Albania, Kingdom. An Order of Skanderbeg, I Class Grand Cross Sash

Urdhëri i Skënderbeut. Instituted in 1925. Fabricated from silk, incorporating a decorative moiré pattern, with a black field flanked by wide red and black stripes on either side, the edges trimmed in a thin red stripe, tied off in a bow with a black ribbon for attachment of the badge at the bottom end, measuring 102 mm wide x 810 mm in length, vibrant colours, intact stitching, extremely fine.

Footnote: The Order of Skanderbeg was founded in 1925 by Ahmed ben Zogu, the then President of Albania, as an order of merit of the Albanian Republic. It was was revised in 1940 under Italian rule and replaced by the Communist government in 1945 with a new award of the same name. Skanderbeg is the national hero of the Albanian people. The Albanian royal family currently maintains the Order of Skanderbegas a dynastic order, which has only been awarded to a select number of people since the fall of the monarchy in 1939. This order should not be mistaken for the award of the same name which is currently given by the head of the Republic of Albania.