Sometimes if it's just a dent and not a deep one there may be some gold left in it. A gold plated scratch is a sure sign that the medal was replated. In any case a combination of posible gold restoration and the unusual serial number makes me very suspicious about this piece.
My last post about this does not seem to get up so i post this.
What happend to this order of glory?
Is it a 3 class converted to a 1 class or is it a broken 1 class?
But, for sure, it is not a "broken" 1st class, are the 1st class is always made of solid gold (950/1000) !
It looks like if some acid, varnish or resin have been poured on it...
BTW, where is the SN ?
The ring of the suspension seems also curious....
Has the ribbon itself got some orange tan ? ;)
Probably can you describe us better what is the "liquid" or matter put on it...
After a long time I got the McDaniel book! McDaniel states that there is a thin variation ONLY of the Order of Glory 2. class, so this one is original and not a gold plated 3.class.
But who can tell me when it was awarded with the number 7943?
Looks like someone tried to gold plate a 3. class and FAILED! :D
What really ticks me off is the fact that there is no gold plating under the enamel. If you check PMD, you'll see that he clearly states that these were plated BEFORE being enameled.
In my opinion, it is probably an upgraded thin variation 3rd class.