one of the more interesting bars for the franco-prussian war ...

[Christian L]

As the colonial sector was more or less calm the last time for me and i had a little spare time i went today to a dealer in my area with the hope to spend some money

And this is what i purchased from Uwe Bretzendorfer

With the 3 inofficial ones its a real TREASURE!

Never seen a bar with 3 inofficial clasps and in such a well made quality - increadible!

And i guess a very good start into the various official and better inoffical clasps of the 1870/71 medal.

I guess you can imagine who good i feel at the moment

Hope you like it as well. Christian

[Guest Rick Research]

Can you tell from those unauthorized ones what the man's regiment would have been?

[VtwinVince]

Tolle Spange, Christian, ich gratuliere.

[HeikoGrusdat]

WOW baby.....!!!!!

Christian, I am in the battle clasps for some years now..... but the last two are really new for me, I have seen them never before!!!

GREAT FIND!!!

[Stogieman]

Is it my eyes? The bottom three seem to have aged very differently from the top two....

[Wild Card]

Stogie - Being 2 ?official? vs. 3 ?unofficial?, I suspect that the composition (alloy) of the two different types would not be the same - hence, they would age differently. No?

Christian -

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Stogieman]

Yes, different metals will age differently. To my eyes, the bottom 3 bars look like they were added after the fact. look closely at the pebbled background of the top 2, then the bottom 3.... Look at the age, staining, dirt in the top 2... nothing visible like that on the bottom 3 from this photo. Looks very odd to me to have that kind of difference....

[HeikoGrusdat]

yes the bars look different..... but every one of the 5 bars looks good and original old for me!!!

[Ralph A]

Reverse, please...

[Stogieman]

Exactly, they will age differently.... but why would they acquire dirt, dust and patina differently? I have no dispute with authenticity of the bars, that's not my area of debate. My concern is: to my eyes, these bars have not been on this bar, handled, stored and worn at the same time. If they were, then why is there no dirt, dust, grime, grease, whatever on the 3 lower bars in the same places as the two upper bars???

[HeikoGrusdat]

maybe the inofficial ones were added by the owner some years after the official ones... and maybe he did not wear the bar often after adding the 3 more bars... Christian, can you see the prongs on the back of the clasps? What do they look like?

[Christian L]

Thanks a lot!!!

I think its possible, at least i try it (it can take a little, but in the end i'm sure i'll have a unit).

Yes, they look different, but all together look a little "worn" on the hights (and as some high positions, which are lower than others, have no worn off gilding i'd say its because the usual wearing caused it that only the highest parts got worn off). The metal is different as the worn off parts on the inofficial and the official ones doesn't match to 100% - so like Wild Card said its a different alloy used for them.

The prongs are flat - similar to official ones.

And as the ribbon and the sewing covers some prongs totally or partitially (and the ribbon is very taut) i'm sure they where not added later. Another reason is, at least i think, that if he had only the official ones first, he would have them put into the middle and not on the top - as this would be more estheticaly.

On the clasps (official and inofficial ones) there is no dirt nor rust - just different alloy (which reacted different during the time due to its content materials).

Christian

[Christian L]

And now, a small postcard i was very happy in getting it!

Hope you like it as well.

Christian