Can anyone tell me what the right end ribbon with the crown is?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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Hello,
The placement of the ribbon indicates a foreign decoration and in this case it looks to me like the Imperial Austrian Franz Joseph Order.
However, the bar as a whole does not tell a logical story, in my opinion:
1. Presence of Wehrmacht Long Service Decorations indicates a bar assembled in 1936 or later.
2. There is no Hindenburg Cross on this bar. Hindenburg Cross was instituted in 1934 (two years before Wehrmacht Long Service Decorations) so it should be on this bar.
3. The only indication of service in World War 1 is a foreign decoration.
4. There is no German decoration showing valor, merit, or service in World War 1.
5. Earliest German award on bar indicates Freikorps service in 1919.
6. Wehrmacht 25-Year/12-Year combination is not possible without service in World War 1. (Awarding of Wehrmacht LS Decorations ceased by end of 1940 so the guy would of had to be in the military in 1915.)
Best regards,
TomMihi libertas necessest! -
Question
Do you think it is a reproduction? It is pretty convincing in person...it is on a single bar mount and the ribbons do not seem tampered with. Could it just be an oddity or mistake by the maker?
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Hello,Originally posted by 5ribbonbar View Post
My gut feeling is telling me that it is a postwar put-together using all, or mostly all, original parts. As you say, it does have a pretty convincing look to it. That is, other than the strange, illogical combination of awards. The ribbons all look original to me. The devices look acceptable, although the first Wehrmacht eagle seems a bit mangled. Also, it seems like there is a hole on the second long service ribbon, below the eagle's wing. The mangled eagle and extra hole in the ribbon make me suspect tampering by someone that didn't know what they were doing. As far as I can tell from the photo, the pin, catch, and mounting plate seem correct. How is the backing cloth attached to the ribbons? In the photo, I cannot make out any stitching. Can you see or feel any sign of the prongs for the eagle and crown devices? I would scrutinize the heck out of this one to make sure that it is completely up to standard construction-wise. If you are still comfortable with it after further examination, I suppose you could call it a period error, practice specimen, or maybe even a display sample from a shop that assembled bars. In my opinion, though, it just does not fly as a legitimate bar that someome would be wearing during the Third Reich.
Best regards,
TomMihi libertas necessest!Comment
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