How To Store And Display Awards.

[EricFG]

But the question is (again), since the main purpose of this display is educational - which is how I justify the fakes until they are replaced with authentic medals - do I need to put tiny pieces of paper with the English name and basic reason for the award or keep it aesthetically pleasing to the eye the way it seems to be (to me) now?

See my display; #476, page 48 in this thread. I have the title of the medal, the serial #, and the approximate date of award on a small piece of paper attached directly above the individual medal.

I haven't attached any of the pieces in place yet - not even the backing cloth. I'm going to try tiny "T" pins so I can remove them easily when I need to. Right now, I'm soliciting opinions before I make final adjustments.

Philsky! Nice group BTW. I like the idea of removeable items. That way, if ya wanna pull something out to impress a lady it can be done quickly and smoothly. Along the lines of 'Howdy miss. Would you like to see my Nevsky?' Great icebreaker.
I use thumbtacks set at an angle. Biggest problem is the pin part sticking all the way through the back of the display.

Keep us updated please.

Normsky, the HSU is a fake/filler.

[deValcourt]

Eric, I ckecked out your display and I was glad to see one thing right off the bat - you used the same kind of frame I am using now except mine is 21.5"X17 - the biggest I could find with an easily opening door. Do the screw posts punch through the back of the frame? It feels like they will and I'll have to do some drilling, so it goes...

But! since I want to hang this set on a wall - preferably in my living room, I'm probably going to need those round "stick-on" black rubber "bumpers" to keep the frame safely enough away from the wall, yet still hang sturdy. What will be a real pain is cutting all of those "T" pins to about 1/4 of their orginal length, They were the smallest size and apparently some people stick butterflies and all sorts of repulsive insects to cork boards using these. Strangely enough, the "T" pins hold the medals quite well and with the slight "shimmer" to the "wave-green" color of the cloth, you can just tell they are there if you are close up and looking for something like them.

That brings me to the next problem. I like the idea of small strips of paper with identification (above/below) the award, but I can't use just plain white paper because it would take away from the near-parade style color background. I'm thinking a dull gold color with either blue or blabk text. I have a friend who is a licensed interior designer and knows what all those fancy colors are and would probably help here - but I'm liking the idea of identifying them more and more. I think people would appreciate the display more if they knew what they were looking at.

Thanks Eric, et. al.
(You really think Norm still doesn't get that the HSU and its cousin are fakes? Or, does he have a more sinister plan here: to research the serial number on a fake piece just to see?

[EricFG]

Do the screw posts punch through the back of the frame? It feels like they will and I'll have to do some drilling, so it goes...

In my limited experience some are long enough to go through and some aren't. The vaulted screwplates sometimes will not engage the screwpost's threads though. The Order posts generally are, but my T1 BM & CSM posts are not and in which case I just made the drilled hole quite tight and I display the original screwplate with the medals.

But! since I want to hang this set on a wall - preferably in my living room, I'm probably going to need those round "stick-on" black rubber "bumpers" to keep the frame safely enough away from the wall, yet still hang sturdy.

Yep. I only need them on the bottom two corners as I utilize the the oldschool picture hanging method: wire between two screweyes in the back upper frame.

That brings me to the next problem. I like the idea of small strips of paper with identification (above/below) the award, but I can't use just plain white paper because it would take away from the near-parade style color background. I'm thinking a dull gold color with either blue or black text. I have a friend who is a licensed interior designer and knows what all those fancy colors are and would probably help here - but I'm liking the idea of identifying them more and more. I think people would appreciate the display more if they knew what they were looking at.

I did a quick video of some of my display's backgrounds and posted it here:
YouTube - display background, militaria
The results aren't that great but it may help.

Definitely I like labels for each item. It makes the display more complete I feel.

[deValcourt]

Eric, I've found that is you flip the screw-plate/nut around, it works quite nicely on those posts that don't come through very far. It's the protruding bits that have me concerned about keeping the back off the wall.

I also did get some ideas from the video-thanks.

Moreover, I got quite a few laugh from the previous post about the citation... Yep, I can see it now!

[Tretov]

Finally, the new display board where all awards are mounted individually (not overlapping) is finished. Next step would be to construct the framework to hold the board in an upright position. Some badges and nicknacks were removed.

The placement of the awards may still change when some of the awards on the wish-list are added (Bravery in Fire, Non-Black Soil, Combat Cooperation etc.)

[deValcourt]

Wow! Very impressive collection Patrick. The size of such a frame to hold all of that will be enormous and heavy. Do you plan to diplay this on a wall or a stand of some kind?

Phillip

[EricFG]

Very impressive indeed Patrik! No Order of Victory though?

If you don't mind a little constructive criticism I think that there is too much in one place; if the collection were mine I think I'd break them up into 3 or 4 or more displays. But it's not my call to make so enjoy the fruits of your hobby in good health.

BTW, I see you enjoy the post-91 'Soviet' medals as well.

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by devalcourt

Wow! Very impressive collection Patrick. The size of such a frame to hold all of that will be enormous and heavy. Do you plan to display this on a wall or a stand of some kind?

It weighs quite a lot and I will produce a stand for it, so that it rests with a few degrees tilt backwards. I have attached a photo of the IKEA-made shelf stands that I will modify into a stand-construction to accommodate this monster.

Originally Posted by EricFG

Very impressive indeed Patrik! No Order of Victory though?

If you don't mind a little constructive criticism I think that there is too much in one place; if the collection were mine I think I'd break them up into 3 or 4 or more displays. But it's not my call to make so enjoy the fruits of your hobby in good health.

BTW, I see you enjoy the post-91 'Soviet' medals as well.

Well - I agree - it is a lot in one chunk. The problem is that I have limited space for this display as it will sit on top of a bookshelf. I would love to have a room where I could mount the different awards in 4-5 separate glass covered display frames.

No Order of Victory but maybe I will buy a copy.

[deValcourt]

Make sure you show us when it is completed - and have your building permit ready for this job.

Phillip

[Commissar]

Wow, Tretov! That is such an impressive collection!
Are those hero stars real?