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Everything posted by Stogieman
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Bulgaria Order of The Peoples Republic of Bulgaria
Stogieman replied to christerd's topic in Central & Eastern European States
Thanks Anatoly! -
Republic of Cuba Cuban Military Academies and Schools
Stogieman replied to Taz's topic in Republic of Cuba
Quite correct Ed... can't imagine how I left that one out!! -
OK, deep breaths Scott. First thing that stuck out to me on the bar was the 1870 EK2, The PCO4 and the LSC were all tied down with the same black thread accross the body of the crosses. Also, you can immediately see that the ?se (ring/knob) at the top of each piece is tied down differently. Look at the white thread on the RAO & the 2 KDMs. It is tied not only across the ?se, but also up the sides of the ?se as well. The three pieces I mentioned are not tied this way. Now..... things wear and break. The Centennial medal is not tied the same, it's loose... but if you look very closely I think you will see that the original threads/tie-down is still visible and once upon a time, this piece had the same tie-down. Note that whoever the original maker was he was quite meticulous and detail-oriented when the bar was originally made. The folds inside and out, the stitching pattern and the tie-downs would have been consistent on every single piece. Also, the thread used on those pieces looks brand new and like nylon, which simply did not exist during the era. Any time you buy a medal bar and see a deviation in any of these characteristics it should immediately make you put the brakes on and start examining everything very closely. Yes, there are sloppy bars, but it stands out as VERY out of place on this bar. Next we have to look at the 1914 repeat spange. With under 100 actual awards and this being one of the most heavily reproduced items of the Imperial Era.... it should immediately make you go "hold on a second"... The fact that it is not properly placed on the ribbon itself is another clue that something is amiss.... It's not properly centered... I suspect that ultimately you will find that the Jubilee Oak Leaves are a "dress-up" ploy as well. I cannot tell from the images if it is real or not... Scott, you have posted some magnificent pieces. You should be proud of what you've accomplished on your own. Yes, some of your pieces have been altered/played with but I remember dealing with you almost 10 years ago on eBay. It's not you making the boo-boo's, it's a few unscrupulous people that took advantage of you. The pieces you have shown that had some issues would be easily rectified. So welcome to the forum, live, learn and prosper and try to absorb as much as you can. There's some folks here who have been studying and identifying medal/ribbon bars since xerox was the best means of reproducing images and the internet was a secret idea in the brain of someone! We all have made no small number of mistakes over the years. I know how you feel.... I had no shortage of blunders years ago... I am not perfect, nobody is. But the collective knowledge here, freely shared, has helped all of us grow as collectors & custodians of history.
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Bulgaria Order of The Peoples Republic of Bulgaria
Stogieman replied to christerd's topic in Central & Eastern European States
Hi Christer, Thanks for sharing these. Nice collection. Note that your 1986 document states award #1512. Perhaps that's the total number of that class awarded up to that point? -
Republic of Cuba Cuban Military Academies and Schools
Stogieman replied to Taz's topic in Republic of Cuba
OK, that begats the big question! Do we see a different badge for each school as per Soviet style... or are all schools issued the badge shown by Taz? The example is the only style I have seen thus far. We know that at least Polish, Bulgarian and Hungarian Republics used a different badge for each school.... -
Scott, I don't think your mind should be at ease. Nor do I think you should be tearing apart your bars like this. The changes are evident from the front. Nothing else has been messed with. Someone has taken an original medal bar and replaced at least 3 of the medals, added the repeat bar, etc. The bar is good, the placement of incorrect medals is not. There's no reason to destroy the entire object over this. Take a deep breath..... sit back and try to learn from the experience. I spotted the different threads/tie-down style when you first posted this bar. It's unpleasant, but it's also reality. There's an entire industry that exists doctoring real medal bars and real parts. It's no better with ribbon bars. Fakes everywhere.... using real ribbon, real devices, etc.
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Group splitting by sellers
Stogieman replied to new world's topic in Preservation & Restoration of Military Artifacts
Well, this is always an interesting and passionate topic. I spent years and thousands of dollars trying to keep WW1 Aviation groups, especially photo albums intact. The first time I encountered this, the seller had an album with over 300 photos. Each one meticulously annoted in the album. He was ripping the pictures out, cutting up pages when he couldn't and throwing away all the rest........ need I say more? -
EK 1914 How to authenticate?
Stogieman replied to broken9597's topic in Germany: All Eras: The Iron Cross
Based on the photos shown, the cross looks like a nice original to me. The damaged enamel and lack of a case will hurt the sale. Put it up for under a grand and it should fly quickly. I will caution you that my opinion is based solely on the images shown. In hand would be the best determination of authenticity. It really comes down to that these days. -
EK 1914 How to authenticate?
Stogieman replied to broken9597's topic in Germany: All Eras: The Iron Cross
Bigger, up-close photos as well please!