Board of Directors

Elie Ghossoub

President​

Beirut
Lebanon
president@phaleristics.org

Elie A. Ghossoub, from Lebanon, was born in Beirut on October 18, 1974. A numismatics, phaleristics and militaria collector since 1984 (at age 10), he is a Member of the International Banknote Society (IBNS) and a Member of the Gentleman’s Military Interest Club (GMIC).

He is the writer of THE ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS OF THE LEBANON, the first and only book about orders and medals of Lebanon. A well known worldwide collector and researcher of Orders and Medals of Arabic countries, he has contributed directly and indirectly in helping fellow collectors enriching their medals knowledge mainly with Iraq, Syria and Lebanon medals (since January 2000).

He also appeared in the reference page of the “Iraqi Decorations and Medals History” book 2002 edition. He is the owner of TOCS Company, an inventory management company – specialized in full physical stock counts of inventories and fixed assets.

Prithvi Pant Negi

Vice President

London/New York

vicepresident@phaleristics.org

Prithvi H.C. Pant is Vice President of the International Phaleristics Association and one of the leading experts on Indian phaleristics, specializing in the honours systems of the Kumaon Kingdom, the Gurkhas, and British India. 

A champion of youth engagement in phaleristic study, he is committed to mentoring young collectors and fostering the next generation of scholars in the field. A legal tech entrepreneur with direct connections to India’s Supreme Court and High Court ecosystems, he brings expertise in bridging traditional institutions with cutting-edge innovation.

Michael B. Riley

Secretary

Anna, TX 75409
USA
secretary@phaleristics.org

Michael Riley Lives resides in Anna, Texas. He served four (4) years in the United States Air Force as a Medical Technician in the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room and is a graduate of the USAF School of Health Care Sciences.

His love of orders and medals goes back to when he checked out a book on European orders and medals from his hometown library when he was 14. He has been a member of OMSA for many years and is a past member of OMRS. He has authored JOMSA articles and an OMSA Monograph.

He has been an avid collector since his teenage years with an emphasis on awards to Soviet medical personnel and their uniforms. He also collects and archives research for the Soviet orders and medals in his custody. Michael also collects Orders and medals from around the world with an emphasis on Polish and Yugoslavian awards.

Munroe Swirsky

Treasurer

Johannesburg 2196
South Africa
treasury@phaleristics.org

My interest in medals started when I was a young child. The fact that one could actually have in my possession a medal to a military veteran fascinated me. I bought my first medal, a WW 2 Africa Star to a South African, using all my savings for the princely sum of SA Rand 2 (10 pence) in 1977.  It was during these early years that I was exposed to the doyens of medal collecting being Dr Frank Mitchell, Ricky De Meneaud and Peter Digby. These men had a profound influence on me and my hobby.
 Four years later, my entire collection consisted of six mixed WW1 and WW2 medals.  However, my military book collection extended to over 100 books. Second-hand books cost a fraction of a medal, and the information contained there within ignited and fuelled my imagination. This was a time before the internet and “Google”, and every book had to be carefully read. The SA Defence Force military records were kept in an old dusty building in Pretoria, under the control of a grumpy yet kind Sgt-Major. He allowed me, as a schoolboy, to wander around the files and keep him company while he worked. A time that can never be repeated.
 Now 40 years later after avid and very possibly over-enthusiastic collecting, I can honestly say I have seen almost everything possible with regards to South African Medals and Decorations. It is now time to share all that I have experienced, seen and been taught with anyone who has a genuine interest.
 I am reminded of a comment made in the service records of a Royal Navy officer, the comment read “this officer plays the bagpipes”;to which a reviewing officer commented; “any negative comments regarding an officer should be recorded in red”.  I was trained to play the bagpipes at Pretoria Boys High and ended my piping career as Pipe-Major 1st Battalion Transvaal Scottish Pipe & Drums in 1990.
 I trust that everyone will enjoy the information contained in this website in a good spirit, as this is only a hobby, and will not be commented on in red.

