What do you think of this Purple Heart?

[Phil_C]

Hi,

I've been looking for a WWII Purple heart, and I've found this one on ebay, does it look WWII period?

Purple Heart

Thanks
Phil

[Allan H.]

All that Glitters....

This Purple Heart appears to be a newly made "His Lordship Industries" strike.
A WWII vintage PH in the award case w/ ribbon bar and lapel pin shouldn't cost more than $40.
Allan

[Ruki vyerkh]

I agree with the view that it is not WW2 era.
Every definite WW2 US medal I've seen has had a slotted brooch. With such medals, you typically dont seen a piece of the back ribbon loop sticking out on the side (as you do with this one, on the left) because the front and back ribbon loops are held together on each side with a stitch of thread, whose color matches the ribbon there. I've got 4 US slotted brooch medals, and with each (including the Purple Heart) the ribbons seem to average a shorter length when compared to later examples, and this one on ebay. I understand slotted brooch decorations were sometimes issued well after WW2, but in my limited experience I've never seen a solid WW2 US medal without one, including such common types as Good Conduct Medal, etc.
- Paul in Ohio

[Dave Danner]

Current issue.

See these threads for more on the differences among Purple Heart types:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...rt+slot+brooch

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...rt+slot+brooch

Paul, slotted brooch Purple Hearts produced in World War Two were issued through to Vietnam. The government had warehouses full of them which it began selling off in the early 1990s, all the while buying more of the new crappy ones

Also, the length of the drape isn't always a good indicator. Note that the Army Type II (1942-43) Purple Heart shown here has a longer drape than the Army/Navy Type III (1943-1945) Purple Heart shown next to it:

<img src="http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals2/US/US_PH_2.jpg" width="148" height="325">

(Sorry if the image is a little fuzzy; I tried to shrink the dimensions so the medals would be the same size)

Dave

[Phil_C]

Thanks Allan, Paul and Dave,

Your opinions really help me, I think it has to be post WWII then.

What do you think about this bronze star? It looks like it may be WWII!

Thanks again

Phil

[Dave Danner]

That one is current too. Note the crimp brooch and rough, dull light bronze finish. Here is a WW2 production example for comparison (again, although produced in the 1940s, they were issued into the 1960s):