Watch List notes:

NGUYEN DYNASTY (ANNAM): bone bài badge (27.06g), Sylvester-6/D/1, 37 x 92 x 4mm, han lam vien tru tac ("Author at Hanlam Academy", rank of 6a) etched in red, rectangular border on both sides, ornate butterfly-shaped tassel in orange & gold, attached with red cord on badge knob, five braids with two knots each, 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: 400-500 USD