Medal bar with Baltic Cross & Schlesien Eagle

[5ribbonbar]

I think the Baltic Cross and Schlesien Eagle medals were considered 3rd Reich era so I thought I would post this bar. It is at least pre 1934. Looks like something spilt on the ribbons a long time ago, but other wise it is in good shape.

I always like these two awards together on medal bars so I thought I would share this one.

[Jody]

Medal Bar

Hello,
What a great bar. It would go great with a nice SA dagger or someting Freikorps. I love the swords device on the Silesian Eagle (I love those eagles).

Regards,
Jody

[bytown]

Super Bar!

Wayne

[Jordan Jamison]

That's a beautiful medal bar... As Jody said, it would look great with an SA item to go along with the Freikorps.

[Don D.]

That is a damn nice bar.

[byterock]

Lovely bar but where is the Hindy-cross that should be on it??

One has to wonder why it was never put up on the bar?

Maybe he never made it to 1934?

[Don D.]

A pre-34 bar.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hi guys,

I'm sorry to say this, but I cannot share everyone's enthusiasm with this bar.
In my opinion, this bar is not a legitimate pre-1934 bar by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, I believe that it is a modern put-together bar. This exact style of bar is the type that we see most often when it comes to fraudulent medal bars. Countless bars of this exact style of construction have flooded the collector market and it is believed that they originated out of Austria and were, in most part, the work of one individual. His style and technique of construction are unmistakable and even though his bars will display a myriad of different awards, they will all look exactly the same, construction-wise.

I really wish I could agree with everyone else and say what a great bar this is, but I just can't. In my opinion, there is no chance of this one being real. Based on my own experience (for whatever that is worth) I have to say that there is no doubt about this one; it is that blatant and obvious to me. This bar is made with some real and some fake parts. The ribbons are probably all new and the supposed "accidental spill" does not look at all like an accident: It looks to me like a deliberate/very controlled attempt to create some age and yellowing to the otherwise brand-new, pure whites of the ribbons. That staining may have been done with coffee or possibly rusty water. I strongly suspect that the whites of those ribbons would light up under ultraviolet radiation. The lack of ribbon rosettes, the stitching pattern, the pin, the unusual combination of awards, and the blatant attempt of aging new ribbons all indicate to me that this was indeed the work of the Austrian medal bar forger.

I would also scrutinize all of the medals on that bar as I do not believe all of them are real. I am fairly certain that the Anhalt Friedrich Cross is a fake. I don't know what that particular example is made out of, but it certainly does not look like bronze: it looks like some kind of strange alloy. (As far as I know, Anhalt Friedrich Crosses were all made of bronze.) The detail on both the front and reverse looks very weak so this appears to be a casting to me. I would take a closer look at the Baltic Cross and Silesian Eagle too.

Have I become too paranoid as a collector? If everyone else thinks this is such a nice bar, how come I don't see that? Is there no one else out there that sees all of the obvious red flags that I do? I am feeling awfully alone right now.
Best regards,
Tom

[luftkrieg]

Have I become too paranoid as a collector? If everyone else thinks this is such a nice bar, how come I don't see that? Is there no one else out there that sees all of the obvious red flags that I do? I am feeling awfully alone right now.
Best regards,
Tom

Tom,

I am with you. For me the "aging" does look more like deliberate aging done with tea or coffee etc! This was the first thing i thought when i saw this bar. From the many bars in my collection (though not as many as you ) i know that natural aging does not look like this bar above!

I do have an Analt Cross here also and it does not look like the one above...but maybe some of the Imperial experts could determine if you are right about it.

Kind regards
Pierce

[Don D.]

I guess a blacklight would be a good place to start then. Next would be good pics of the individual medals.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hi guys,

Here is a link to Kelly's Military that you should check out:

http://www.kelsmilitary.com/4MedalBar.html

These medal bars are all fakes/reproductions and are being sold as such. There are a total of 8 pages of them on this site. Check them out and compare them to the bar that started this thread. The similarities are striking and it is obvious to me that all were made by the same person. I have made this analogy many times in the past, but I think it is worth repeating again: It is like going to an art museum at looking at two paintings of different subject matter yet you can tell instantly that both were the work of the same artist because the style and technique give it away.

Best regards,
Tom

[Don D.]

Thanks for the link Tom.

[5ribbonbar]

Good Info

Thanks for all the comments...that will teach me to post items I like !

I bought the bar in either 1995 or 1996, I cannot remember which. I am sure I bought it at a militaria show in Toronto.

I know of the one eBay seller from Austria who sells a lot of new bars made to look old, and the www.kelsmilitary.com site I have seen before. Never dealt with them directly.

Who knows back when I bought it, maybe the same Austrian guy was making them at that time but I do not know.

I did UV light it and got nothing to glow, but as was mentioned it is possible it was constructed with some original parts.

Before I give up on it I will try and take some time on the weekend or just after of the individual medals for examination.

[byterock]

Well having a look at that site I can say

'If the shoe fits'

Good education on what to look for in fakes on that site.

The abomoration of combinations on some of those medal bars makes some of the Ohio parts bars look good.

[Don D.]

I wish you could see the reverses and larger pics too.