IrishGunner

These medals likely are not from veteran's organizations; they usually were issued by local communities - towns/cities/counties - to their citizens who served in the Great War. As you note, it's a generic design; so, some smaller communities might have saved money by buying the generic stock medals. Many locales, however, had their own unique designs made with their town's name.

The two medals with green ribbons on the left are American Legion annual convention commemorative medals. I can only read the top medal's city - Miami; the Legion's convention has been held in Miami several different times, so the medal probably has a year on it. The medal to the immediate left of the Victory Medal is a local "victory" medal awarded by towns/cities/counties; several locales used similar designs, but based on the NY State Victory Medal, this one is likely from a NY community; it may have a town name on it. The medal lower right with the 1st Division patch is not a shooting medal; rather it is a WWI 1st Division AEF Veterans Medal. This one looks a little too "pristine" for my taste to be original. The battle clasps on the Victory Medal also match to the 1st Division (Montdidier-Noyon is only to the 1st Division and/or attached units). The two Maltese crosses in the upper right are Masonic Knights Templar Maltese Crosses. The medal with the yellow/blue striped ribbon is a modern Armed Forces Reserve Medal and seems very out of place with this group.

Another interesting China-related WWI commemorative:

An interesting piece - certainly agree that it's an unofficial "commemorative." First time I've seen anything like it...

Made that trip yet to Capparetto?

KIA first day of the Battle of Messines. Nice pick-up.

Yea, Chris, this really is the first US medal that I thought was totally unnecessary and completely "cheap" looking. Of course, this is the artist concept, actual medals haven't been produced yet. But I thought the GWOT Expeditionary Medal, which was already authorized for this campaign, was sufficient.

Let the debate begin. I think it looks like a commemorative medal vice a campaign medal. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/708442/department-of-defense-publishes-inherent-resolve-campaign-medal-guidance

I am in awe just with this "taking shape" shot. Impressive. I knew you were a serious collector, but I think most of us could be lost for hours/days in your "two small rooms" exploring your treasures. Only one suggestion... You still need a corner that looks something like this...

Gunner, PM sent. Thanks! Here is Carter - not sure what medal ribbon he is wearing. Also, an image of his grave.

I always thought the 1956 Suez Crisis needed more discussion.

You keep getting artillery pieces. I swear you secretly want to be a gunner.

Gunner, thanks! Image matches a photo I have of the man in uniform...

This is an understatement. Oh, you are talking about compasses. Yea, our compasses are bigger and better too... So, if Brit ones would swing for ages, exactly how is that better? To me, the sooner a compass settles and finds its equilibrium orientation the better. Especially if I am out in No-man's-land, where the artillery can come quick, I'd want my compass to settle fast so I can get out of there...and go in the right direction!

I suspect your Reuß bravery pair must be a bit scarce to find... Thanks for sharing.

Christophe, that's an impressive group in #31. I'm not familiar with the cross with the yellow/red/black ribbon (and what I assume is it's 1st Class counterpart). Which German State is this from?

Later version of a Bavarian Landwehr II. Kl.

On an Army band uniform, small mini groups make perfect sense. Army band uniforms are unit issue items because they are required for performances. Band members do not have to purchase those items. Same for ceremonial units like the Old Guard in Washington, DC. However, for everyone else, mess dress uniforms are optional and therefore, private purchase and expensive. Of course, officers have to buy all uniforms. Again, expensive. I am old, but in my day, it was rare that an officer bought a mess dress uniform before being at least a senior captain or a major. Even rarer for an enlisted soldier until they were a senior NCO. Often officers waited until they attended Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS - also the headquarters of Marlow White, a famous military tailor since 1879 - probably not a coincidence. You are right, it doesn't seem likely that a "faker" would go to the trouble for such common medals. But probably more common than we as collectors would like... And I've distracted this thread long enough...maybe I should go scan my "small" miniature set (made by Marlow White by the way) to bring the thread back to topic.

