slava1stclass

Gents, A President Truman-signed Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) citation on White House stationery to HSU Guards Lieutenant General M. B. Anashkin. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, A President Roosevelt-signed Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) certificate to then Colonel M. G. Machin, head of the Red Army Air Force military representative office in Alaska. Awarded the HSU title on June 29th, 1945, as a Major General, he retired as a Lieutenant General in the 1970s. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, As noted in my original post, while the OGII order itself appears legitimate, its serial number was altered to match this Full Cavalier's awarded OGII serial number. As also noted in my original post, the $4,400.00 purchase price dates to the early 2000s and is not reflective of current market asking prices for a comparable set. Said prices tend to range from $12,500.00 to $18,000.00 depending on the orders' condition and any accompanying documentation; the point of sale i.e., in the former Soyuz or in the West; and the Full Cavalier's combat pedigree which is a combination of the awardee's military occupational specialty, Guards status and the actual OGI award recommendation write up. As an example, a knock-you-off-your-feet OGI recommendation that is very fact filled and descriptive - regardless of MOS, Guards status or location of cited action - will always command a premium as will Full Cavalier sets whose OGI is based on a late-war descriptive recommendation for action in Koenigsberg or Berlin. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, As things have been relatively quiet of late, I thought I'd post this set from days gone by. Its $4,400.00 purchase price suggests it was on the market sometime in the early 2000s. One of the other NYC-area dealers had offered it. While all the orders appear good, the OGII's number appears to have been altered to match the set. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, With no takers thus far, the opening bid was recently lowered to $12,500.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, A very interesting image. The British Military Medal as awarded to HSU Guards Major T. M. Shashlo. Normally, the MM was a designated award for British enlisted personnel. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, With no takers thus far, the opening bid was recently lowered to $16,000.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, A solid Category 7 Full Cavalier set with a minimum opening bid of $11,100.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, Actually, the asking price is within the current range for a Full Cavalier set like this i.e., without accompanying documentation (Ordenskaya Knizhka or Kavalerskaya Knizhka) provided all the orders are legitimate. Consider, too, that loose/single OGIs are commanding upwards of $10,000.00 in the current market outside the former Soyuz. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, Currently available at auction for an opening bid of $16,695.00. While the OGI is legitimate, the OGII and OGIII "duplicates" are not official-issue duplicates, but rather were fabricated to round out the "set." Regards, slava1stclass

Gerd, Er heisst: Lednyov, Boris Semyonovich. MfG, slava1stclass

Gents, This "set" is once again listed on the well-known auction site for a BIN price of $11,999.00. It's been well over a year since he last attempted to move it on the same site with no success - for obvious reasons. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, As I've noted on this forum and elsewhere, if one has the expertise/experience, eBay does produce the occasional gem - even from strangers. In many instances sellers lack the expertise and/or interest to develop the full back story of the item they're selling. Case in point - the OGIII awarded to the youngest Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory. Sold on that site, the seller was entirely unaware of its stellar provenance. It all comes down to one's experience and certainly one's trust in the system. Regards, slava1stclass

Chief Warrant, As odd as it may seem, a review of podvignaroda offers nothing to suggest any of the six were the result of downgrades/upgrades of other awards. It should also be noted his six BMs were awarded via orders from the same rifle regiment over the course of several years. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, With six Bravery Medal awards, former sergeant and combat medic S. V. Gretsov is unlike any other. It's all the more amazing when one considers he was drafted at age 39 in July 1941. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, A Category 7 Full Cavalier set currently up for auction. Opening bid is $16,000.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Chuck, As noted above, it sold for $665.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, It sold for $665.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, An OGII to a Full Cavalier which fellow forum member Ferdinand is currently offering on the well-known auction site. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, Recent months have seen more Full Cavalier-related decorations continue to emerge. Currently available at the well-known NYC-area dealer. Asking price is $10,400.00. Regards, slava1stclass

USSR, Thank you for the post-auction wrap up. All things considered (see below), that seems like a reasonable price. One thing I overlooked/neglected to mention is that while the OGIII's serial number is identical to the OGI's - purely coincidence - the OGIII itself is likely a piece whose original serial number was eradicated and the 2907 serial number added in order to complete the set. It is unclear whether the Full Cavalier himself did this while still alive or whether it was done once the set changed hands. In any event, the Full Cavalier booklet, OGI and OGII are unaltered originals to this set. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, Since my original post last year, this Category 1 Full Cavalier set made its way back east across the big pond. It will be available via an online auction from 7-10 October 2015 out of an auction house based in Riga, Latvia. It is unclear what the opening bid is set at. A current image is attached. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, Currently available at the well-known NYC-area dealer. Asking price is $10,500.00. It is the first Full Cavalier-related OGI he's had for sale in well over a year. This OGI was issued in March 1956 to replace an erroneous wartime double OGIII award. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, An outstanding Category 1 Full Cavalier set currently available at auction. Opening bid is $17,350.00. It's been quite some time since a set this nice has hit the market. Regards, slava1stclass

Gents, This very nice early OGII to a Full Cavalier (he was later KIA before his OGI was approved) was recently on the market for $750.00. Regards, slava1stclass