Crimped ribbon bars

[JohnK83882]

Newer set of ribbons, two with odd crimping on the back. Newer ribbons so it's new to me.

 

[mvmhm]

Sometimes the modern ribbons don't grip as well as they should so you have to crimp them a little, which can be done by pushing in on the edge with your fingers. The problem is that when you need to remove/replace/add ribbons, you usually have to bend the edge back out...which is sometimes enough to loosen the fabric underneath the backing plate, which then slides off when you try to out it back on the bar. That usually means buying a new ribbon.

 

Mark sends

[JohnK83882]

39 minutes ago, mvmhm said:

Sometimes the modern ribbons don't grip as well as they should so you have to crimp them a little, which can be done by pushing in on the edge with your fingers. The problem is that when you need to remove/replace/add ribbons, you usually have to bend the edge back out...which is sometimes enough to loosen the fabric underneath the backing plate, which then slides off when you try to out it back on the bar. That usually means buying a new ribbon.

 

Mark sends

 I mean the brown edge on two of the ribbon bars.

[brad k]

I believe those are post 1948, I dont know how long they were in use. 

[ItemCo16527]

On 11/29/2024 at 6:38 PM, brad k said:

I believe those are post 1948, I dont know how long they were in use. 

 

I can't give a precise date, but I do know I got this AF NCO Professional Military Education Ribbon in the early 90s from, I *think*, Medals of America; so they were still in use to some degree at that time. It was so unusual to me that I held on to it all these years lol

 

[ItemCo16527]

Forgot about these. The very first ribbons I ever bought, back around 1987/88.

[Skywise]

One brand was NS Meyer "Fetha-wate."  Just a touch wider (taller) than modern ribbons.  I sell some on eBay but warn buyers that they "wobble" when placed on a standard brass mount and they won't "stack" properly when placed among modern ribbons.  The original wider mounts are hard to find and the pins come off if you look at them wrong!

[Skywise]

Here are a couple of the mounts for the NS Myer crimp ribbons.  Very thin brass, most often with the pins spot welded on one side of the mount, which are easily broken off.  On the triple bar, the pins pass through the mount.  Obviously wider than modern ribbon mounts.

[Jtski]

This bar would be from the late '50s early '60s in between the National Defense Service Medal qualifying periods. Has some weight to it even with only two ribbons.