Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 74:
Description
LARGE LOT: 150+ US Military Ribbon Bars, WWII-Vietnam, BSM V-Device, PH, LoM. A sprawling accumulation of over 150 U.S. military service ribbon bars and devices, spanning WWII through Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War, arranged across five foam display trays for study and sale. This substantial study collection offers a cross-section of American military decoration and campaign awards from the mid-to-late twentieth century, evidently drawn from Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force service. Represented among the ribbons are examples for the Bronze Star Medal (several with bronze ‘V’ devices for valor and accompanying oak leaf clusters), the Air Medal, Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, and Army Commendation Medal, alongside a wide array of WWII-era ribbons – Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (with attached bronze service stars), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign, American Campaign, and WWII Victory. Later service is represented through Korean Service Medal ribbons (including one full-size drape example with pin-back suspension), Vietnam Service Medal ribbons, National Defense Service Medal ribbons, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbons, and numerous unit and meritorious commendation awards. No individual recipient has been identified, and the lot should be regarded as an assembled reference accumulation rather than a mounted group to a single serviceman. Ribbon bars of this type were worn daily on the service uniform in place of bulkier full-size medals, allowing a serviceman’s campaign history, valor, and achievement to be read at a glance. The breadth on offer here – spanning the Pacific and European theaters of the Second World War through Korea and Vietnam – traces the arc of American military engagement across three major conflicts and the Cold War years between them. The presence of valor devices, including bronze ‘V’s for combat distinction and accumulated oak leaf and service-star clusters, points to genuine campaign and combat service somewhere within the ribbons’ original sources, though the specific chain of custody cannot be documented from the photographs alone. The bars are of typical contract manufacture, consistent with makers such as Vanguard, Ira Green, GEM, and N.S. Meyer, mounted singly and in multi-ribbon bars on grosgrain with brass or nickel mounting frames and pin-back or clutch-back fittings. Attached devices include bronze and silver oak leaf clusters, bronze and silver service stars, ‘V’ devices for valor, and assorted numeral, letter, and unit attachments. One full-size drape ribbon for the Korean Service Medal stands apart from the smaller mounted bars. The balance of the lot comprises dozens of additional single and multi-piece campaign, service, and commendation ribbons too numerous to itemize, along with a small number of unfamiliar unit or theater ribbons of probable joint-service origin. Overall condition is very good for the age and type: colors remain bright and largely unfaded across the boards, with only minor expected wear including light fraying to scattered ribbon edges, mild soiling to lighter grosgrain tones, and light oxidation to some metal frames and devices; pin backs and clasps appear generally sound throughout, though not every reverse fitting could be examined from the photographs. A rich, ready-to-sort reference lot for the militaria collector, reenactor, or dealer, offering genuine WWII-through-Vietnam variety, valor devices, and display potential in a single substantial acquisition.
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