Republic of Cuba Cuban Ribbon Bars

[Taz]

After looking at post #4 again, bottom bar, is it possible that the numerals are added later. They look out of line.

Regards Eddie.

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope, just cheap little nasty printed paper "ribbons."

The fact that some are plain simple dull Roman numerals and the others have a "super deluxe" gold metallic downstroke accent suggests at least two different manufacturers or 2 different time periods... so the "upside downers" weren't all just one batch from a particularly bad Monday in 1989 or whenever! :cheeky:

[Guest Rick Research]

Just got in yet ANOTHER ribbon bar (thanks Greg ) with printed BLUE-WHITE-GREEN stripes for the long service awards, despite the fact that the cloth ones issued with boxed medals are always GREEN-WHITE-BLUE.

Meanwhile, here is a Monday Morning Mutant, but which indicates how these horrible paper ribbon bars are made-- this mis-chopped Playa Giron Medal clearly shows that widths of "ribbon" were separated by wide white areas-- which this factory worker managed to mangle!

[Noor]

Jees guys, where I can find even one example of communist period Cuban bar as well! Looks like Rick is hoovering them all together!

[fizztouch]

I think the "ribbons" are a bit thicker and printed with a more "enamel" sort of surface than DDR paper ones. That shows most clearly in the chipping on the right edge of the Combatant of the Liberation on the 3 ribbon bar and the right side of the "XX" on the 4 ribbon bar.

When (oh happy day!) I have accumulated enough (can that day EVER come?) ribbon bars to have "common" duplicates... I may commit

ribbon bar vivesection and bend an end tab and jiggle some out to see what they are actually made OF. I can see the white reverses plainly enough through the "drain holes" in the reverses of the DDR brass hardware-- and these "ribbons" just seem thicker and glossier than East German ones.

I suspect they're sort of "plasticized" which would make sense so they wouldn't dissolve in the tropical humidity.

East German paper ribbon bars, in my limited experience, are TRULY wretched things that very often slip and slide one "ribbon" under the other. These are each individual ribbons--not printed in a single solid row--but seem absolutely "tight."

The trio with the Internationalist Combatant 1st Class has obviously been in the sun a LOT (Angola? ) so that the red has bleached right out of the RAF 1976 Jubilee and the IC 1st itself is quite pinkish BUT... not smeared blurring of ink that sweat/damp would cause if the ink RAN.

I think maybe each ribbon is some form of PLASTIC rather than paper.

But no "spares" to play Doctor Frankenstein with out of idle "scientific" curiosity.

hi, rick its greg just come back hgave some staf if interested let me know best regards greg my email direct kober88@hotmail.com

[pride]

Finally i received this paper ribbons under plastic, it's my first and it was very hard to obtain!

[pride]

...but let's talk about the different ribbons. I can't find the meaning of the third from left..help

[pride]

Ok, i've found it.

[pride]

My second ribbon bar:

Edited December 4, 2011 by pride

[Guest Rick Research]

Well (I was offline 2010-13) I see I am not alone with the mysterious blue-white-green armed forces long services ribbons-- DESPITE what is shown in Taz's uniforms regulations book! And why make nice single mounted CLOTH ribbons with nifty metal devices as SINGLES in the wretched plastic awards cases and then actually wear the miserably cheap printed paper ones?

[Riker87]

Hello guys, I'm back from Cuba and I have many, many new militaria items.

Here are my new ribbon bars:

And the back side:

[Taz]

Very nice!!

Have you been giving lessons on how to mount ribbons? lol

I wonder why the one guy has the Medalla Conmemorativa "30 Anniversario de FAR" ribbon the "50 Anniversario de FAR" also, but not the 40.

Regards Eddie

[Riker87]

Hello Eddie,

the following information gave me my "source" (he is officer in the army):

1 bar - until Primer Teniente

2 bars - until Capitán

3 bars - Mayor and Teniente Coronel

4 bars - Coronel

4 + 1 bar - General de Brigada

4 + 2 bars - General de División

4 + 3 bars - General del Cuerpo

About your question: I don't know.^^

Saludos

Manuel