Brian Wolfe

I have repaired medals with the mounting rings off before but it is a tricky business and unless you are very good with solder I would not recommend it. My wife's nephew is a jewelery designer and maker and one of the few real watch makers left and when I asked him for tips he surprised me with his answer. Since any medal in a collection will probbaly never be worn he suggested using epoxy (Super Glue is probably the same thing) and I have used this method with great results. Even though it is not solder you still must be very careful otherwise the repair will be seen but with a steady hand and only using a very small amount you will have a repair that will not show up. Black light will always show up a repair by the way. The other method is, of course, take it to a professional. Regards Brian

Hello Jesper, Welcome to the forum. You have a very impressive collection thank you for sharing the images of it with us. Regards Brian

Thank you Mervyn, When I started this thread I had no idea it would catch on as it has. A while back I asked Nick to change the title from a personal collection thread to a generic title as the members soon made it theirs, and I could not be happier. Many thanks to all of the members who have made this what it is today. Regards to all, Brian

If I were going to purchase potassium nitrate I'd look for it at a garden supply store. It's used in fertilizer. As far as making your own gunpowder, it's easier said than done. Mixture has to be exact as well as the consistency of the ingredients. What I am getting at is that a display of such ingredients should be fairly safe, or so my good friend Stumpy always used to say. Regards Brian

Hello IrishGunner, Once again thanks for the information and upon closer examination of the badges and the newest photos you have posted I would agree that the ones I have are indeed of the beret style. I won't comment on the ladies in uniform again least I reveal my inner hedonistic alter ego. Regards Brian

Hello IrishGunner, I was actually wondering if that was what they were but thought I was just dreaming. Now that I see the officers in your photos I think I am still dreaming. They're enough to make a fellow commit a crime just to be arrested by them. Many thanks for the information. Regards Brian

Hello Everyone, I just purchased a bulk lot of medals and there were two identical cap badges in the lot and I have no idea as to their identification. The badge measures 61 mm (2 1/2 inches) tall, 56 mm (2 1/4 inches) wide with the bomb being 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter. There are three holes, one at the top of the flame and two more holes, one at each side of the flame for attachment. It is made of stamped medal that is non-ferrous (non-magnetic) and has a nickel finish. I think this looks like a grenadier's cap badge but that is only a guess. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Regards Brian

Hello Keith, I can't help with your question though I would be interested in hearing the answer myself. I just wanted to welcome you to the forum and look forward to hearing more from you in the future. Regards Brian

Hi Mike, I don't like to just say, "nice job", but nice job. You've taken some great groupings and made them much better, not everyone can do that. Regards (with no small degree of envy for your skills) , Brian

Hi Lion 101, Check this link out. The medals are Indian but I use the same method on British except I don't stitch along the medal's mounting bar. http://sagongs.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=2511 You can send me an email if you would like more assistance.

A great post all around. I really like to see the historical component and the addition photographic images such as the charge and of Von Bredow himself along with the medal. Regards Brian

Hello djn, First, allow me to welcome you to the forum. Your first submissions are fantastic. I've collection some Austrian medals but never anything as nice as what you and Pinpon590 have posted. A hardy thanks to the both of you for posting such beautiful specimens. Regards Brian

Since I first started seriously collecting back in the 1970s (where did the time go?) I've seen many of these. I let my only one go as part of a trade a couple of years back and regretted it ever since but there is a replacement somewhere in the mail and I hope arriving next week. When you get older you tend to drift off topic, sorry. Back on track. I am confident in saying that this is most likely an engraving made after issue. I've never seen one named, officially or otherwise, and the style of engraving, albeit excellent, looks like it was done by a jeweller, or more than likely a trophy engraver. Nice piece, it certainly "beats" the unnamed specimens for interest. Thanks for posting it. Regards Brian

Hi Hardy, Thanks for the information. Now there is something else to watch for. Regards Brian

