DCLI Posted 14 July , 2004 Share Posted 14 July , 2004 I am looking for a general concensus on - should I replace tatty, short, original ribbons with new ones? Will it devalue the item, not just in monetary terms? Also, I have some medals in their original boxes, with the ribbons loose - should I put the ribbons on or leave as is? Best regards to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrB Posted 14 July , 2004 Share Posted 14 July , 2004 This is from a tyro in the forum, but a very respected artist and medal collector, not of just British things, but all countries, told me several years ago that a new medal ribbon did not devaluate or subtract from the medals merit. He said that even "the originals" were sometimes highly suspect and since the medals real value is in the medal itself and its naming, if any, a new ribbon doesn't make any difference. (definately not true for a Napoleonic piece!) That is what I have been told and I hope this starts a discussion and/or some disagreement. DrB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bagshaw Posted 14 July , 2004 Share Posted 14 July , 2004 Really it's a personal choice. Some people like their medals to look smart and others like to leave them how they are. It's a bit like the debate on whether to clean them. Personally, if the medal is to a casualty and they have tatty ribbons i like to leave them alone. It's the way they have been since a family member put them there and how they remembered their loved one. If the medals have no ribbon i put a new one on, but not one of the very cheap and nasty one's! But like i say, it's a personal choice and do what feels right by you. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitri Posted 14 July , 2004 Share Posted 14 July , 2004 Hi there- When it comes to collectors of British (thus named - in most part) medals the general consensus is that replacing ribbons does not detract value. This may not be true for some Victorian medals, but seems to be, in most peoples' view, the case for WW1 medals. However, when it comes to foreign medals, original ribbons can make quite a significant difference in price. For Greek ODM, for example, which I am familiar with, certain medals can lose up to 30-40% of their value if they do not come with a ribbon or have a modern replacement (in certain cases modern ribbons are not available). Why is this the case? I have not got the slightest clue... Dimitri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroc Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Hi, My view on the subjest is simple; keep the old ones, if only for the senimental and historical value, but medals were issued as a gift from the Nation for services rendered; thus, they should be maintained, either by the recipient or those individuals now in possession of them, as if they were to be worn or displayed in a symbolic reflection of that service. Therefore, the ribbons, as an important part of that symbolism, should be presented in their full glory. The decision to opt for a particular ribbon was always an integral part of the medallic process (see, for example, the WW2 Defence Medal, with its shaded representaions of the British countryside, the Blackout and the flames of the Blitz), and so, in short, I say; Replace them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroc Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 By the way, as a Westcountryman, I'm intrigued by your user name DCLI; explanation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCLI Posted 18 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Easy - my grandfather's regiment during WW1. My grandmother was Cornish but he was from the Midlands, strangely enough an area the DCLI used to recruit. They met while he was convalesing from wounds received on the Somme. regards Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroc Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Not so strange as it seems, mate; both the DCLI and the Devons relied heavily on recruits from the urban conurbations in order for their battalions to reach full establishment; not only on WW1 (the voluntary period and, obviously, the conscription period) but before the war too; both regiments had large numbers of Londoners, Midlanders and Welshmen serving in their ranks. Primarily this was due to the rural nature of the South West and the relatively low population (a battalion was 1000 strong whether it marched from Bodmin, Exeter or London), but there is the undeniable fact that, in WW1, a fair proportion of Westcountry farmers, fishermen and miners were...how shall we put it...in need of a degree of 'persuasion' to join the forces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david12656 Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 i always leave the meadals as i get them i prefer tatty ribbons and worn medals worn with polishing well loved not dip cleaned i know from a price point of view this reduces the value but it shows they were worn not stuffed in a draw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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