Is there a Doktor in the House!?

[Frank K]

Jimmy is a pro, no doubt about that (well, if we forget about the photo skills ) but he should never have been involved here. What a shame.

Kondor, that you are "going to offer that historical blob of solder on estand" shows that you can not or will not understand the issue here, not sure which it is.

[paddywhack]

Sorry, I know the family too well to offer it up and the way I received it makes it part of my history. I'll see if I can find out any more about the cross as I will be visiting the family in August since there seems to be so much interest in it.

theres so much interest as a unique bit of history was ruined! i said in a previous post i wouold have found the money to get this cross and keep it as but well whats the point now!!!such a shame!

[Engelfeuer]

For the people saying it is ruined:
The story is still there, the story is really unaffected honostly. The piece has most of its originality still. Like someone already said, at least he didn't have it converted into an EKII.

To the owner:
I still don't really understand why you got it fixed anyways, you aren't using the catch for anything other than for other people to see; which they could just see with the other EKI you have. If you got the solder removed so they could see what was under it originally you could have just gotten another EKII to show along side it.

[bobcam1]

"Sorry, I know the family too well to offer it up and the way I received it makes it part of my history."

That statement smacks of abject hypocrisy, in light of the fact that you completely DISREGARDED the history of this EK.....

The original story of this man's comrades, fabricating this cross in the field in order to honor him, has turned to dust, and is now JUST a story, without the substance that it once had.

Since he chose to keep this award all his life, I can only imagine the memories that were conjured up by occasionally taking this cross out and looking at that "ugly blob of solder".....

The smiles and feelings that are evoked by cherished inanimate objects, all disappear in the blink of an eye, become stronger and last longer when shared with others.....This cross won't be sharing them the same way, ever again.

[MauserKar98k]

Why is this thread still going on? I believe that Kondor knows your opinions on the subject very well by this point.

[bobcam1]

Why is this thread still going on? I believe that Kondor knows your opinions on the subject very well by this point.

Should that bring an end to people's thoughts on the subject?

[helmetbuyers]

I personally liked the medal the way it was.

To me... it looked like a battlefield promotion from an EKII, to an EKI. Based on what was available on hand.

this sort of stuff is what makes a "boring" $45 World War I EKII into something much more special.

Robert

[militaria.no]

Why is this thread still going on? I believe that Kondor knows your opinions on the subject very well by this point.

Let’s rub it in as this should be a reminder to all of us. This is vandalism! What if every one of us altered and fixed up items in our collections – what would then survive for coming generations of historians and collectors!? (for those of us who cares about that). So I think this should be a principle for all collectors - do not put your own meaning and your own feelings into the original items.

Something like this is just as careless: I like to remove pips from shoulder straps Then I can have a lot of fun creating nco-grades as I want to and grades I need/that looks good in my own eyes... Gee it only took me 15 seconds to make this Oberfeldwebel into a Unterfeldwebel. What a smart thing to do! Got the point? Blob of solder or a pip makes no difference. What was done during WWI should have stayed frozen in time [period]

Like bobcam1 says: The original story of this man's comrades, fabricating this cross in the field in order to honor him, has turned to dust, and is now JUST a story, without the substance that it once had.

PS! Take a look at the strap and ask the dedicated collector in you: Does it look nice? Is something really missing here? ...

[MauserKar98k]

I again have to call apples and oranges on this one.

How is repairing the bottom catch on a field converted EKII-to-EKI like removing pips from shoulder straps? Yes, of course removing pips from a shoulder strap is wrong. That is modification to an item that has been that way since WWI/II. To reiterate: this was not modification, this was restoration.

Everyone on this thread is acting like someone took a WWI EKII and turned it into a EKI yesterday. With all due respect bobcam, claiming that the original owners story has "turned to dust" just because the catch on the EKI was fixed is sensationalism.

I am all for keeping historical artifacts in their original condition, but I firmly believe that the restoration of this medal was justified to return it to the state in which it was awarded by the enlisted men to their newly-decorated officer. All of the original solder except for one tiny speck was left in place, so what is the problem?

BTW, why not just put an original pip back on the shoulder strap?

Something like this is just as careless: I like to remove pips from shoulder straps Then I can have a lot of fun creating nco-grades as I want to and grades I need/that looks good in my own eyes... Gee it only took me 15 seconds to make this Oberfeldwebel into a Unterfeldwebel. What a smart thing to do! Got the point? Blob of solder or a pip makes no difference. What was done during WWI should have stayed frozen in time [period]

Like bobcam1 says: The original story of this man's comrades, fabricating this cross in the field in order to honor him, has turned to dust, and is now JUST a story, without the substance that it once had.

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[John T]

Well, you removed an original blob of solder on the side and added a good splattering of solder on the bottom at the hinge area ... in the grand scheme of life this really is meaningless but an original artifact was defaced ..however the owner is free to do with as he so pleases. Let us leave out the historical context for a moment, I found the piece visually more appealing before the, "restoration."

Best

-J-

[bobcam1]

.....With all due respect bobcam, claiming that the original owners story has "turned to dust" just because the catch on the EKI was fixed is sensationalism.

I am all for keeping historical artifacts in their original condition, but I firmly believe that the restoration of this medal was justified to return it to the state in which it was awarded by the enlisted men to their newly-decorated officer. [U]All of the original solder except for one tiny speck was left in place, so what is the problem?

"hmmmmm.....I don't really like the idea that the hands on Michaelangelo's David are too large..... I think they should be filed down and refashioned to a size that is aesthetically pleasing to me"......

THAT would constitute sensationalism.

Please believe that I completely respect your opinion as well, but saying that you are "all for keeping historical artifacts in their original condition".... and that "the restoration of this medal was justified to return it to the state in which it was awarded by the enlisted men to their newly-decorated officer", when in reality, you condone the fact that it was ALTERED from that original state, smacks of hypocrisy, in my opinion.

If the recipient thought enough of it to keep it in it's original condition all his life, that condition should have been both appreciated and maintained.

I stand by my statement that the original story no longer matches the original condition. The medal was disrespectfully "messed with", just because it offended someone's aesthetic sense.

It would have been better off in the hands of someone who truly appreciated both it, and the respect of the comrades who fashioned it.

[ronin]

i like Jimmy's work on other items, but please don't do this kind of thing again
personally i never thought any historical item are "mine" (even though i bought it with my own money), it will pass along to the next generation of collectors.
so i'll think hard before i decide to do any kind of alteration. even if it's only a small stain on a portrait.

some people will wash the stain on the blutfahne.
i don't

[MauserKar98k]

some people will wash the stain on the blutfahne.
i don't

We'll have to find it first.
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[Kondor]

As promised, I got out of the naughty chair long enough to visit the family last week and of course made the cross part of our discussions. I found from the wife of Kapitain Mueller that it was he that took a pliers to the catch and wrenched it off so that he could send it to me in a regular envelope. I immediately chastised the family on your behalf for destroying a piece of family history Four pages over a blob of solder interesting. Personally, I don't think that the piece has lost anything by the removal of that blob, everyone can still see that it is a field upgrade, so to me it has lost nothing from history or that of the family history, in fact I know a little more about it now than I did before and so do you.

[bobcam1]

..... Personally, I don't think that the piece has lost anything by the removal of that blob, everyone can still see that it is a field upgrade, so to me it has lost nothing from history or that of the family history, in fact I know a little more about it now than I did before and so do you.

I fully agree....we know more about the medal, and about you....