Turkey - Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 3rd Class, neck badge, silver, gilt and enamels, with length of original silk neck ribbon, and housed in an old protective case by Wylie & Co of London. A good example of type, dating from the 1880’s-1890’s.
Condition: some minor damage to the enamel work, overall Good Very Fine
The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdulaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nisan-I Iftikhar, this became the second highest order in the Empire, ranking below the Nisan-i Imtiyaz. It was awarded by the Sultan to Ottoman civil servants and military leaders for outstanding services to the state. Generally, it could not be awarded to women, but exceptions appear to have been made at the Sultan's discretion. The order was originally established in three classes. In 1867 the order was expanded to four classes, plus an augmented first class set with brilliants or diamonds (This does not include the awards with sabers, which were not separate classes, but did constitute separate awards). The order was restricted (for Turkish recipients) to 50 members of the first class, 200 members of the second class, 1000 of the third class, and 2000 of the fourth class. Originally, one could not receive the first class of this order without having first been decorated with the First Class of the Order of the Medjidie, but during the 33-year reign of Abdulhamid II, most of these restrictions were ignored and the first class of both orders were awarded liberally. A fifth class was added in 1893.
