Medal remounting service on German medal groups

[Mike Huxley]

What's wrong with this??

First of all I would like to thank Stogie Rick for posting the pics.....next .... to all those of you who disagree with the preservation of history...... all I can say is - whats wrong with this?? My grandfather and great uncle both fought through the Great War, and during the following years had their medal bars rebuilt and re-ribboned. Is anybody going to say that this was wrong?

As a collector I would never condone the splitting up or alteration of the original owner's bar. IMO Mr Woolly and Rick are ensuring the an individual's award history and personal bar is maintained in its entirety for posterity using the original awards of that recipient. What would there be to collect in the next 100 years or so - but awards that are singular for which no contibrituary personal history that could be attached.

Here is the history, thanks to Rick L and others that we've been able to establish about the receiver of the this bar.

"ALBERT von Hesler, born almost certainly in Elberfeld, circa 1893. Fähnrich Schützen Rgt 108 8.2.13, Oberleutnant aD alive 1926. Albert Order Knight 2nd X 22.12.14 as Lt in SR108, Civil Merit Order Knt 2X 23/12/16 as "Lt in a Kampfstaffel." No clue what the heck he got the Brunswick for, but therir Roll will hopefully be published, since it does still exist.

Baby brother Wilhelm b. Elberfeld 25.5.1895, MIA 12.9.1916 Bouchavesnes, confirmed KIA 14.9.1916 as Lt from SR 108 serving in Res Inf Rgt 241, Albert-Knt 2X 22.12.15.

Oldest brother Friedrich born Elberfeld 11.11.1891,alive 1926. Leutnant Gren Rgt 101 24.6.11 F, Hauptmann ad in Reichsheer ca 1921-23. St Henry Order 23.12.14 for a number of useful recon flights around warsaw, forced down behind enemy lines, he escaped on foot. Albert-Knt 2X 27.9.16 in Fliegerabteilung 300 "Pascha" (Palestine front, so unknown Turkish awards), Civil Merit Order Knt 2X 15.11.17 with CO of Air, 3rd Army.

Their parents were Friedrich von Hesler and Maria Hoffbauer of Elberfeld, living 1920."

This at least is a start to delve deeper into the history of Albert von Hesler.

If it was not for the preservation of this bar (albeit re-ribboned) and photo - IMO it would be impossible to attach any providence to the group.

The bottom line is that 'YES' I too would wish to own all medal bars with original ribbons but lets face it - we don't look too good after 70 years let alone 100 plus.....

[Bill M]

--I read the "To Preserve and Protect.." thread. I didn't post, but would have agreed with the concensus there. There is a difference in restoring a grouping.
--What I don't believe in is fabricating a new bar (historical or fictitional) from 'spare parts'.

[Rick Research]

Yes-- which is what the eCrap medal bar fraudsters are doing.

No-- what has been done with the von Hesler "bar" and my Rotting Bavarian Remnants. Because--

1) there was NO von Hesler BAR! Some moron, for whatever reason--or absolutely no "reason" at all-- pulled his ORIGINAL medals off and threw the bar and ribbons away!!! Thus the faithful RESTORATION, and

2) again, my "Bavarian garbage" bar has been RESTORED from a dreadful, pathetic remnant that looks like it was fished out of a toilet tank, keeping the ORIGINAL four awards and metal backing together, and the tattered scraps have been preserved with it, as well. I dunno: silly? Sentimental? "Psychic energy?" Whatever-- all that WAS original has been KEPT together, while doing the only thing possible that will KEEP those fragments together for the future. (My former bar only has the awards held in by their rings under the ribbons, too.) Because anybody but a tiny number of us would simply have thrown the Bavarian bar away and flogged the medals loose.

3) no attempt--or possibility-- to DECEIVE.

[stogieman]

Hear, Hear

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo

[JensF.]

Someone here with a pic of Ernst Jüngers medal-bar?

[Mike Dunn]

Rick, your ribbon bar looks great--you do good work. You own it and you are more than intilted to restore it. Darn, why not--in all likely hood it will never leave your collection and if it ever did, I know you would let the new owner know of it's restoration.
The newly made to reproduce an original medal bar look great as well. It is nice to know that this person only uses new-glow in the dark ribbons. At least the people that know about the black light test will be able to figure out if the ribbons are new or not. I agree that it is a way of restoring history--we do it all the time, but what is wrong with marking it as such. With so much time and effort being put into making good reproduction military collectables and the time and effort we put into trying to figure out what is good and what is bad it the case in point. Put a nice cloth tag on the back saying that the bar is made to look like the original. Ones like some of the manufactors did in the old days.
The one Stogieman had made looks super--but someday, someone could be fooled by it. It is, in my mind, still a reproduction medal bar. A very nice copy and should be handled as such. I guess we agree to disagree on some points! One of the great things about this forum! Mike