I found this young corporal and sergeant, but I couldn't find an Army lieutenant or captain. (Of course, recent combat vets; so, they have a bit more than a Cold War era soldier.) So, other ranks and subalterns certainly do buy/wear mess dress and miniature medals. It's just not usual in my opinion, which makes me see small groups as possibly incomplete. Seems more common for company grade officers in the Air Force: Like I said, not impossible for small mini groups. Just very unusual for the Army. And in my opinion "unusual" means it is worth asking the extra questions to be sure something is genuine. (And tailor made does not mean it's authentic.) On the other hand, Navy groups tend to be small as I understand their tradition is to wear the "top three". Paul might confirm this...

Do you have any with a company grade officer in mess dress? That's my point. Not that the full authorization of medals is wrong, but that it is unusual for mini medal sets to be this small. Not impossible, but unusual. I would bet a case of good German beer not one of these fine young soldiers own a Mess Dress uniform on which they could wear mini medals.

The Bronze Star with V/Air Medal/ARCOM likely is a top row. With the bottom row starting with either a Good Conduct Medal (if enlisted) or a NDSM (if officer) and then a campaign medal like a Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or Vietnam Service Medal (and maybe a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal). The ARCOM/AAM/Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal could be the complete deal for a for an officer (Good Conduct Medal ranking in precedence above the reserve component medal) serving in the Reserves after 1971 in the period 1975-1989 when no NDSM was authorized. The ARCOM/AAM/NDSM could be the complete deal for a company grade Army officer serving during the Cold War era with no joint assignments. And he/she decided to put out the cash for mess dress before most of his peers did so...usually when they reached senior captain/major. The Air Force NCO bar is a nice one with a lot of joint assignments. Added: Oh, I quite agree that not every officer had a lot of medals as company grade officers. (I had two until I was a senior captain.) Note I originally posted the above comments moments before your response. What I'm saying is that most company grade officers with few medals didn't usually spend the money for a mess dress uniform on which they could wear two or three medals. Certainly, some did...but it is unusual. And I still believe it isn't possible that the Airlift bar is a "top" bar. There aren't a lot of campaign medals after the World War II Army Occupation Medal that would make sense as a bottom row, especially with no achievement awards before the Good Conduct Medal. It's possible that it stands alone...as I said, for a very proud vet of the airlift, but what did he wear it on?

Well, get busy researching/writing! We want to read every detail.

Yes, Berlin Airlift devices are scarce. Something about this one just does not feel right to me though. Miniature medal sets are worn on mess dress uniforms. [Although they can also be worn on civilian formal attire (e.g. tuxedo) or other civilian attire for occasions like Veterans Day after retiring or leaving military service]. Mess dress uniforms are quite expensive; so, in my experience, usually senior NCOs or officers have those in their closet. And with that rank, I would expect more decorations. I suppose this could be a vet who was proud of his Berlin Airlift service, especially since he has missed having WW2 campaign medals to add to the bar, but I have doubts about this one. To be honest, I'm not convinced about the other Army bars with only three medals. They seem incomplete to me... They could be only one row of authorized decorations, but I have my doubts that hey stand alone as they are.

Unfortunately, the bottom left ribbon is not a WWI Victory Medal ribbon bar. This is the WWI Victory Medal: Note that the ribbon in your group has two white stripes. (The WW2 Victory Medal ribbon has two white stripes, but this is not that ribbon either.) According to this website on US State National Guard ribbons, your ribbon is an obsolete Service Medal. (See chart below; bottom left ribbon.) It gives no other information, but given the similarity it could be related to WWI service (although the NY State medal for WWI has a blue/white ribbon). Many of the other ribbons appear on the NY pages. You can find the 14th Inf. Regt. medal for example. However, the blue ribbon with 5 yellow center stripes (second row from top, second ribbon from right) is a California Federal Service ribbon. (See second chart; bottom row, second from left.) I suspect they are not all from NY. Actually, the ribbon (second row from top, first from right) looks like a ROTC ribbon from somewhere in my memory. [Yep, Reserve Officer Association award for ROTC. See below.]