Solved the first mystery of the year

[Don D.]

Sometimes you see things and can't explain them. For example, I was looking at the estand this morning at this medal bar and wondered why the Hamburg ribbon was so beat up vs the rest. Some would say it might be a put together bar from original parts or some such. The bar looks totally legit to me other than the one ribbon.

[Don D.]

Now, getting old is a bitch as it effects your memory. I kept having a nagging feeling that I had seen this before. So I looked and looked. Finally, I flipped thru pics of my collection and low and behold:

[Don D.]

Same medal bar maker. The ribbon for the Hamburg medal must have come from the same roll. Evidently it was a substandard batch. Anyways it was neat to finally solve something that was nagging me.

[Jesse]

Interesting, I have seen this on other Hamburg ribbons as well

[Montgomery Burns]

indeed you should be careful with these ,,

bars in general are like the pickehaube trade ,,
you never know what was added or exchanged,,

a very hard section of the medals




K

[streptile]

Interesting.

I've noticed the same thing with certain ribbons. Some dyes or processes evidently caused some ribbons to degrade differently or more quickly.

[römischIX]

I agree - this is no evidence for a "put-together" bar.

[gregM]

Now, getting old is a bitch as it effects your memory. I kept having a nagging feeling that I had seen this before. So I looked and looked. Finally, I flipped thru pics of my collection and low and behold:

I know that feeling. It seems I spend more and more time going back looking at
old threads when I should be posting new ones.

[Hagrid]

I think this is a matter of how the fabrik obtains its colour!
Some ribbons are woven (like carpets) in different coloured threads, others are dyed at the several sections to achieve the necessary pattern. A variation of the latter is simple printing with the appropiate colour, a method that will - almost instantly -produce traces of wear just by rubbing this colour off.
In the case shown here a white core is covered with coloured, very thin yarn that coils around it. When abrasion or mothbite occurs, it will fuzz out and the white shows through...you might see this with a magnification glass or macro photography.
Very elaborate method of colouring the ribbons.
Regards
Hagrid

[morel5000]

I am with Don on this. Inferior batch of ribbon for this medal for this maker.

Don good detective work, or as my daughter would say "No s**t Sherlock"

[lolman1c]

huh... who'd a thunk it... Nice job!

[mailman]

I had an ek like this. Just a single, unmounted medal, with a super battered ribbon.
The white was about half flaked off. I knew the cross was good, but I thought
the ribbon was a badly abused repro. Maybe not tho.

[Brian L.]

I had an ek like this. Just a single, unmounted medal, with a super battered ribbon.
The white was about half flaked off. I knew the cross was good, but I thought
the ribbon was a badly abused repro. Maybe not tho.

The white flaking off is an indication of an early ribbon where the white stripes were painted on.

[vellocino]

A confirmed case of "it could happen", good observation skills and well trained memory.
Thank you Don for sharing your findings.
Vellocino

[PaulChep]

indeed you should be careful with these ,,

bars in general are like the pickehaube trade ,,
you never know what was added or exchanged,,

a very hard section of the medals




K

I disagree. Anyone with hands can switch out parts on a pickelhaub, bit massing around with a medal bar take practice and some knowledge.