Soviet Nail Polish & Watering Cans: A Perfect Painted Sheet Ribbon Bar ca 1968

[Guest Rick Research]

Santa Cousin also left this for me.

These reverse-painted "fingernail polish" ribbons are usually alkl chipped and broken, but this one has survived good as new. I've never been able to figure out HOW they did these-- ??? painted while the plastic was soft and warm and then draped over the medal bar? Or was the pllastic simply more flexible back then and has petrified with age?

What story does this one tell?

The 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee indicates he was still on active duty then. No 1958 means he had left to join the ranks of the toiling masses. The 1965 and 1968 Jubilees indicate that he was alive then. Absence of a Lenin 1970 Jubilee mAY indicate this dates 1968-70... but perhaps he simply didn't qualify for one of those. In any case, it pre-dates 1975 since that Jubilee is not present.

So-- what about his two wartime Orders? Obviously a "real" Patriotic War 2nd Class. I'd guess that is a "real" Red Star too, and that he was discharged around 1948 with less than 10 years service (no Military Merit Medal). If that was a November 1944 long service Red Star, he would almost certainly have had his 20 in for a Red Banner by 1948/49. Maaaaaaybe he was demobilized with 19 years in... but it seems likely to me (?) that he'd actually had less than 10 and was thus easier to rejoin the civilian workforce.

My best guess? Called out for the war in 1941, discharged as a Captain.

... ???

[Eric Gaumann]

Nice one Ricky! As you well know good bars are getting harder to find.

Sadly I don't have any really fancy schmancy ones like your example but I do have one with what looks like aluminum foil under the ribbons.

Lemme go get the camera out!

[Eric Gaumann]

Here it is.

I tried a side shot as well.

Apologies for the poor image quality; it seems my photographic skills have desrted me for the moment.

Plain dark green/black cloth backing.

[Guest Rick Research]

Does it smell like chocolate under there?

That's a strange type I've never seen before... AND-- what is the red and blue 2nd ribbon in the next to last row? :cheers:

[Ferdinand]

You mean the black and blue Capture of K?nigsberg ribbon?

[Christophe]

(...) AND-- what is the red and blue 2nd ribbon in the next to last row?

Hi Rick,

I think it is the ribbon of the Medal 60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

Cheers.

Ch.

[Guest Rick Research]

No--the row above that. I think Ferdinand is right-- it must be a K?nigsberg with strangely distorted colors from the green and black:

My eye is seeing red and blue there. :cheers:

[Eric Gaumann]

No--the row above that. I think Ferdinand is right-- it must be a K?nigsberg with strangely distorted colors from the green and black:

My eye is seeing red and blue there.

It is a CoK ribbon and it's much more greener in real life.

It's just that the lighing conditions were a bit dodgey when I shot it, *and*

I fiddled with it Photoshop.

So apologies for the confusion.

It does kinda look like a chocolate bar, doesn't it? :)

Edited December 31, 2008 by Eric Gaumann

[Christophe]

(...)

My eye is seeing red and blue there.

and ...

[Guest Rick Research]

I am like Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg with 1 eye only with more fingers--though the way I type even that is about the same. :catjava:

[Christophe]

I am like Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg with 1 eye only with more fingers--though the way I type even that is about the same.

He, he...

Ch.

[JimZ]

Here it is.

I tried a side shot as well.

Apologies for the poor image quality; it seems my photographic skills have desrted me for the moment.

Plain dark green/black cloth backing.

As I see them:

OGPW2, ORS, MMM, Lenin Centenary

Germany, Caucuses, 20th An. GPW, 30th An. GPW,

40 An. GPW, Koenigsberg, 50 years SAF, 60 Years SAF

70 years SAF, Veteran of labour

Would have expected the Koenigsberg to have been mounted on the 2nd row before the commemorative medals. I've come across both green and blue Koenigsberg. Never quite figured out if its discoloration or some later replacement ribbon that was not exactly green!! As far as I have seen on other ribbons, green usually tends to become much lighter over time rather than become a bold blue.

Jim

[Eric Gaumann]

As I see them:

OGPW2, ORS, MMM, Lenin Centenary

Germany, Caucuses, 20th An. GPW, 30th An. GPW,

40 An. GPW, Koenigsberg, 50 years SAF, 60 Years SAF

70 years SAF, Veteran of labour

Would have expected the Koenigsberg to have been mounted on the 2nd row before the commemorative medals.

The one thing I've found searching for Sovibars is that for every one that is the totally correct order there are at least ten that are not.