Restauring medals or bars

[Klaus O.]

Dear forumites,

I just wanted to stimulate all fellow members and collectors to show us, how you succeded in restauring medals and bars.

Here is a "Einzelbandspange" being restaured by my brother: a Heeres-DA 1. Kl. für 25 Dienstjahre. This medal was taken off from a medal bar. On Ebay we bought some loose single metal pieces on which you can mount a medal... and this is the result... not bad, is it?

Ciao,

Claudio

[Rick Research]

But no grade of Wehrmacht long service could be worn alone except for the 4 years medal!

[Klaus O.]

Dear Rick,

I thought you would say that and you're completely right about that, but it is about a restauration with display purposes... it simply looks better that way.. What can I do about that: I ,like my brother, like beauty and perfection... (it must be our Italian culture descendence).Anyway my brother could easely but a DA 3. Kl. next to it, but then it would be already not etically correct.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Christian L]

really nice!
but why only a 4 years service medal could be worn alone?
christian

[Philippe DB]

Dear Christian,

Simple, because you only had one.

KR
Philippe

[PaulR]

Service medals/restoration

I could be wrong, but here is my 2 cents...

The four year service medal could be worn alone, but with being issued the 8, 12, and ect medals, the four year service was worn as well as the highest term medal... for example, the 4 year and the 8 year service medals would be worn together. If the member served 12 years, the 8 year medal would be removed and replaced with the 12 year and so on...

As for as the restoration...great job. It looks awesome!!

Respectfully
Paul Reck

[Rick Research]

The 1936 Wehrmacht long service award regulations specifically stated (pointlessly, but hey that's what THEIR rules were!) 25 was worn with 12, 18 with 4, and 12 with 4. The ONLY way a grade higher than the 4 COULD be worn "alone" was when a former AUSTRIAN 1930s Bundesheer long service award was held-- in which case, say, a Wehrmacht 12 awarded 1938-40 COULD be worn with an Austrian V Years Service Cross, but ALWAYS two military awards in the specified relationship were worn together.

So I don't "like" the single 25 at all--

1) it could NEVER be worn alone, so it looks and is wrong to me, and

2) since awards were suspended in 1940 after working through the last ones "in process" in 1939, NO ONE could have had a Wehrmacht 25 (had to have been in the military by no later than 1914...) without some form of WW1 Hindenburg Cross AND the 12 years medal. The absolute minimum for EVER seeing a Wehrmacht 25 would therefore HAVE to be at least THREE awards.

[Blitz]

Rick sure knows his stuff
Ps. Great job on long-service award, Claudio

[Carsten126]

Wow, fantastic restauration of this medal. I wish I could do this. I once wanted to change places of two medals on a 200 Euro bar and ruined it by doing so. But this medal looks fine even the ribbon looks perfect and fresh now. Great job, Claudio !

[Klaus O.]

Carsten,

Thank you for your nice words. BTW the ribbon is not new. My brother used the old one (delicatelly restauring it, by cleaning it with neutral substances... like simple cold water and a lot of patience!) and put it on place on a single metal base for bars.

Ciao,

Claudio

[JensF.]

Just like this one

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...hlight=restore

[Frank Scheepers]

I bet you couldn't care less about my opinion.
But I would've never tried to make something from that medal what had never been.

Only my opinion.

Frank Scheepers