Best way to display Medals with acrylic stands?

[WhitePhantom]

I have seen some members collections and they take the ribbon off of the medal and fold it up and have it behind the medal as it sits on an acrylic display stand. I have just received some acrylic stands from ebay for a great price (the seller also included 3 extra stands of different sizes/types for me to test out) but am unsure of the ebst way to display them.

Is there a reason to take the ribbon off or is it just for the cleaner look to the overall display?

Would keeping the ribbon on the medal help or hinder the conservation of the medal/ribbon?

Thanks for reading the post,

[Stahlhelm]

Hi, JR:

Since no one else has responded to this so far, I will at least give you my opinion and tell you what I would do.

First, I'll address the possibility of "out-gassing" as any good reason to remove a medal from its original ribbon. I suppose that in the strictest of conservation sense (and I do mean ULTRA strict!), there are those who say who would say it's best for the medal to be removed and seperated from the ribbon. That, as I said, would be the most seriously cautious option one could suggest. After all, that would logically remove the medal from the ribbon material perse and the environment which is being affected by any gases from the ribbon. HOWEVER, in any case, and whatever may truly be best here, this is a road down which I am NOT going.

Yes, there are surely certain limits to all the conservation expectations, and, in my opinion, removing a ribbon from its medal for conservation sake is just too much. Besides, the ribbon really only typically makes contact with the connecting ring at the top of a medal anyway. Any type of out-gassing damage through proximity and minimal contact could only be the most ultra-insignificant, in my opinion. Remember, that's my opinion mixed with the limits to which I will personally go for the sake of conservation. To me, medals and their ribbons should just stay together, plain and simple. I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "Then, what about medals and their cases?" Well, that's a thought for another currently developing thread here.

Having said all the above, I also highly doubt that most collectors are displaying ribbons behind medals on acrylic display stands for conservation reasons alone, if at all. Instead, I would mostly expect that it's for aesthetic issues--issues of what simply looks most attractive and outstanding, on the stand, when presented from that angle, etc. I could be wrong, but that is my opinion, addressing it from what seems most logical to me. I guess the best way to find out, however, is to hear responses from those who display that way. Maybe someone who does will chime in here soon enough.

I currently don't display medals with ribbons on acrylic stands, precisely because of the disply issues with the ribbons. I agree the ribbons don't look as good attached to the ribbon on a stand. That way it seems that they just lay awkwardly behing the stand and ribbon, looking not nearly so good. However, taking the ribbon off the medal and folding it up behing the medal is also not something I personally want to do.

The other thing to think about here is the ironic bit of issues that get mixed up in the process of doing such things. If one is truly concerned about ribbons contacting medals, then the last thing one would want to do is remove the ribbon from the medal, from a place where they make little contact, and then lay the medal directly on top of the ribbon for permanent display. Again, remember that this is something that even I don't get concerned about, whether I really should or not. These are just a few of my thoughts about all this, and I hope they at least help you in the process of deciding what's right for you.

Cautiously conservative,

Chris

[WhitePhantom]

Thanks for your input Chris, it's appreciated. I wanted to display the medal with the ribbon and am not concerned too much with the aesthetic's. As you mentioned how things get mixed up, I prefer to keep the original pairing of medal/ribbon.

Thanks for giving me some insight into this issue as I do greatly appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be able to get things dispalyed properly now that I have the acrylic display stands!


Thanks,

[Stahlhelm]

JR:

You are most welcome to the advice! Let us know how everything works out for you, and what you decide to do.

Chris

[Seigfried]

I agree the ribbons don't look as good attached to the ribbon on a stand. That way it seems that they just lay awkwardly behing the stand and ribbon, looking not nearly so good.

The solution that I came up with was this - although more expensive and far more time consuming - all my single medals are on single medal bars ie court/parade mounted. They display very well on acrylic stands.

[Stahlhelm]

That certainly is another solution. Thanks for the idea, John!

Chris

P.S. Ooops! I see I mistyped the word behind above. I've got "behing" instead. I even thought I proofread that.

[WhitePhantom]

Hi John, do you have a picture of one of your medals being displayed like that? Just so I can get an idea of what it looks like.

Thanks,

[Seigfried]

Hi John, do you have a picture of one of your medals being displayed like that? Just so I can get an idea of what it looks like.

Thanks,

Of course - here are a few shots, although I have changed cabinets etc since then.

[Seigfried]

another...I hasten to add that although these are quite common awards, it took me a fair while to accumulate parade mounted examples.

[Stahlhelm]

John:

That is an exceptionally nice looking arrangement you have there! It's very impressive and the ribbons display wonderfully, as well! Thanks for adding the photos!

That Memel Medal you have on the far right side is far from "common." I've been looking for one of those myself for years now with no luck. Every time I see a good one, it's sold before I can even think about it. Congratulations on that one too!

Chris

[WhitePhantom]

Thanks for posting the pictures. It looks really good. How common a medal may be doesnt matter. Just as long as you take pride in your collection, and with those pictures its obvious you do!

Also those are in excellent shape and in presentation cases.

[Stahlhelm]

John:

I think in any comprehensive collection the "common" pieces are just as important as the uncommon ones, especially in the overall presentation. They also look just as good as everything else anyway. I'm always just happy when I can get anything I really need that is "common" and consequently less expensive. The prices these days make me wish everything was common.

Again, congratulations on a very nicely-displayed collection! I don't think it could look any better if it was in a museum. You've given me a few new ideas, as well!

Thanks again,

Chris

[Military]

love the presentation!

[Norm F]

Displaying medals

I'd like to revive this thread about displaying medals.
While John's display is truly fantastic, in my humble collection the medals have fairly short ribbons. I'd like to display them vertically in a frame of some sort but wonder how best to do this?
I made the egregious error of pinning a couple by their ribbons with a straight pin, naively thinking the pin would just temporarily separate the weave and be reversible --- ouch, they now seem to have permanent pinholes in the ribbons.
What successful methods have others used to safely mount medals vertically for display?
Best regards,
---Norm

[Scott C.]

Rikers, in various sizes (with acid-free interior materials, of course), will often hold items secure when upright.