Here's one I just pulled from a private home.....what a monster!
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If this was a ribbon bar I would scream Ohio fake but this looks really good.
Just trying to figure out this chaps service record spans a very long time.
I wonder if he was an honorary Col in chief or alike or perhaps a long service admin type but he did see front line service? -
Nothing says officer so that is out. These long bars are always hard to assess. There are many post war fakes out there. The lack of Wehrmacht LS medals is strange as is the General Honor Decoration 2d class.pseudo-expertComment
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Are the yellow ribbons ok? Hard to tell from those pics.
/peterComment
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I was thinking that myself as yellow-white-yellow should be the Silesian Eagle but there are a number of obscure Principality awards with similar ribbonsOriginally posted by VonPeter View Post
The Prussian 'General Honor Decoration' (4th from the left) fits in with the Senior NCO or Minor Official It this the Bronze or Silver Level that would narrow down the date??Last edited by byterock; 02-26-2016, 11:09 AM.Comment
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Both Friedrich August medals has indeed got wrong ribbons, but I was thinking more if they are even original? It can be the yellow color clashing with the light but the edges looks strange on both pics.Originally posted by byterock View PostComment
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The Friedrich August medals ribbon is a light blue on yellow. Hopefully this will help.Comment
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Is the blue stripe on the friedrich ribbon a little too wide? Not sure??Comment
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Hi Charles,
Sorry, but I just cannot get too excited about this 14-place medal bar. If I saw it at a show I would keep on walking. My first impression (which I cannot overcome) and my gut instinct tell me that this is a postwar, put-together/fantasy medal bar: in your own words, a "monster". Unfortunately, I think, a monster on the order of a Frankenstein. This looks to me like someone had a bunch of ordinary, very common medals and decided to put them all together, creating a very long, "impressive" medal bar to awe the unsuspecting.
But let’s try to look at it as though it is possibly a real medal bar. This would be the bar of a real show off, flouting the regulations so that he can have a longer medal bar and impress the ladies. The Prussian General Honor Decoration as well as the two Prussian Long Service Medals for 12 and 9 years service certainly hints at a Prussian NCO. A Prussian NCO that is awarded the Friedrich August Medal on two separate occasions by the Kingdom of Saxony: the Bronze Friedrich August Medal as a Gefreiter and perhaps the Silver Friedrich August Medal as an Unteroffizier. Never mind, though, that only one Friedrich August Medal should be worn on the medal bar (the silver superseding the bronze) because this guy is a show off. Likewise, with the Prussian Long Service Medals, only the highest was to be worn (the 12 year long service superseding the 9 year long service). Once again he proves himself to be a show off by flouting the regulations. And then it is only natural that he applies for the Hindenburg Cross with swords as well as the Austrian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian WW1 Commemoratives. Never mind, though, that this WW1 combatant (who likes to show off) neglected to have the crossed swords device attached to the ribbon of the Austrian WW1 Commemorative. The guy's medals of the Third Reich Period would seem to indicate that he was back in the military for WW2. Why then were his Imperial long service medals not swapped out for the Third Reich counterparts? He also has both the Czech Annexation Medal and Westwall. Regulations stipulated that a person who had received the Czech Annexation Medal was not eligible to receive the Westwall Medal. I suppose we can throw that regulation aside, though, as there were definitely documented cases were people did receive both. I also find it strange that this bar was upgraded during WW2. The presence of the East Medal would indicate an upgrade in the summer or fall of 1942, or even later. Medal bars were considered a peacetime luxury and most officers and senior NCOs were not in the habit of upgrading their medal bars in the middle of a war. Medal bars in wartime was more for the young officers and enlisted guys that got some leave and went home for a wartime wedding. Ribbon bars are another story altogether. Ribbon bars were always being upgraded.
I have some other concerns as well. The ribbons on the two Friedrich August Medals do not look correct. They look more like the ribbon for the Silesian Eagle than for the Friedrich August Medal. As Peter mentioned, I am also suspicious of the two ribbon edges indicated by the red arrows. I also do not like the look of the red thread that was used to secure the medals' eyelets (green circles). Medal tie-downs were supposed to look inconspicuous but these stick out like a sore thumb. I also do not like seeing the backing cloth peeking through to the front along the top of the medal bar (white arrows). That is a trait I've seen on far too many postwar put-togethers. It also appears that ribbon widths of varying sizes were used in assembling this medal bar. I must say, though, that all of the medals, mounting components, and ribbons (with the possible exception of the yellow ribbons) appear to be original parts. Order of precedence is correct too. That is, except for the WW1 Commemorative for Austria, which should actually be after the Hindenburg Cross and before the long service medals since this purports to be a post-Anschluß medal bar.
I am sorry that I cannot be more positive about this bar. And if I am wrong I apologize for that too.
Best regards,
TomLast edited by Tom Yanacek; 02-26-2016, 11:01 PM.Mihi libertas necessest!Comment
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"I am sorry that I cannot be more positive about this bar. And if I am wrong I apologize for that too."
No...not at all. As a matter of fact I find your information quite interesting and some very good points made. It all makes perfect sense to me when laid out and explained the way you have.Comment
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Hi Charles,Originally posted by vonStubben View Post
Thank you for being so gracious.
I realize that my opinions can be quite brutal at times. Hopefully Pierce and some other medal bar collectors will respond and offer their opinions. Medal bars can be very tricky. Much harder to evaluate than a single medal or badge.
Best regards,
TomMihi libertas necessest!Comment
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Tom,Originally posted by Tom Yanacek View PostHi Charles,
Thank you for being so gracious. I realize that my opinions can be quite brutal at times. Hopefully Pierce and some other medal bar collectors will respond and offer their opinions. Medal bars can be very tricky. Much harder to evaluate than a single medal or badge.
Best regards,
Tom
We each have our niche and when presented such as you have here, where it can be exactly understood by those who can understand exactly what It is your relating....it works!Comment
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Hi Tom,
You have summed it up extremely well. This would not be a medal bar for my collection as I also have these reservations.
My initial gut reaction (which should always be considered) was that this was a post-war put-together. There are too many questions surrounding it.
Kind regards
PierceComment
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Thanks Tom for your comments.
As I collect medal bars on a small scale it helps to know what to look for.
WayneComment
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