Kurt Barickman Posted January 26, 2017 Share #26 Posted January 26, 2017 Ditto, very well written and articulated. Thanks from us all. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUV Posted January 26, 2017 Share #27 Posted January 26, 2017 I wrote to all of my elected officials and put them on notice about this bill last year when it was introduced. I even sat down with my local county commissioners because it would have an affect on a small part of my business, even though I only buy and sell medals on a very limited basis, it will still have some impact! I usually only try and purchase unresearched PHs and spend some time putting the Veteran's story together, then I might sell them for $10 to $50 extra than what I have into them depending on the amount of documentation I'm able to add to the story. I am in it more for the history and being able to tell their story, I could care less about making any profit. At least it doesn't go as far as the MoH laws and prevent me from possessing the 15 or so I keep in my personal collection. If the bill gets reintroduced this session, I may have to clear out the ones that do not fit into my collection very well before it is too late. I know my wife would love that as she is not into it like I am and in the past she has tried to put price tags on my keepers that I keep on display on our wall in our collectibles business! Also, as a business owner, let me know if there is anything I can do to band together with others this may hurt. I can put together a online site that is completely private where we can collaborate knowing who is in the group so we can brainstorm and discuss freely... There is power in numbers!! Great article and let me know if I can help out in any way!! Guv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUV Posted January 26, 2017 Share #28 Posted January 26, 2017 And on another note, I do not have a problem with donating some of the ones in my collection that don't fit to the Reunited guy to give back to the family as long as I am the one who finds the family and the family will honor the Veteran's service as I do. But the nonprofit guy will have to give me a letter of donation for what it is worth so I can write it off on my taxes. A tax write off to me will be way better than taking a loss on my bottom line! I just don't see how we can fight it because our community is small and we are loosely organized, it is hard for the public to hear what we have to say! Guv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbridge Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share #29 Posted January 26, 2017 He can store them with hundreds of Purple Hearts dormant in his basement. We have to stay the course...they might get the first round...maybe, maybe not...we will see...we are working on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLeo Posted January 27, 2017 Share #30 Posted January 27, 2017 He can store them with hundreds of Purple Hearts dormant in his basement. We have to stay the course...they might get the first round...maybe, maybe not...we will see...we are working on this. Have you heard just how he plans to reunite any more medals if this law is passed? Is there some wording that would exempt him and his group? Otherwise, it would be illegal for him to enter into any transaction to obtain a PH and even if it is allowed to just give it to him I don't see many collectors at all willing to do that given the circumstances and attitude of this jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Jerry Posted January 27, 2017 Share #31 Posted January 27, 2017 Does anyone remember when the government DRMO'ed and sold off hundreds and hundreds of WWII PHs back in the 1990s? If we could get some documentation on that that may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank_Smith Posted January 27, 2017 Share #32 Posted January 27, 2017 Jerry - I was thinking the same thing. There were at least two sales. The first was the sale of unnamed WWII-era Purple Hearts that came in cases with lapel pins and ribbon bars. The second was a sale of NAMED Medals. These were sold as scrap. I find it ironic that the government can sell you something then turn around and say that you can't sell it. That just isn't right. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted January 27, 2017 Share #33 Posted January 27, 2017 The second was a sale of NAMED Medals. These were sold as scrap. Were the named medals errors found in the writing? That might explain why there are some errors found on the back of some medals in collectors hands. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank_Smith Posted January 27, 2017 Share #34 Posted January 27, 2017 Some contained spelling errors. Others weren't centered properly. However, the far majority of them looked and read just fine. Once they came out, they were re-ribboned by dealers or collectors (all the ones sold as scrap had their ribbons removed to the best of my knowledge). From there, many collectors/dealer attributed or tried to attribute them to the recipients. However, these medals never made it out of the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot or where ever they were engraved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted January 27, 2017 Share #35 Posted January 27, 2017 However, these medals never made it out of the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot or where ever they were engraved. If they are not engraved by the quartermaster, aren't they privately engraved which means the recipient would have done the engraving? Or does the govt hire engravers outside of the quartermaster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbridge Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share #36 Posted January 27, 2017 If they are not engraved by the quartermaster, aren't they privately engraved which means the recipient would have done the engraving? Or does the govt hire engravers outside of the quartermaster? I do believe they were officially sanctioned engraved medals by the Government . