opinions on this unusual ribbon bar requested

[pep]

hello

want to show a bar in my collection for a long time ago. it's a rare one as it features ribbons for DANZIGER KREUZ 2.KLASSE and DIENSTAUSZEICHNUNG der NSDAP in bronze. My guess is that belonged to a young member of the nazi party in Danzig (possibly an SS) after that, WWII combatant.

[J Temple-West]

I have a bad feeling about this bar...

All ribbon bar attachments for the 10 year NSDAP long service award, that I've come across, have been made from bronze and this means that there was no need to add any kind of coating.  The attachment on this bar looks to be of a base metal which has been painted, something that raises a 'red flag' for me. 

Could we see a shot of the back of the bar?

In the meantime, here are a couple of NSDAP bars to have a look at....both having bronze attachments for the 10 year service award.

 

 

[pep]

other opinions about this device?

[pep]

back side ...

device ...

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by pep
better quality pic

[J Temple-West]

Thank you for the reverse, and closeup, shots…

So, the backing plate is certainly an early original and if it wasn’t for the suspect 10 year device I wouldn’t be too worried about a normal political bar being bad, as there are a lot of made up bars out there and it wouldn’t be a great loss if this one turned out to be one.

The important point about this bar is the Danzig Cross ribbon. Having been awarded in very low numbers, anything to do with the award is rare and a very important part of the history of the time… also a piece that would command a high price in the market place.

A little background about the award:

Designed by Benno von Arent and instituted on the 31^st August 1939 by Gauleiter Albert Forster as a decoration to be awarded to those who contributed to building up the NSDAP in the free city of Danzig.

Numbers awarded:

1^st class – 88

2^nd class – 253

Most of these awards were issued, with great pomp, at a ceremony on the 24^th October 1939, the rest by the 11th December 1939 being the last day of the award period.

There is speculation that more awards were made after the 11th December 1939, but to date no evidence of this has come to light.

 

1^st class decorations were made to members of the upper echelon of the NSDAP such as; Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Reinhard Heydrich, Fritz Todt, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Ludolf-Hermann von Alvensleben, etc

 

2^nd class to those such as; Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Hans Baur (Hitler’s pilot), Kurt Daluege, Commanders of the SS Heimwehr Danzig etc.

 

So, all In all, an important award, issued in very low numbers and much sort after by collectors today, and this is why, since war’s end, fakers have not only mass produced every conceivable piece of militaria but have, when it comes to ribbon bars, produced bars that have high end awards on them to increase desirability, and price.

 

All this, having been said….the bar in question has an early backing plate, combatant ribbons, a political ribbon and the, all important, early Danzig Cross ribbon.  Then why does it not have the typical bronze 10 year NSDAP ribbon device?

 

As much as I would like this potentially important ribbon bar to be of wartime production, the fact that there is this question mark regarding the 10 year device puts the originality of the entire bar in doubt.

 

I’ll leave this with a quote from the late, great, Richard Lundström “no original device was ever painted”.

 

 

[pep]

IMHO is an original ribbon bar. but, following richard's thoughts about device's originality, perhaps its device was broken or lost and a previous collector added this one ... 

[Paul R]

I agree with the above.  I like how the ribbon prongs have oxidation on the backs consistent with the reverse of the bar.  And there does not seem to be signs of metal tampering(scrapes, recent bending, and etc), from what I can see. I think that someone tried to replace the metal device on the long service ribbon.