Hello Fellows, I don't have the years of collecting to speak with any authority, however, I've searched through the internet as well as dealer's website and I've never seen these offered for sale. I have only one publication dealing with the FreiKorps and it shows what I believe is pretty well the whole range of "official" awards and this was not among them. Regards Brian

Hi Luke, If I recall correctly the First World War was the reason for the impementation of the Income Tax in Canada. Hmmm, now the War is "over" I wonder how long it will be until Ottawa does away with the Income Tax Act? I won't hold my breath. Regards Brian

Hello Greg, Welcome to the forum, good to see that there are more and more Canadians joining all the time. Those are some nice finds. There was a Gun Show about 2 hours from my place on the weekend but I decided to head South instead of North East). If it was the same show I will kick myself as I turned up next to nothing! Regards Brian

Hello Mervyn, I am always amazed that some veterans would wear their medals the way they saw fit and not necessarily according to the regulations. Speaking about the Third Reich in this case I would have thought that would be one place were you would want to conform to regulations, OR ELSE! However, we've seen that this was not always the case. My own father added a campaign medal to his group because he believed he had earned it. I wasn't there so I have no right to criticize him on his decision. Chris has made a very good point regarding this group. I would think that the police medal would fetch a much better price than either of the service medals so switching them may have been done by the dealer. I will say that all of the "problems" of wrong medals being on group ribbons has come from one dealer that I buy from. Or perhaps more accurately, used to buy from. Upon a closer inspection of this group I would have to say that the condition of both service crosses looks correct, that is to say, they look like they have been together since they were mounted. Before I am seen as trashing this dealer let me say that in all fairness it could be that the dealer's suppliers are making the switch before passing them along. It really is a matter of collector beware...I should try to put that in Latin, it would sound ever so intellectual. Drat! Missed my chance once again. Having said all of that, I don't think I will switch any of the crosses of the group in favour of a police medal as I could not be 100% sure of being correct when completed. In the case of the wrong medal being on a ribbon I think nothing of switching the medals in order to bring the group back to the way it should be. Regards Brian

Hi Timo, It's none of my business but I would suggest you hold off until you find one in a box. One of the things I have been very poor on has been keeping track of how much I spend on my hobby. I've never cared about the money only the hobby, probably why I will never be rich. So I can't help you on the amount you should spend. The one thing I believe I did do correctly, for the most part, was to purchase only boxed Japanese medals. Just my 2 yens worth. Regards Brian

Hello Kurys, Welcome to the forum, it's good to see so many fellow Canadians joining. It's that time of the year here, at least in Ontario, where these smelly little creatures seem to spend a lot of time crossing roads at night only to meet their end under a passing vehicle. It makes the drive to work in the morning a fragrant experience. Just so this is not totally off topic, I also use vinegar as Unit8 mentioned in his post on 7 Sept. 2009. One must use caution when using any acid, I've found that leaving the medal in the vinegar, with extreme cases, works well but timing is everything. I experimented with a "junk" medal (unnamed of course) and it is possible that even an acid as mild as vinegar, which is only 5% acetic acid, will remove detail with too much exposure. Regards Brian

Hi Johnb74, Welcome to the forum. Finely a use for hawthorn needles, all these years of cursing them and now to find out they have a purpose. I've been using round tooth picks. They work well for about 3 seconds and then blunt off. I would think hawthorn would be more durable. Thanks for the tip. Regards Brian

Hi Chris, This is about as close a view that I can get clearly. If the Police Medal was removed then I may have to look for one to switch for the Service Cross, but which one and for how many years service, is the question. The only Police Medal I have is in a group and the eagle is stitched onto the ribbon above the medal. I've seen others where there looks to be a separate piece of blue ribbon attached above the medal with the eagle stitched into that piece of ribbon. There is no sign that anything else was ever attached to either ribbon above these medals. I love a mystery. What are your thoughts after viewing this more closely? Regards Brian