New one on me

[Eric Gaumann]

Here's something I found, I forget where exactly, I think it was the MilitariaWeb auction's site, that was a new one on me. It's a medal bar with the ribbon colors painted on the bare metal of the suspension bar. Kind of a neat variant, I think.
Anybody ever seen something similar?

[Ralph A]

It's a...

...Po-boy!

A "poor man's ribbon bar!"

[Eric Gaumann]

So what is the third medal on that bar?
Is it a Bavarian commemorative for the 1866 war? If so why's it on a Prussian bar? Weren't the Bavarians allied with the Austrians whose butt Bismark and Moltke's Prussian Army kicked at Koenigsgratz (and elsewhere)?

[McCulloh]

Very unusual paint job there. I think it's backwards.
No, the Bavarian 1866 medal isn't "odd" with a Franco prussian medal. Obviously a bavarian soldier who 4 years later was still in service against the french. I have a photo of an old bavarian vet wearing such a group that I posted @ the 18th. I'll bring it forward.
Cheers,
JeMc

[Rick Research]

This is actually a very LATE survival of a much earlier type of bar.

I have seen photos of Bavarians ca 1866-70, when they still wore Austrian style trifolds, with metal "ribbons" stamped (the photos were that clear) with "weave patterns" and painted.

Those were sturdier than the floppy loose sew-on-and-off individually semi-medal bars worn then.

Jeff's right-- this one was worn by a Bavarian veteran as a "Frackspange" with the right hand Cross uppermost angled under his civilian jacket lapel.

Quite an unusual variant!