International. A Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order Of Saint John Of Jerusalem, Of Rhodes & Of Malta, Commander's Merit Cross, Cased

(Italian: Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta; Latin: Supremus Militaris Ordo Hospitalarius Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani Rhodiensis et Melitensis). Instituted in 1099. Four-piece construction, in silvered zinc with red and white enamels, unmarked, obverse centrepiece illustrating a white Maltese cross, its centrepiece ring inscribed "MIL. ORDO EQUITUM MELIT. BENE MERENTI" (Well Meriting the Military Order of the Knights of Malta), reverse centrepiece inscribed "A.D. MCMXX" (1920), measuring 50.3 mm (w) x 84.5 mm (h) inclusive of its crown and integral ring suspension, intact enamels, scattered gilt wear, original full-length neck ribbon, near extremely fine. Accompanied by its Rosette, bearing a silvered bronze crown, measuring 12.5 mm in diameter, with button hole attachment, in their hardshelled case of issue, red dimpled exterior, the cover bearing the Knight's cross in white ink, inside lid in white satin, padded and maker marked "A. CASAZZA / Via S. Chiara / ROMA", base with a platform that incorporates recessed medal beds for the badge and missing miniature, slotted for rosette in red felt, measuring 125 mm (w) x 160 mm (h) x 31 mm (d), light wear and scuffing evident in the exterior, case better than very fine.

Footnote: The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, commonly known as the Order of Malta, Malta Order or Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of a military, chivalric, and noble nature. Though it possesses no territory, the order is often considered a sovereign entity of international law, as it maintains diplomatic relations with many countries. The Order claims continuity with the Knights Hospitaller, a chivalric order that was founded c. 1099 by the Blessed Gerard in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.