Large medal bar

[dante]

For appraisal...........west wall ribbon glows under black light

Edited April 17, 2008 by dante

[dante]

For appraisal...........

back !!!!

[Chris Boonzaier]

At the limit a post 45 mounted bar for an Austrian vet?

But a very, very, very unlikely set?

[Paul R]

I dont like it. The ribbons seem to be in varying states(some more dirty and worn than others). Also, the Spanish medal is on the wrong ribbon, isn't it? Should the Eastern Campaign medal be before the HK?

[dante]

I dont like it. The ribbons seem to be in varying states(some more dirty and worn than others). Also, the Spanish medal is on the wrong ribbon, isn't it? Should the Eastern Campaign medal be before the HK?

Paul, thanks, My feeling is post 1945 put together a closer look at the "18 year" shows its a caste copy.......back into the pot

[J Temple-West]

There are a lot of these large post '45 bars about. Beware!

[Ulsterman]

Appraisal: $350 tops-the sum of the parts, assuming original parts.

Look at the story here (I can't wait for Ricks' comments):

...some sort of WW1 jr. Austrian enlisted front fighter, who gets an 18 LS medal by 1940 (!-and HOW exactly does that happen?), serves in Spain, (1937-38) and ends up on the West Wall (39-40), then is off to Russia where he's with Army Group South in a Luftwaffe unit. The bar would have to date from late 1942-early 1945 a mere 30 month period of time. Maybe slightly possible for a Luftwaffe Nachtrichten/rear- echelon type guy, but really,really, really, really doubtful. Oh and the Ostmedal goes before the Austrian front service stuff too, it was a decoration.

Also, these monster bars are made in Austria and have been for the past 15-20 years. I don't like the look of the EK.

It has all the classic signs of a manufactured fake: big, made up of common medals, lots of foreign awards at the end, tighter, flatter stitching....oh and missing a LS eagle, apparently never there in the first place.

In my opinion, as someone who has collected and looked tens of thousands of photos of these trinkets being worn, ANY Third Reich medal bar (not imperial) that has more than six medals on it is immediately suspect. Large TR bars are rarer than hens teeth and SOLDIERS in 1943-45 weren't wearing them very often in the course of their every day lives.

Con men know that a classic come-on is to make the mark very attractive ("triple your money in 90 days and NO risk"). This has just enough tidbits to be a good con and it is one.

Anyway, I know I am ranting in front of the converted, so to speak.. so sorry.

For comparison:

Edited April 17, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Stogieman]

When you look at a bar like this...

step one, look at the folds of the ribbons.

They should all be the same, or darn close to the same.....

No self-respecting German taylor, or jeweler would have let this bar leave his shop...

[Scott]

Love the backing

[Guest Rick Research]

Yup-- AUSTRIAN with 18 years WEHRMACHT long service and no lower grade Austrian Bundesheer long service award NOT possible. In Spain... miraculously AFTER the 1938 Anschluss when German volunteers were coming HOME? Precedence incorrect, spaced so widely that actually WEARING would be impossible (um, armpit to armpit? )...

and of course the original but uncommon Flat Bottom ribbons style universal with lazy untalented Frankenstein crooks.