軍獲頒者則有陳納德。蔣中正因編號獨特而未計入。

公元1926年，國民政府奠都南京，公元1928年，奉系軍閥所執之最後一面北洋政府五色旗降下，宣告東北易幟，全國統一。公元1929年，國民政府宣布此前北洋政府旗下各勳位勳章一律廢止，改訂《陸海空軍勳章條例》，其中定「青天白日章」為國軍最高勳章，章面為國徽，四周無光芒，襟綬配戴。公元1935年，國民政府改訂《陸海空軍勳賞條例》，改「青天白日章」為「青天白日勳章」，並於章面四周加以光芒，設計沿用至今。公元1937年，政府改訂條例，增訂「國光勳章」為國軍最高勳章，「青天白日勳章」則為次級勳章。公元1952年，鑒於國際情勢，改訂條例，刪去受勳資格之「戰時」一詞，令非戰時而有軍功之軍人亦可獲頒。具體戰功如列：一、運籌適宜致獲全功。二、戰鬥間處置妥善，使全軍或一部得重要之勝利。三、冒險前進偵得重要敵情致獲全勝。四、最困苦時毅然奮起戰鬥挽回頹勢。五、冒險辦理戰場後方勤務成績最著。六、冒險破壞敵人伏置水雷或障礙物以開導戰艦之進路。七、我軍艦護送多數船舶驟遇敵優勢艦隊劇戰之後，俾護送船舶得安全航到其目的地。八、於一次任務中擊落敵機四架以上，地面擊燬敵機六架以上。九、空中轟炸命中敵軍之重要根據地、高級司令部、兵工廠、巡洋艦驅逐艦等，使之全燬或沉沒，有確實證明。公元1980年修訂《陸海空軍勳賞條例施行細則》，改襟綬為大綬。

公元1918年，中華民國國務總理段祺瑞於北京成立文官處印鑄局，專司官印、徽章、關防、圖記等的製造。公元1929年由國民政府接收，由總統府第五局製章廠分管徽章製造相關事宜。公元1950年，總統府第五局因中央政府遷臺而改組為印鑄科，下轄印鑄工廠，為製章等廠合併而成。公元1956年，印鑄工廠歸併至中央印製廠鑄製科，第五局可能僅負責監造，公元1962年改稱鑄製所。公元1996年，總統府原三至六局裁併至一至三局，原第五局職責多歸第二、三局掌管。公元2005年，鑄製所裁撤，原鑄印製章業務改由中央造幣廠承接。