WWII Italian German African campaign medal

[MrFrank]

Hello again Forum members.
This is MrFrank.
It has been a long time since I have posted on this forum and during that time I have purchased a few badges, usually in a rush, because I got tired of considering whether I could actually afford it or not.
Anyway, my latest piece is an Italian medal which I wanted to buy for the past two years, before finally pulling the trigger after Christmas 2023.

Please give me your opinion regarding it's authenticity.
Your help is appreciated.

Mr Frank.

PS.
I rotated the photos to their correct orientation before uploading them, but they rotated back to their original orientation, and I can't correct the problem, even after using the hidden photo edit rotation function. Photo edit changes can't be saved. Any advice on this would also be appreciated. Multiple attempts at uploading photos correctly have resulted in duplicates. Sorry.

Mr Frank.
Attachment 1700195
Attachment 1700196
Attachment 1700197

[OldSteel]

Hi Mr.Frank,
this medal has been massively reproduced, and it is indeed difficult to be sure of its authenticity; however, from my experience it seems to me to be an original example.
It is a variant with the manufacturer's name on the left and in relief (there was also a variant with the name on the right), while the engraver's name is positioned at the bottom and engraved (there was also a variant with the name in relief) ; on this last point, on a collector's level the engraved name is said to be a greater guarantee of authenticity; but I'm not sure if this is actually true.
The ribbon also seems to be the correct one in terms of color and size.

Regards
Roberto

[MrFrank]

Helllo Roberto.

Sorry for not replying sooner.

Thank you very much for your opinion and help.

Last night, I exposed the ribbon to a UV light torch, and it did not fluoresce, compared to a known reproduction ribbon on a different Italian medal, which did.
I don't know if you personally put much stock in this result or not. What do you think about the UV light test?

Thanks again, Roberto.

Mr Frank.

[OldSteel]

Hi, I have no personal experience with the UV lamp test, so I'm sorry but I can't help you.
I know of people who use it to identify situations of non-homogeneity of materials and surfaces, especially to understand if an artefact has been restored; but I can't say more.

Regards

[MrFrank]

Hello Roberto.

Thanks again for your input.

MrFrank