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Saving fire-damaged medals - Rescuing a named Purple Heart group


MWalsh
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Nope, just literally pressed into place is all.

 

What I do not know is if this all would have worked on an earlier made enameled center medal. I don't know if one could replace the enamel center with a plastic one. I would suspect that trying to remove the intact enamel center might be much harder than the plastic one, I would guess it'd probably be more brittle... Also, I don't know if the enamel ones were poured or just inserted. I have not resarched enamel manufacture enough to know.

 

MW

 

Mike,

I believe the enamel starts out as a powder like, possibly sugar like substance that is placed in the planchet recess, then baked. The heat liquifies the enamel material which fills the recess, then cools. That is why there is no gap at the edges of the enamel.

 

I remember reading somewhere that the process was difficult to accomplish without the enamel cracking. Also that it was difficult to enamel both the purple area and the red and white Washington Coat of Arms in the little shield without damaging one or the other. The difficulties led to the shield becoming a separately enameled piece, sometimes called a Type II, and eventually to using the plastic purple insert rather than the enamel. A painted or coated piece of thin metal was also used as an insert but had chipping and "crazing" problems. I believe that the plastic insert would fit inside an enameled heart recess. However, I believe all the enamelled Hearts were numbered, so possibly the piece would then have a low serial number with a plastic insert, marking it as a repair. Enamelled Hearts were numbered from 1-about 200xxx and 401xxx - about 470xxx. There were numbered PH's made with plastic hearts in the 315xxx to 400xxx and 470xxx to 602xxx ranges.

 

The excellent work you did with this group looks 100% correct. With some time, the patina will return to the medals. As you say, the benefit of quality construction. Very nice job saving the history of a veteran.

 

Mike

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Mike,

Really nice job working with the medals. I didn't know what to expect the restoration to look like, but it wasn't as nice as the work you put into it. I'm very impressed.

 

Which brings up the subject of these antique fireplace tools I have.

Please send a PM with your address, I'll ship them right over ! :w00t:

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I am most definitely an advocate of leaving items in original condition but these were not in original condition. I think that you've done an amazing job here and further preserved the memory.

 

The patina that you've mentioned will return over time and handling so, once again, GOOD WORK :twothumbup:

 

Rob

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got a reply from the webmaster for a 339th Infantry Regiment Association website. He confirmed that Mr. Burns was a member of that unit, and was actually with the Anti-Tank Company of the 339th. He had no information on his wounds or Bronze Star award though. He also had some other bio type info. Those association type people are such fantastic resources sometimes - I sure appreciated his help!

 

MW

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  • 3 years later...

Picked this up today at a local gun show. Clearly the planchet is new, however the medal seems correct. I paid $10 so if not, not major loss.

 

Medal is numbered 16299. I believe this is traceable? Would anyone be able to assist in ID'n it?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

post-29885-0-98467000-1390078929.jpg

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Nice find! So hard to find those old campaign medals on the loose anymore.

 

I agree too, fire damaged, someone replaced the ribbon as a result.

 

For whatever it is worth, I am giving you a link to a thread on some fire damaged medals I had a few years ago. Some food for thought for you in the event you are wondering if you can improve its appearance.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/85980-rescued-named-purple-heart-group/?hl=%20fire%20%20damaged

 

MW

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Well, I broke out the oven cleaner and the results are great! I wasn't able to get it all off, but I think I'm better off not going further as the remaining soot left a bit of a patina, albeit a bit uneven. Now to put a proper drape on it to complete the restoration.

Thanks for the tip, MW! I would have never even thought to go that route had you not chimed in!

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Here's the final product with appropriate suspension ring and full-wrap brooch.

 

Also, I believe I found D. Osborn. Found some records for a Duane Osborn from Saginaw, MI who served in the military during WWI. Don't have anything concrete, however, regarding his service, however he's the closest match so far.

 

post-29885-0-78794000-1390497556.jpg

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Wow! you did a fine job on the clean up! I think where you stopped was perfect, it's easy to go to far - and impossible to go back. It's perfect as is all things considered. And plus, the medal was in a fire, that is part of the story of it, you left a trace of that history there yet :)

 

The broach replacement looks nice too. Again, a great job all around!

 

Robin, thanks for the kind words!

 

Moderators... Any chance you could create a pinned thread titled RESTORING FIRE DAMAGED MEDALS or some such thing? Not a heavy use or high traffic thread, but maybe a nice thing to have for people to see, as these things do turn up. Could my thread and MasonK's be merged or duplicated into it??

 

Thanks!

MW

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  • 3 weeks later...

There were two distinct varieties of the obverse dies for both the Mexican Border and Spanish War Service medals. The first contract in 1919 for both medals was produced by Whitehead & Hoag. The front lettering is distinctly larger, especially the "FOR" and "ON". All subsequent contracts used different obverse dies with much smaller lettering. W&H MBS medals with large letters run from 1 to 20,000. SWS medals with large letters run to about 6500.

 

See Table B in Section G3 of "The Gleim Medal Letters" for more detail.

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Thanks, Tom. I read elsewhere on the forum that this would be W&H contract medal however this was based on the numbering. I wasn't aware of the variation in the lettering.

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