Content - Richard Lundström
Layout - Sebastian Bianchi
Devices on ribbons are as important as the ribbons themselves. While this section cannot hope to be literally all inclusive, it can hopefully be added to over time, with that intention in mind. Fakes will be shown here, as well as originals, in the sections concerning the specific types of devices, so that it will be easier to distinguish good from bad.
Some general notes on devices 1915-45 will help explain the varieties encountered. Swords on First World War awards are often much cruder than those encountered later. Silver devices from the WW1 period are often in REAL silver, as occasionally are gilt devices. Usually, devices were brass or bronze with a finish applied. Silvered WW2 period devices often have their silver coatings "evaporated," revealing base brass or other alloy metal. For that reason, some close-ups of "silver" devices may appear much more "gold" in close up than they do to the eye at life size. Swords are usually "safe," since so many unused period overstock ones remain that they are al-most-note ALMOST-never faked. The 1939 Spange to the 1914 EK2 is often faked, as are: SS runes, and the "Kleindekoration" Red Cross/Volkspflege swastika wreath (without enamel). The Feldherrnhalle façade found on period non-regulation Blood Order ribbons is a virtual guaranty of fakery, so overused is it these days. Many of the Third Reich long service devices are faked. Most fraudulent devices are very crude soft cast copies-others are hard and appear to be made out of copper. Original devices are frequently abused by being painted to transform them into other classes for fake bars-no original device was ever painted!
I have tried to maintain a uniform 500% increase in size with these devices close-ups, so that they are all in identical proportion to each other. In some cases, because of differing technical systems in this international cooperative effort, it has not been possible to achieve such a precise enlargement. Those devices are captioned "nts" for "not to scale." Explanatory notes occur here only to point out something noteworthy, and to credit contributors by their initials if not from my collection or someone's who wished to remain anonymous. Except for long service devices, the greatest variety occurred during the Imperial period, and it is not my purpose to identify every single ribbon shown here-though many have been noted in previous text sections.
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