Imperial Russia 1922 IMPERIAL RUSSIA ?

[usairforce]

??

[Treloarth]

Very interesting, especially the 1922 date - which is almost 2 years after Wrangel's forces were evacuated from the Crimea for the last time, and after the camps in Turkey had been disbanded and the troops had gone to Serbia and elsewhere.

The 3rd Level Bravery award of the Provisional Government has an almost identical face, but the rear has a different inscription "For Zeal" in Russian. Originals have stamped serial numbers and stamped ring loop hole. Fakes are cast rather than stamped. Some references say 29mm is the proper size but the original Petrograd mint issue "For Zeal" medals from 1915, both silver and Б.М were 28mm.

[Guest Rick Research]

This is from the Russian Far East-- "Kolchak country." P. Pashkov's "Voyenna Byl" (Paris, 1961) shows this as "The Amur Medal" on page 23 as a 35mm medal on Tsarist tricolor white/blue/red ribbon.

The reverse inscription is

23/10 July

10 Aug/28 July

1922

Priamursky

Territorial

Council

Council here is the traditional "Sobor'" and not the Communist "Soviet."

[GeorgeCL]

The Amur land Congress.

This is one of the LAST medals awarded to the members of the land congress who were supporters of the White cause.

George

[Guest Rick Research]

So it was given to delegates of the Sobor' from 23 July to 10 August, 1922-- that refers to the meeting dates, and not some military action?

[usairforce]

This is not military action?

[GeorgeCL]

Heres all I can find on the award.

Its all in russian, Sorry.

[GeorgeCL]

more

[GeorgeCL]

more

Hopefully someone can translate the important info.

George

[Guest Rick Research]

Oh ho ho. (I cannot say that in Sydney, Australia )

This VERY detailed description is about the Far Eastern Republic, set up on 26 May 1921 under S.D. Merkulov. By May 1922, differences between the two main White armies (Admiral Kolchak'[s forces and those of the Cossack Ataman Semyonov) in the FER's territory (as busily conducting partisan warfare against each other as against the Reds) led to calls for a reconciliation congress for all political and military factions. The Sobor' met in the city of Vladivostok, and decided to call Prince Mikhail Romanov to be the Tsar of this last remnant of non-Communist Russia, adjourning on 10 August 1922 hoping for a Romanov restoration and foreign aid that would save them from the Reds.

The medal was struck in silver and bronze to commemorate this meeting of the Sobor.'

Diameter should be 29mm, according to this. Various ribbons are encountered-- either white/blue/red, or white/black, or black/yellow/white. Apparently the medals got worn on whatever was actually available.

Now for the CRUCIAL bit.

Medals in silver went to the delegates = 300

Medals in bronze went to employees of the Sobor's chancery = 100

That is correct.

100 bronze medals

in 1922. Minus all those lost from 1922 to 2007.

At the end there are mentioned the very few museums that have ANY of these 500 medals to display. It says there are 8 known, but does not say how "many" of them are silver or bronze.

8 known.

2 are in the Hermitage collection in Saint Petersburg, 3 are in the Primorsky Krai Museum in Vladivostok, 1 is in the Museum of Russian White Army Veterans in San Francisco and 2

count them 2

are in private collections.

So...

one of the rarest medals from the Russian Civil War, being the THIRD one "out there."

So, think of George and me when you are sitting by the swimming pool of the new estate this will pay for after the next Super Rich Russians auction. How does it feel to be able to retire, at your age?

[Chris Boonzaier]

hmmmmm.... very nice indeed. Very, very rare.

I would be interested to see what it would bring on an auction... sometimes very rare and totally obscure can produce funny prices...

[usairforce]

This one i find from the Shandong China some years ago, not buy from RUSSIA , So i think this one is rare medal.

[Ed_Haynes]

I think a lot of the White Russians wound up in China, especially in the Shandong area, so this makes sense. An EXTREMELY rare one, yes!

I suspect the New White Russians would pay BIG money for this gem.

Edited November 16, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[usairforce]

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18451 others are find from the Shandong China