Two long ribbon bars, help wanted!

[Johan.S]

Hi guys!

I have been offered 2 long ribbon bars, I find these long ones very interesting. I have searched the forum and I am pretty sure that these are at least not "Ohio-fakes".

What are your opinion regarding originality? Legit combos? Can anyone help me and tell me which awards are on these bars? I know some of them, but far from all of them.

All help is highly apprciated!

[Johan.S]

No one knows???

[Sonderkommando]

*

Bottom bar is a fake IMHO, let's wait for more opinions though.

Brett

[luftkrieg]

Hi Johan

Neither of these ribbon bars are ""Ohio fakes".

The 14-place bar appears to be good on first looking at it- a mixture of German, Austrian and Turkish awards, apparently to some type of medic. The one unusual thing I did notice about it was the two different colours of stitching on the reverse backing cloth- perhaps some of the ribbons have been added at a later time...when it is hard to say.

The 8-place ribbon bar is definitely a good one, no problems there at all! I would be more than happy to have it in my collection!

Kind regards
Pierce

[Hagen]

The one unusual thing I did notice about it was the two different colours of stitching on the reverse backing cloth

This may be a dumb question but, would you take a double row ribbon bar and make one long bar??

[JasonA]

This may be a dumb question but, would you take a double row ribbon bar and make one long bar??

What do you mean? Are you referring to wear by a soldier during the period, or are you talking about changing something now?

J-

[Hagen]

What do you mean? Are you referring to wear by a soldier during the period, or are you talking about changing something now?

J-

At any point in time. I'm just trying to reason why 2 different threads would have been used.

[luftkrieg]

At any point in time. I'm just trying to reason why 2 different threads would have been used.

I think it is a case of someone adding something, taking something away, or replacing something. I can think of no other reasons for opening the backing of the bar; but it is impossible to say when it was done. It just may be a case of the owner adding a new ribbon that he was awarded.

Kind regards
Pierce

[JasonA]

Hagen - I understand what you're asking now. Pierce is right.

J-

[Alan_G]

Nothing has been "added" to the ribbon bar. It could be a period repair, as backing cloths were only held in place with stitches (or in some cases glue), stitches move, become loose, fray or drop apart... (glue dries out or loses it's stickiness over time also).

A period repair is more likely. As the ribbons are all under lying one another, and show no signs of ever being moved from their original positions.

If you look at the wear on the Turkish medal at the end, you can see that even ribbons themselves were victims of movement, friction and wear. Bad storage etc.

A backing cloth would rub slightly against the uniform fabric all day every day creating a level of wear, if worn on a daily basis, this would further explain my diagnostic on this piece. The guy wearing the bar would also have had to remove the bar from his uniform at some point in time, and if removed in a hurry or not carefully his fingers could have also been responsible for a tear to the sewing on the backing cloth, as it is thinly spaced.

I am not making excuses for fraud bars, but seeing logical plausible explanations for repairs to original (old) bars.

[Hagen]

Hagen - I understand what you're asking now. Pierce is right.

J-

. Thanks! At times I struggle finding the right words.