tyanacek Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 Hello to all, I bought this gem of a Customs Service medal bar at the recent MAX Show. I've wanted a medal bar with a Customs Service Decoration on it for a very long time. I never thought, though, that I would find what I consider to be the ultimate in a Customs Service medal bar. It not only has the elusive Customs Service Decoration on it, but it is also an all-Third Reich Period, six-place medal bar (seven-place if you count the Prague Castle Clasp as a separate award). A very very scarce, if not a rare find, in my opinion. Best regards, Tom
M Hunter Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 Tom, This is the longest Customs medal bar I have seen. Well done on getting this one, definitely a rarity!! Best wishes Matt
tyanacek Posted October 4, 2011 Author Posted October 4, 2011 Tom, This is the longest Customs medal bar I have seen. Well done on getting this one, definitely a rarity!! Best wishes Matt Hello Matt, Thank you for your comments. I was very lucky to find this gem of a medal bar. Best regards, Tom
M Hunter Posted October 6, 2011 Posted October 6, 2011 Tom Is the KVK2 made from zinc? It looks like the medal has lost all of its finish. Best wishes Matt
tyanacek Posted October 7, 2011 Author Posted October 7, 2011 Tom Is the KVK2 made from zinc? It looks like the medal has lost all of its finish. Best wishes Matt Hello Matt, Yes, indeed! The KVK2X is a zincer and it looks kinda funny hanging alongside all the nicer-quality medals doesn't it? Pretty much all of the bronze wash is gone, except in the low areas. There is no real wear to the cross though: It's just that the finish has dissipated which, of course, is very common with zinc medals. Best regards, Tom
Chris Boonzaier Posted October 8, 2011 Posted October 8, 2011 I find it hard to get excited by a bar from one of the bastids who opens all my parcels and charges me import tax on German Militaria arriving back in Germany!!!!! Shame on them! Who thought af giving Customs men medals!!??!! Who next? The Tax man????????????? :violent:
tyanacek Posted October 8, 2011 Author Posted October 8, 2011 I find it hard to get excited by a bar from one of the bastids who opens all my parcels and charges me import tax on German Militaria arriving back in Germany!!!!! Shame on them! Who thought af giving Customs men medals!!??!! Who next? The Tax man????????????? I know what you mean, Chris, and I do sympathize with you. The guy wasn't really what I would call a "customs official" though. He was active duty military that got stuck with border patrol duty for at least four years. But once the war got going, he became cannon fodder like the rest of the grunts. Unless, maybe he did get that EK2 for seizing some of your packages. Best regards, Tom
tyanacek Posted October 8, 2011 Author Posted October 8, 2011 Who next? The Tax man????????????? Hello again Chris, As a matter of fact, yes! This bar belonged to Reinhard Giese, a tax-assessor from Berlin-Buchholz: Best regards, Tom
M Hunter Posted October 8, 2011 Posted October 8, 2011 Hello Matt, Yes, indeed! The KVK2X is a zincer and it looks kinda funny hanging alongside all the nicer-quality medals doesn't it? Pretty much all of the bronze wash is gone, except in the low areas. There is no real wear to the cross though: It's just that the finish has dissipated which, of course, is very common with zinc medals. Best regards, Tom Hi Tom, The KVK2 only slightly detracts from the overall attractiveness of the medal bar. Given that the KVK2 is zinc, is it safe to say this medal bar was put together some from 1943 onwards? Best wishes Matt
tyanacek Posted October 8, 2011 Author Posted October 8, 2011 Hi Tom, The KVK2 only slightly detracts from the overall attractiveness of the medal bar. Given that the KVK2 is zinc, is it safe to say this medal bar was put together some from 1943 onwards? Best wishes Matt Hi Matt, I think it looks kinda neat to see the zinc KVK2X surrounded by all the early-quality medals. In my opinion, it doesn't really detract at all. A bronze KVK2X might look a bit nicer on this bar, but would I replace the zincer with a bronze one? Not in a million years! I would definitely agree that this bar was upgraded sometime in the middle of WW2: (at least 1942 or later). What we see here is probably his prewar bar that was upgraded after he received his EK2 and KVK2X. A skilled assembler could remove that four-placer intact off its original backplate an then slide it onto a longer plate and add on the subsequent awards. Or, it could be a completely re-mounted wartime assembly. Best regards, Tom
tyanacek Posted October 11, 2012 Author Posted October 11, 2012 Last year at the 2011 MAX Show, I was finally able to buy a Customs Service Medal bar that had eluded me for far too long. One year later, at the 2012 MAX, I was able to find another gem of a Customs Service bar. This one is only a three-placer, but it is in mint condition and I couldn't pass it up. Hope you like it! Best regards, Tom
J Temple-West Posted January 5, 2013 Posted January 5, 2013 If I may, another bar to add to this most excellent topic.
J Temple-West Posted January 5, 2013 Posted January 5, 2013 As obtained from recipient......Single court-mounted with spare ribbon
Paul R Posted January 5, 2013 Posted January 5, 2013 Hi John, Those are some really great bars. Did you just find them? Paul
J Temple-West Posted January 5, 2013 Posted January 5, 2013 Did you just find them? Paul Had them hanging in the display case for years, Paul.
Guest Rick Research Posted June 10, 2013 Posted June 10, 2013 That first bar is a That's the only one I've ever seen with combat WW2 awards on it (subsequent bars above are the norm), and I'd have thought indicated return to military service BUT just saw a photo at last weekend's show (insane price, by any standard) of a junior customs NCO whose sole award was an Ostmedaille-- I'm wondeing now if they were pressed directly into anti-partisan duty like police and even RAD, uniformed as already equipped. Certainly no "reason" for Combat Customs!!!
tyanacek Posted June 30, 2013 Author Posted June 30, 2013 (edited) That first bar is a That's the only one I've ever seen with combat WW2 awards on it (subsequent bars above are the norm), and I'd have thought indicated return to military service BUT just saw a photo at last weekend's show (insane price, by any standard) of a junior customs NCO whose sole award was an Ostmedaille-- I'm wondeing now if they were pressed directly into anti-partisan duty like police and even RAD, uniformed as already equipped. Certainly no "reason" for Combat Customs!!! Hi Rick, I am pretty certain that the bar is completely original. I have attached pictures of both the front and reverse below. I assumed a member of the Wehrmacht on active duty, that served on border security duty for four years (pre-war) then fought during WW2. I remember Helmut Weize having a nice Customs combatant grouping a number of years ago. It came with his pre-war medal bar (Wehrmacht 12-Year, Wehrmacht 4-Year, Customs Service Decoration, and Czech Annexation Medal), his WW2 combat awards (EK2, Infantry Assault Badge, Wound Badge), and all of his award documents. It was a really neat grouping, but I can't recall the unit he served with during the war. I do remember that no one bought it as a whole, so Weitze split it up. Best regards, Tom Edited June 30, 2013 by tyanacek
tyanacek Posted June 30, 2013 Author Posted June 30, 2013 Here is another example. This bar is not mine, but it sold a few years ago. Carsten Baldes also has a bar with this same combination on his site. Best regards, Tom
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