Imperial

Wild Card, After the 'War of Northern Aggression" (as they call that affair of 1861-65 down here) we were stripped of all our equipment here in the Rebel capitol by you darn Yankees....Thus, the quality has suffered ever since!

I think "Imperial" rather catchy myself. More so than "STP". But "STP" has its merits for those race fans out there. Less (sorry for the typo) You can ply your nonsense as an extension of whatever goals you desire, but know one day that when you write your book on the "what ifs" of history, the Model bar won't be on the cover. Congratulations Paul, once again. Your contribution deserves its day in the sun, shining brightly, and so does the medal bar you discovered.

Hitler diaries? As an analogy? You've got to be joking. Someone selling diaries promulgated as having been written BY Hitler and an anonymous medal bar later shown through research to have belong to a prominent German commander? I don't see any connection. George Petersen (Spelled correctly with an "e" not "o") has sold thousands of high end pieces. Burned once on an RK grouping is a matter of statistics with that much volume. One anonymous medal bar carefully matched with existing records does not a long shot make.

Paul, Congratulations on a wonderful and really outstanding bar. Your research has ferreted out from the woodwork a long lost piece of important history. I, for one, wish I had your set of skills. Kudos to the Rickmeister as well. His selfless devotion to helping others is one of the biggest benefits of being a member of this forum. I look forward to your future discoveries!

Oh yeah, That getup will make you really inconspicuous. Now your trying to dress like Model too. SP

Paul, You are to be congratulated. It is a wonderful bar and you not only earned it by keeping the books and your mind open. you deserve it because you did the research and hours of study to see what others had not. Rick, you deserve a chocolate milkshake (or vanilla) for being the backbone of the research team in the U.S. Folks, these men pour their souls (sometimes pure, sometimes not) into countless pages and endless lists that drip back minute particles of gratification. It is only when a bar comes along like the one Paul found that the payoff is big, and in this case huge!! It could not have happened to a better guy or better team of gentlemen. I am thrilled for you all, but most especially for Paul who has worked years to finally earn this payday. STP

Hope I am wrong and will happily be, but I must agree, the document has some anomalies that seem to indicate a photocopy, and an older one at that. Look at the seam along the fold in the middle. Unless the paper has somehow stretched or is deeply scored that could be toner lifting from the center of the lettering. Also, there is what appears to be a copied hole punch that has again been punched through (I can't see the document as I write this but it is near the top, with a dimple sitting next to one of the punched holes) Also, (and this might just be because of a low-res image)the detail appears to show script broken as in an older photocopy machine. Also, this document is in a frame. Did it come that way? Can it be removed? I once owned a 1870 EKII doc that I thought was an original, as it was copied onto old looking parchment paper, but it turned out to be a repro. There are also a number of specks in the open areas, which may indicate dust on the glass of a copier. Again, I am speculating, but would love to see the doc removed from its frame and a closeup of the center line. Cheers, Imperial

Ferg, Always nice to see your wonderful examples and read your analysis. Thanks again for sharing. Stephen