War Merit Medal Ribbon Question

[matt170]

Hello!

I recently found this war merit medal in a small shop. The shop owner says that the ribbon is the more uncommon orange variant. However, I have seen similar looking ribbons that were simply the red version that experienced discoloration over time. As I am fairly new to German medals, I can not come to a conclusion. I would greatly appreciate your help/opinions on the ribbon and medal overall.
Thank you!

~matt



http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/...t=IMG_2226.jpg

http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/...3DIMG_2224.jpg

[VonPeter]

Hi

There is no orange variant, it is like you say, discoloration over time. Some people prefer these faded ribbons, i myself am one of them but its just a matter of taste.

Both ribbon and medal is fine.

[luftkrieg]

Hi

There is no orange variant, it is like you say, discoloration over time. Some people prefer these faded ribbons, i myself am one of them but its just a matter of taste.

Both ribbon and medal is fine.

Peter is correct. It really all comes down to your own personal taste. If the guy is charging a premium for this "special orange ribbon" I would say forget it. You should be able to pick up one easy enough and cheaply enough.

Kind regards
Pierce

P.S. Here is the medal in question.

[RonR]

Some of the many different ribbon shades of this medal.............


.................

[Valter Gorenc]

I would disagree about no orange variant of this ribbon (and same goes for KVK2 and EK2 ribbons). Ron showed four variants and the left two are certainly faded/discolorated, but the right one looks pristine new. There can be found mint ribbons with orange shade of ribbon, and several collectors consider them a variant of ribbon collor. Maybe we should call it brick red instead? A bit scarcer than "normal" red, but not really rare and not worth extra premium IMHO (maybe 1$ more...).

[VonPeter]

There can probably be small color variations between makers, just like there is differences when it comes to medal making.
But the ribbon is supposed to be red so even if it was colored by bad dye (to light) while it was manufactured or if it has faded due to long exposure to sunlight, it is still a just a discolored ribbon, not a variant.

But if one or more makers had consciously used an orange dye throughout there entire production over a long time, then i agree that it could be called a variant, not an official variant but a maker-variant.
And if the makers had been known the ribbon would have had a cool name such as a Godet/Zimmermann-ribbon. Or maybe it would just be called a Orange-ribbon variant.

Just my 2 cent on a saturday evening. cheers

[matt170]

Thank you, Peter, Pierce, Ron, and Valter for you enlightening responses!

Peter: I must agree with you, as the black section of the ribbon is faded to a degree, as well.

Pierce: Fortunately, the owner was not using the ribbon color to increase the price. I ended up getting it for 30 USD. By no means a steal, but more or less in the realm of "fairness" IMHO.

Ron: Very nice set! That picture pretty much sums it up! ***The ribbon second from left caught my eye. It appears that the sides are more "flat" compared to the others. Is this characteristic related to a specific group of manufacturers or a certain phase of the war (early, mid, late)?***

Valter: I think you bring up a good point. For all I know, it could have been made with a lighter dye (as later Peter stated). Perhaps a plausible possibility was that it had an orangish tint to it when it was produced (due to a bad dye) and was further dicolored over time. Of course, I'll never know for certain.

[RonR]

[quote=matt170;4935876]Thank you, Peter, Pierce, Ron, and Valter for you enlightening responses!


Ron: Very nice set! That picture pretty much sums it up! ***The ribbon second from left caught my eye. It appears that the sides are more "flat" compared to the others. Is this characteristic related to a specific group of manufacturers or a certain phase of the war (early, mid, late)?***

.........

Matt,

Do not think that it is relevant to any manufacturer in this area, however, I have been told that a brick red color on a Knights Cross ribbon is often found from the Klein & Quenzer Company.

Comparison below.

K&Q ribbon on the left............


....................

[matt170]

Thanks for the additional info, Ron! I was, however, asking about the stitching of the ribbon second from left (sorry...I know I shifted subjects rather abruptly). Its ribbon seems to be unique compared to the other three in aspects other than color. It appears the "ridges" running along the width of the ribbon are narrower. Also, the outer edges are different from the others in that it does not have a small white line or border running along the length of the ribbon. I was curious if these characteristics correlate with a manufacturer or phase of the war.