Yes it is raw, I recently got it from my grand father who aquried it during WWII in Europe. It has been put away since he returned home he was actually storing it in the same box that his purple heart was awarded to him in I have another that is dated 1908 that I got from him also that looks to be in similar condition. I will post a pic of it as well when I get a camera that I can take better photos with. Thanks for your thoughts.