Silver gilt, enamels, 65.7 mm in height (incl. eyelet), 62.2 mm in width, weighs 71.6 g. Suspended by an Imperial orchid crest 34.4 mm in height (incl. eyelets), 26.0 mm in width. The reverse is plain with one central rivet. The inscription on the crest reads "Order of Merit Decoration." In very fine to excellent condition. Shows a tiny crack to white enamel at the very tip of the 12 o'clock arm of the cross and an occasional minuscule ding to the silver of the rays, practically invisible without magnification.

The Order of the Auspicious Clouds, aka the Order of the Prosperous Clouds, was instituted in eight classes on 1 March 1934 by Emperor Kang Teh of Manchuria, and is the equivalent of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun. Its eight classes made it a versatile award for recognizing various levels of merit within the Manuchukuo state. The order was abolished with the end of the empire in 1945.