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted January 27, 2017 Share #37 Posted January 27, 2017 I do believe they were officially sanctioned engraved medals by the Government . I was just trying to learn how Purple Hearts are engraved. I thought that it was done by either the QM or privately engraved. So it is either QM, someone outside of the QM sanctioned by the govt, or privately engraved. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted January 27, 2017 Share #38 Posted January 27, 2017 Does anyone remember when the government DRMO'ed and sold off hundreds and hundreds of WWII PHs back in the 1990s? If we could get some documentation on that that may help. Old US Cavalry catalogs from around 96-98 would have them in it for certain. I remember that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMechanic Posted January 27, 2017 Share #39 Posted January 27, 2017 The first WWII Purple Heart Medal set that I bought was from the US Cavalry catalog during that time frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thisisme Posted January 27, 2017 Share #40 Posted January 27, 2017 The way I am reading this, it is only for issued medals. Which I would think are the officially engraved medals. Privately engraved medals would not be impacted since it was privately done and not government issue. Medals that are sold by, for example Graco or through a US Government surplus auction, would not be impacted by this terrible law. Does anyone else read it like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 27, 2017 Share #41 Posted January 27, 2017 The way I am reading this, it is only for issued medals. Which I would think are the officially engraved medals. Privately engraved medals would not be impacted since it was privately done and not government issue. Medals that are sold by, for example Graco or through a US Government surplus auction, would not be impacted by this terrible law. Does anyone else read it like this? No I read it as applying the same regulations to the PH as are currently in place for the MOH. Named or unnamed, government contract engraved or not...they all fall under the same category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted January 27, 2017 Share #42 Posted January 27, 2017 The Bill specifically states "AWARDED" which means to me, "given or presented". Therefore any un-named Purple Heart could be said to have been "Awarded" as most non-Posthumous awards were or are presented un-named. How could this Law if passed be enforced? BTW looking at HR 544 it appears that the five c0-sponsors are fairly junior Representatives. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBFloyd Posted January 28, 2017 Share #43 Posted January 28, 2017 The definition of "awarded" will keep teams of lawyers busy. Many of us have medal groups with Purple Hearts that look like every other unnamed PH out there and it is only within the context of the group that the medal can be identified as "awarded". I don't see the FBI cranking up a huge task force to track down people to charge with a misdemeanor under this legislation. The larger question for Congress to sort out in dealing with this bill in committee is how it squares with the generally accepted property rights of recipients, families, collector and the general public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhcoleterracina Posted January 28, 2017 Share #44 Posted January 28, 2017 I wouldn't give him anything. My collection will be frozen until clearer heads prevail in government (could be a bit). It's ironic and sad that the law will have the opposite effect from what was intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbridge Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share #45 Posted January 28, 2017 They want you to cease buying-selling-trading or shipping named...un-named...big medals...little medals...ribbons...lapel pins...officially named...un-officially named...awarded Purple Hearts. In the same context they say...All...government authorized medals etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 2, 2017 Share #46 Posted February 2, 2017 Old US Cavalry catalogs from around 96-98 would have them in it for certain. I remember that. Thanks to Kevin over on the WAF, here's a scan of a 1997 US Cavalry catalog (he had posted up some East German material from the same catalog, so I asked him to look and sure enough...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor996 Posted February 2, 2017 Share #47 Posted February 2, 2017 well, that's very interesting Dave-! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted February 2, 2017 Share #48 Posted February 2, 2017 I bet that catalog's got the so-so m42 paratrooper uniform i bought with my 4h pig money about two pages from there... And the Corcorans i got instead of a class ring in high school... Where it all began... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thisisme Posted February 2, 2017 Share #49 Posted February 2, 2017 Is there going to be a booth or something at the SOS where we can sign a petition against this bill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-o MSU Posted February 3, 2017 Share #50 Posted February 3, 2017 Up to 14 cosponsors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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