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double distinguished service cross ribbon bar on eBay


4STARCHRIS
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I think it's too close not to have been General Eichelberger's,  but too far off to have been worn by him.  Quite possibly, whomever took the order to put together his ribbon rack for him, somehow got all mixed up. The general probably  soon discarded it after receiving it.

Being a "forgery" or total fantasy item  just doesn't make sense.  A forger, who got so many unique details right, would have gotten it all right. Too many unique items are dead-on to be a coincidental random fantasy item.

 

 

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The Belgian CdG is not for the commander grade, and the cypher on the palm is for King Albert which would make the award being bestowed between 1909 and 1934 for Albert I OR Albert II, awarded after 1993. The cypher SHOULD be an "L" for Leopold III, who was the monarch from 1934 to 1951.

I think this was made up by someone wanting to do  Eichelberger's ribbons, but who didn't have a good command or access to the proper ribbons and devices.

Allan

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bertmedals
1 hour ago, KurtA said:

I think it's too close not to have been General Eichelberger's,  but too far off to have been worn by him.  Quite possibly, whomever took the order to put together his ribbon rack for him, somehow got all mixed up. The general probably  soon discarded it after receiving it.

Being a "forgery" or total fantasy item  just doesn't make sense.  A forger, who got so many unique details right, would have gotten it all right. Too many unique items are dead-on to be a coincidental random fantasy item.

 

 

Here are a few additional opinions in the "for what they're worth" category.  I've worked directly for or with a boat-load of generals and I think you hit the nail on the head.  I suspect this was made during the early part of the occupation of Japan when dressing the part for various meetings and ceremonies became important.  His aide probably got the mission to build the rack and was armed with only the general's brief service record and some terse answers to questions on his medals and decorations.  Eichelberger had enough twists and turns in his career to confuse anybody.  Assuming this rack was his, there's a good chance it was actually worn a time or two. I wouldn't doubt that once the general figured it out it became one of those cherished momentos of the service and was in the general's batch of personal souvenirs or may even have been gifted to the offending aide.  

In my experience, a lot of the foreign medals our senior officers receive are poorly documented even today.  And many generals (and others) have errors in their official records or various aides/assistants make mistakes due to lack of knowledge (like in General Vessey's display in the old CJCS hall outside the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon).  Also, you may recall that after the Admiral Boorda tragedy all the Flag/General officer files were checked and large numbers of errors were found.

I think it's important to remember too that all these racks are "snapshots" in time. They don't account for medals and decorations awarded after the rack was assembled.  Also, at least in the Army at that time and I think still today, each soldier could decide which if any of his/her ribbons they wore.

This was a fun one to dig into and in my opinion has some good lessons for collectors.

Out here.

Dennis

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ItemCo16527

Saw this on eBay as well. Definitely close to Eichelberger's awards, but I don't like it. Could be an old "put together" piece used for a display or as a movie prop. My issues are:

  • Navy Cross ribbon instead of the Navy DSM. I doubt a General would allow that kind of mistake on his uniform.
  • The palm device on the Belgian Order of the Crown is totally wrong. This is the style used on the Medal of Freedom during WWII, and later the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross and Civil Actions Unit Citations. This kind of thing does happen, I'm just nitpicking this one.
  • The 2nd Nicaragua Campaign and China Service ribbons. While some Army personnel had received the 2nd Nicaragua Campaign Medal (i.e. Gen. Leslie Groves), as far as I know, no Army personnel were ever awarded the China Service Medal. I strongly doubt a General would be wearing Navy/Marine Corps campaign medals they didn't earn. I've also not been able to find a single photo of Eichelberger wearing either ribbon.
  • The Order of Alexander Nevsky ribbon. Eichelberger wasn't awarded one that I could find.

The stitching and age/wear on the ribbons & devices look good, but because of the above points, I would pass on this one. 

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4STARCHRIS

I am glad so many responded on this. It does make one wonder why go through trying to fake it so far back. As mentioned all ribbons and thread looked to have been done at the same time. Close but no cigar. I wasn't interested in buying it just starting some good ole "WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?".  It will be interesting to see what it sells for though.

4STARCHRIS

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manayunkman

Could it possibly for someone else?

I messaged the seller about where the lot came from but got no response.

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Is it possible it's an old movie prop, taken off a costume? Studios use real insignia and awards all the time...not hard for some studio in California in the era to walk into a tailor shop and have these slapped together

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I think the ribbon bar group was clearly meant to represent Eichelberger's entitlement given the rather unique award combination and patches that are included. Is it legitimate? Tough to say. One comment though. In the BW photo the center of his Navy DSM sure looks white to me in comparison to other white and yellow ribbons in the photo...

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4STARCHRIS

Does anyone know why it was pulled I can't find it anywhere or what it sold for?

4starchris

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9 hours ago, 4STARCHRIS said:

Does anyone know why it was pulled I can't find it anywhere or what it sold for?

4starchris

 

Probably because some of the ribbons (e.g., DSC, NC, SS) are "illegal" and were reported to the Ebay Secret Police.

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