 

David Devine

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Belleville, IL 62221
operations@phaleristics.org

A 45 year veteran of the US Air Force serving as active duty, contractor and civil service in locations in the US, Germany and the Middle East. Started collecting as a teen when given his grandfather’s WWI decorations and really taking off once arriving in Germany. 

In the ensuing years his collection of military and civil orders, medals and badges has surpassed 1,400 items. Not one to be limited to a single category of interest, he strives to obtain a medal from as many countries as possible, but also has a sub interest in Firefighter and Police decorations. A member of the IPA, OMSA, OMRS and ASMIC.

 

Adrià Espineta Arias

Director of International Relations

Principality of Andorra
international relations@phaleristics.org

Adrià Espineta Arias (Andorra la Vella, 3rd March 1993) is an Andorran diplomat, phalerist andcollector of Orders and Medals.
He is graduated in Law by ESADE Law School in Barcelona (Spain) and has a Master in Diplomacy and International Public Service by CEI International Affairs. Always active in public life and service, he was first Secretary in 2015 and then elected President of the National
Youth Forum of Andorra (FNJA). In 2018, he started his career at the Andorran Foreign Service, where he is nowadays serving from the capital.
Expert in International Phaleristics, he contributed in 2015 to the modification and standardization of the Traffic Guards of Andorra’s honours system.
Amongst his works, he published in 2015 the essay “Las condecoraciones españolas en América Latina” in the Magazine nº 29 of the Instituto Sanmartiniano del Perú.
Mr. Espineta manages since 2011 the Facebook page International Orders and Medals and since 2017 the Instagram account @orders_and_medals, contributing through his collection to the divulgation of knowledge on Orders and Medals, their history and tradition.
He is also member of the Orders and Medals Society of America.

Megan Robertson

Director and Webmaster

Cheshire
United Kingdom
webmaster@phaleristics.org

Interested in medals from a very early age – you don’t give your own hard-earned war medals to a 6yo child without good reason, & that’s what my father did, solemnly ‘borrowing’ them when he needed to wear them – it really started with an unidentified medal picked up for a few pounds. The local museum couldn’t identify it either. The quest to find out what it was led to the earth-shattering revelation that pocket money went far further on books about medals than on medals themselves, a quest for information that led to the Medals of the World website…

A computer science academic in ‘real life’, I collect information and pictures of orders, decorations & medals from around the world and add more to my website daily. Oh, and that unidentified medal? – Pakistan’s Republic Medal 1956.

Matthijs Jansen

Director

9780AA Bedum
The Netherlands
matthijs.jansen@phaleristics.org

From my early childhood on I developed an interest in the cold war and the Soviet Union in particular. Collecting Soviet orders, medals and badges was a logical step to take since state awards played such an important part in Soviet culture. By starting collecting at a young age I have over 25 years of experience in this field. During my years studying History at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands I took collecting to the next level and started researching and trading Soviet awards as well.

I am glad and grateful to have turned my hobby into a profession and to be able to provide assistance to both the novel and more experienced collectors.

Dimitris Giannoglou

Dimitris Giannoglou

Director

Macedonia, Greece

Born in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece, in
1977.

Medical Doctor since 2003 and Political
Scientist/historian in free time!

Collector of Orders, medals and militaria,
with special interest in Greek and Balkan military awards and swords, since
1988. Also collecting coins, banknotes and stamps. Loves travelling and finding
medals while abroad.

Life member of OMSA, member of OMRS, LSARS,
ex member of BDOS.

Honored with the Greek Order of the Phoenix

Keen on participating in collectors’ events
and spreading the idea of collecting and preserving history.

Jérôme Hoffart

Director

83330 LE BEAUSSET
FRANCE
jerome.hoffart@phaleristics.org

Jerome Hoffart, born on March 8, 1967, is a distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at a university in the South of France, where he currently resides in Beausset.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Hoffart is also a passionate collector of French and Colonial Orders, decorations, and medals, as well as Portuguese and Brazilian Orders, political badges, and French and Brazilian bladed weapons(sabers and swords).

