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Odd WW1 Purple Heart on eBay


Dave
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The auction for this PH ended this evening, though I was curious about it before. I partially kick myself for not jumping in on it at the $499 BIN, but I couldn't justify it...it's really nothing I collect. But it was still really interesting. I've never seen WW1 engraving like this before...and then in a WW2 dated box to the guy as a Navy commander...but with a four digit number.

I'd sure love to hear some thoughts on the medal. It's legit government engraving, at least as I see it, but not in the standard box one would see for a medal like this, and definitely not with WW2 postmarks.

 

Quite an oddball!

 

Dave

 

 

WW1_odd_PH.jpg

WW1_odd_PH2.jpg

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Looking at it again, I just assumed that "Commander" was in the Navy. Maybe that could have been a different title.

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Look at the engraving of the A's. I'll bet the last two lines were added by a different engraver

 

Good call Tom!

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I'd say standard named WW1 PH with "CPL-INF AEF" added unofficially by the vet after receiving it. Not sure the interesting address/box and additional engraving double the value (i.e., $499), but still very cool.

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Guys - A friend of mine owned this - I did the research for him - The "Commander" was in fact a VFW rank - Although this was interesting because of the box etc. there really is not much of a story here beyond what was turned up.

 

R/Bill

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I'm working from memory here, and won't be able see my copy till later today, but isn't this medal illustrated in "The Call of Duty" 2nd ed. ??

 

DakotaDave

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Just a normal 1st production PH with some added engraving (CPL-INF, AEF). Somehow it was put in another small blue box. Ther brown carton adressed to the same person could have contained anything.

Nothing fancy IMHO.

 

regards

Herman

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I'm working from memory here, and won't be able see my copy till later today, but isn't this medal illustrated in "The Call of Duty" 2nd ed. ??

 

DakotaDave

 

 

Got home and checked "The Call to Duty" by Strandberg and Bender and sure enough on page 174 of the 2nd edition is this same medal.

 

I even have a margin note I made regarding the engraving being done by two different engravers due to obvious differences in the "hand" used to engrave the name versus the rest of the wording.

 

DakotaDave

 

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Just a normal 1st production PH with some added engraving (CPL-INF, AEF). Somehow it was put in another small blue box. Ther brown carton adressed to the same person could have contained anything.

Nothing fancy IMHO.

 

regards

Herman

 

 

That was one of the things that made me wonder as well, as it should have been a BBB box. However, the number on the PH and the number on the box matched, so it was obviously intentionally done.

 

I wonder if the guy sent it back to the PQMD to have it additionally engraved during the war???

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Got home and checked "The Call to Duty" by Strandberg and Bender and sure enough on page 174 of the 2nd edition is this same medal.

 

I even have a margin note I made regarding the engraving being done by two different engravers due to obvious differences in the "hand" used to engrave the name versus the rest of the wording.

 

DakotaDave

 

 

 

Man, I didn't realize it was famous! :)

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That was one of the things that made me wonder as well, as it should have been a BBB box. However, the number on the PH and the number on the box matched, so it was obviously intentionally done.

 

I wonder if the guy sent it back to the PQMD to have it additionally engraved during the war???

Thats it Dave.!! He (or someone close to him) probably did. The PQMD added the engraving, put it in a blue WW2 type box and shipped it to his home adress of 1942.

 

Problem solved i think.

 

Herman

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Perhaps the original box was badly crushed in shipment on the way to the PQMD and it was replaced.

 

I find it somewhat unusual that a vet. would bother to return a named Purple Heart simply to have the additional info. added at Government expense.

And, surprised the PQMD actually did it. Army Regs. for the Purple Heart was name only.

 

 

Wharf

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