Lovely To Look At-- From A Distance

NO German ribbon bar device was CAST. Tiny as they were, they were die struck, stamped out.

About 2003 a number of fraudulent ribbon bars appeared, originating in Sweden, which bore remarkably detailed molded castings of devices like this fraud of the 1918 Brunswick Ernst Bew?hrungsabzeichen.

"Early" examples were all in this mercury-like "hobby metal," which made for an alarmingly obvious appearance en masse. (The ribbons themselves were usually sloppily smeared with engine oil to fake "age") Subsequently, for versimiltude--and to attampt to make these look more accurate, a number of the relevant devices have appeared with PAINTED finishes.

No German devices except for the black finished Oldenburg Friedrich August Cross "vor dem Feinde" bars were ever painted.

So beware of this odd thermomemter metal finish and painted-over disguises. Under aa magnifying glass, the rough blobby edges belie the appareance of "detail" on first glance.