Watch List notes:

NGUYEN DYNASTY (ANNAM): AR bài badge (21.07g), cf. Sylvester-6/C, 47 x 82mm, tong su ("aide", a lesser military officer) within decorated rectangular borders, attached with red cord on badge knob, protruding bottom with five small holes (original) for suspending tassels, EF, ex John Sylvester Jr. Collection. Bài, meaning "tablet", was a rectangular insignia of rank and position worn by officials of various levels. It was made in gold, silver and other materials and in different sizes depending on the rank of the bearer, which was modeled after the bureaucratic system of Qing China and organized into nine tiers of two classes each (with 1a being the highest). Its bestowal was considered a momentous occasion worthy of great fanfare. The mandarins would sometimes wear it with tassels covering the front so as to not reveal their rank in an exercise of false modesty.

Estimate: 250-350 USD