Soviet "Late Plastic" Ribbon Bars

[Guest Rick Research]

People may have noticed... I ribbon bars.

When Gerd found a big PILE of Soviet ribbon bars on German eBay, I got very excited, because out of all the different types, my favorites are the painted ones under solid "D profile" plastic. What I mean by that is if there are 4 rows, from the side it looks like

D

D

D

D

with the ribbons on the flat part and solid clear plastic (of some type) on top, serving not only to keep the "ribbons" clean forever, but to make the optical effect of normal curved ribbon bars. There were THREE in the tiny eBay scan

or so I thought!

When these arrived today, what I discovered were "D profile" plastic, sure enough, for two of them but

unlike the "ribbon" bars from the late 1940s and into the 1970s I have seen before with PAINTED ribbons-- these actually have normal cloth ribbons under there!

This one, to an over-retirement age general (?) has some sort of "optical effect" inside that makes the ribbons "shimmy" like moir? watered silk, shifting when viewed.

[attachmentid=4374]

That is what may look like dents or flaws in the scan, but isn't-- it's a still of the "ripple" effect that motion creates. Like all of these heavy plexiglas type ribbons, this one is really like eyglass lens quality. Notice that it was made with the Victory Over Germany last on 2nd row and the Partisan 1st or Stalingrad second in 3rd row switched for placement. This one has TINY little indentations in the side of each row to hold the brass backing on-- NO WAY am I going to pull this apart to "fix" a period error!!!!

Why active duty? He has jubilees up to 1978, so if he was a 25 years service Veteran, I'd expect to see that ribbon on here. The combination of the 1958 jubilee (ONLY active duty personnel) and NO long service ribbons means that this Red Banner was a 20 years service by 1957 award, one of the Red Stars was for 15, and one of the MMMs was likely for 10 years service. That leaces the OPW2, a Red Star, and a Military Merit Medal for "real" awards WW2. So, if he had joined BY 1936 at the latest (to get 20 in 1957)...

he was born about 1916-18 and would have been at or over 60 in 1978!

The back of this beauty is the usual brick-patina'd brass, with hideously crude soldered on nasty wire pin.

The second bar was ALSO real cloth ribbons under "D plastic." This Leningrad defender was on active duty in 1958, and has a lone 20 Years Service Medal of the type created that year-- so his Red Star and MMM were for 15 and 10 years service.

[attachmentid=4375]

900 days of siege and... never decorated!!! This one dates between 1975 and 1978 from the last present and first missing jubilee. There is no Veteran of the Armed Forces, so he was probably one of Khruschev's February 1960 budget purge involuntary retirees, had passed 20 but did not then have 25 years of military service. I don't think THIS guy was still on active duty!!!!

The back of this one is not the usual brass, but solid nasty recycled watering can metal with the usual awfuk quality pin attachment.

[Gerd Becker]

This is truly a great lot of ribbon-bars. I am glad, it turned out that way, when you keep in mind, how much crap there is on ebay.

Most interesting. Keep them coming... :food-smiley-004:

[Guest Rick Research]

This is what I mean about the "Potemkin village" nature of these bars-- all beautiful and great quality on FRONT...

but the BACKS look like they were hand made by partially trained monkeys out of junkyard scrap.

[Gerd Becker]

This is what I mean about the "Potemkin village" nature of these bars-- all beautiful and great quality on FRONT...

but the BACKS look like they were hand made by partially trained monkeys out of junkyard scrap. :wacko:

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Still, these are cool and who cares, what the back looks like? Noone will see it in the display.

[Guest Rick Research]

But just think what they are doing to the uniforms they remain on!

Here is my THIRD "late plastic" from the lot--

this one is NOT optical lens quality. It is flat topped, and defiitely PLASTIC plastic. Still solid... reminds me of transparent KitKat candy bars, break one off and...

Quite faded, rather oddly, and "recycled watering can" zink-steel backed. But look at this 1975-78 combination:

[attachmentid=4412]

That's the Defense (1942) of SEVASTAPOL Medal in there-- or maybe the Partisan Medal 2nd Class (God knows how anyone can tell the difference) BUT

Notice 20 and 15 years long service medals M1958--

so only ONE of the two Military Merit Medals was for 10 years long service, and the Red Star and OTHER MMM were "real" awards. The wearer was a career officer-- Veteran of the Armed Forces, so served at least 25 years active, joined no earlier than 1942, so survived Khruschev's February 1960 budget purge. Oddly enough, I have never seen a LONE Sevastapol before-- the "Soviet Dunkirk" survivors mostly landed in the Caucasus and went right on fighting from there.

I love the life histories that ribbon bars tell. AND the varieties.

[Gerd Becker]

I love the life histories that ribbon bars tell. AND the varieties.

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Yes, me too. Most interesting and unusual pieces. This could have been a little collection, someone put together before all the crap appeared on ebay.

[Gerd Becker]

If the colors of the scans of the first bar is right, then its a Partisan 1st class in my opinion. The red of the Partisan Medal is a tad lighter than on the Defense of Stalingrad Medal, isn?t it? If so, then this is a Partisan 1st class.

Gerd