10 Year RAD Long Service Award

Product Description: This 10 Year RAD Long Service Award is a nearly pristine example of this medal. It is a high quality example, made of aluminum. Both the obverse and reverse retain all of the original bronze finish. The finish is beautiful, with chocolate brown shades that contrast with lighter golden tones at the high points. There is no evident wear, and all of the crisp original detail remains intact. There is an extremely minimal surface patina, with one small area of oxidation near the top of the obverse. The original, split style suspension ring is present, and is unmarked. There is no ribbon. This well-preserved 10 Year RAD Long Service Award has great eye appeal, with a striking design, and displays handsomely. It remains in outstanding, near mint condition.

Historical Description: Prior to WWII, the German military and civil authorities instituted a wide range of Long Service Awards to reward personnel for years of service. These awards were used by all branches of the German military, as well as civil and political organizations such as the police, the customs service, and the National Labor Service (RAD). There was also a general Long Service Award for civil service. Each of these awards was issued in the form of a medal that was suspended from a cornflower blue ribbon. Many of these were made in different grades denoting a specific number of years of service. They were worn on the uniform in the form of ribbon or medal bars, and up to two long service awards could be worn at the same time. In most cases, a device affixed to the ribbon bar would denote for which service the award had been issued; sometimes the medals themselves had devices on the ribbons, either in the form of pinned-on metal emblems, or else hand or machine embroidery applied directly to the ribbon. Some German Long Service Awards were very widely awarded, others were made and issued only in small numbers.

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