He is the Managing Director of “QUI VIVE? FRANCE!”, a reputable Collectibles Company with an online shop on eBay. Hoffart has also authored the renowned “RECUEIL ICONOGRAPHIQUE DES PSEUDO-ORDRES DE CHEVALERIE,” a four-volume publication available in PDF format, and has contributed to numerous French articles on badges and medals.

Tang Si

Director

China
Si.tang@phaleristics.org

KyrillBosch

Kyrill Bosch

Director

The Netherlands

Kyrill Bosch specializes in Soviet Phalerstics and related items (such as uniforms). The interest regarding Soviet medals and orders came from the fact that it is a lesser known collecting field, compared to other phaleristic area’s such as German, British or American. An also important fact to collection Soviet military is that his grandfather was a POW in the Second World War, in a concentration camp, together with Russian/Soviet Red Army personnel.

Kyrill’s love for history was always present, with the love for Soviet Phaleristics and related items, coming along in 2018/2019 with the purchase of a parade uniform (Major of the Transport Troops, Obr 69 variant) and several medals.

Having published multiple articles about Soviet Red Army Personnel in JIPA his passion for writing out articles based on historical facts and Medals and Orders are in perfect balance.

Regarding the Soviet militaria Kyrill also tends to have other, related to Soviet personnel, Orders and Medals in his collection and he likes to focus on higher ranking officers.

His other interests are photography, especially with historical events and just making nice pictures, of for example, animals and the passion for having a (special kind of) beer(s).

 

Ed Emering

Honorary Editor-in-Chief

Chicago

Edward J. Emering, MBA, MS, FSPA, MAAA, EA is an award-winning Chicago based actuary, researcher and author of military historical books and articles.

He has contributed more than 80 articles to phaleristic journals. He has authored numerous books including focused on Vietnam and subsequent wars. He also maintains The Medal Hound (http://www.themedalhound.com/) an ever-expanding free research service for medal collectors with interests in those areas covered by the site.

Among his awards are the Grand Officer of the Imperial Dragon of Annam (IODA), Officer of the Star of Moheli (Comoros) and numerous society commendations and literary medals.

Erich Lenz

Honorary Advisory Member

San Antonio, TX 78239
USA

Erich Lenz
Born in Connecticut, and currently live in Texas. 19 year veteran of the US Army. I have a Masters from Norwich University, and a Bachelors from the University of Hartford.

As a collector, I have been involved in the hobby for nearly 32 years, with my interests varying, but mostly focused on German, Eastern European, and Russian/Soviet ODMs. Currently, I primarily focus on Hungairan ODMs from 1945 to 1990, with emphasis on military and veteran related items.

My collecting philosophy is collect what you want, without (non-financial) limitations. I also enjoy collecting those ODMs that I see from an artistic perspective. If it is artistically beautiful, I will consider it for my collection. Collecting should be enjoyable, and not regulated by how others collect.

Erik Müller

Erik Müller

Director Emeritus

The Netherlands
erikhmuller@gmail.com

Erik Müller (1979) is an information architect by profession, currently working with a municipality in the northern parts of The Netherlands. Besides his work he is a volunteer with the Netherlands Red Cross since 2000, the Malteser Hilfsdienst since 2020 and treasurer of a local whisky club. He is the webmaster of www.onderscheidingen.nl and author of multiple books and articles on Dutch orders, decorations and medals. 
He is a member of the Studiekring Ridderorden en Onderscheidingen (SRO – The Neterlands), the Studiekring Faleristiek (SKF – Belgium), MEDEC (Belgium), The Ordenshistorisk Skelskab (OHS – Denmark), The Orders and Medals Research Society (OMRS – Great Brittain) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde e.V. (DGO – Germany)

Keith Emroll

JIPA Editor-in-Chief

editor@phaleristics.org

 

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