Hi Ed, always a touchy subject. I think the purist wants it just the way it was when found. Wrong, damaged, etc. However the realist wants the correct medal hanging on that hook. Since one Bavarian 9-Year LSM is the same as any other Bavarian 9-Year LSM...... see what I mean? But, Imperialists also do not like replacement ribbons. Ewww! Glowing ribbon? Ewwwwe. But. A loose Bulgarian WW1 medal hung back on an original tri-fold? No big deal. loose anything mated with a correct period ribbon, well. OK for many. There will always be 2 sides to this street. I would submit that IMO, if one is not faking named/numbered/ID'd medals; If one only brings life back to loose pieces by mating them with strictly original bars and materials, that one is preserving history, not really altering it. However, made whole out of pure parts in fantasy combinations/mimicing what we know to be real. that is evil and deceptive in the worst way. Yuck!