OK nothing in the code BUT! I added gpImage to my testprog and the call to gpImage succeeds (it actually uses the handle from the Picture object). And after that I get my error. So this is what I have done now:

And one of You pleeeease tell me What the f.... this is:

I created a small class in PRG with only one Method

define class YouWouldNotBelieveThis as custom
   PROCEDURE GetHandle(toPicture as Object) as integer
       return toPicture.Handle
   ENDPROC
enddefine

Now with this, the following happens:

lparameters tcSourceFile, tcBitmapLarge, tcBitmapSmall
LOCAL lnRetVal, loLarge, loSmall, lnX, lnIcons, loIB
lnRetVal       = -1

 ....

loLarge = null
loSmall = null

*-- now get the Icon-Objects and keep the handles
lnIcons = this.GetAssocIconPairObjects(tcSourceFile, @loLarge, @loSmall, .T.)

if lnIcons <= 0
    this.cErrorText = IconBuddyErr_NoIconsFound
    return lnRetVal
endif

loJunk = NewObject("YouWouldNotBelieveThis", "PROGRAM\TEST_SAVE4.PRG")

? loJunk.GetHandle( loLarge )   <--- This WORKS !!!

? loLarge.Handle                <--- And this next line produces an error

....

funnily this *only* does work if the class is in another PRG. If I put it below this progam in the same file Njet, nada, njente.