slava1stclass

To all: As this is not my area of expertise, I defer to you. I thought, however, you might find this image of a Wehrmacht general officer to be of interest. Regards, slava1stclass

Ed, While I certainly agree this is not a good thing for the collecting community at large, it may very well have come down to economics. All of us have noted this development with concern over the last few years. When I speak of economics, however, I refer not just to the explosive pricing of late but also to the more basic issue of supply/item availabilty. Even the "big boy" dealers don't have the stock they did just a few years back. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: It appears to be a classic case of survival of the fittest. Looks like NYC's "big boys" are the ones who'll be left standing in the end. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: The ranking in post # 1 above remains valid as of 29 May 2007. Regards, slava1stclass

Gerd, I don't believe any of us could have predicted the market would have evolved in the manner it has over the past 15-16 years. As with anything else, there are different strata of collectors. Each strata operates within its own financial limits. For those purely interested in financial gain, the margins will still be tremendous if one "got in" early - even if a $15,500.00 (or higher) sales price is not realized. Regards, slava1stclass

Darrell, A wonderful example. They sure knew how to produce high-quality medals back in the late 1940s. Here is an example of the Medal for Merit certificate and accompanying letter on White House stationery. The recipient should be no stranger to any of us. Regards, slava1stclass

Gerd, I concur - in part. Not everything that "disappears" from that site or similar sites necessarily equates to a sale. In general, however, I do not agree with your assumption that these items don't move - regardless of their pricing. Were that to be the case, dealers of Russian militaria would have disappeared some time ago as lack of demand would have spelled their doom. Neither they, nor others (think WW II German paraphernalia dealers here), would appear to be in jeopardy any time soon. Demand and pricing will always reach a certain equilibrium. As for laying out the cash, there are those in Europe who spend five to six times as much as a Full Cavalier set on high-end cars that lose incredible value the moment they leave the dealership. Go figure. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: Gone (see post # 14 above). It sure wasn't listed long. Regards, slava1stclass

Kevin, Now that WW2PO is no longer amongst us, you certainly have a point there. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: A very fine example of a Category 4 Full Cavalier set currently available at a well-known NYC-area dealer. This is the first instance I've noted wherein a Full Cavalier set asking price has exceeded $15,000.00 - he is asking $15,500.00. Regards, slava1stclass

Rick, Well put. I couldn't agree more. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: This Hero of Russia citation certainly makes that one to the female Olympic skater absolutely shameful: http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=5995 Regards, slava1stclass

Dave, Thank you kindly! Regards, slava1stclass

To all: Does anyone know how many awards of the U.S. Navy Cross were made to Soviet personnel during World War II/The Great Patriotic War? I have a few period images which clearly show it being worn by Soviet naval personnel (a HSU among them). Fellow forum member emaier3 has documented 22 awards of the U.S. Navy's Distinguished Service Medal to Soviet personnel during this period, but had no knowledge of the Navy Cross figures. Thanks in advance. Regards, slava1stclass

Michel, Great post - thank you! While I have no knowledge of exact numbers, I do have images of some of the recipients. The below photo is of Soviet naval aviator M.A. Kurochkin seen wearing his OME or MBE. Regards, slava1stclass

Popova (nee: Starikova), Valentina Trofimovicha Regards, slava1stclass

Nikonova, Nata Ignatevicha Regards, slava1stclass

Jim, I agree with you. As an active duty officer he is wearing authorized military decorations and badges of the Russian Federation. Among them are: "Герой Российской Федерации, медали ?За воинскую доблесть? I степени, ?За отвагу?, другие медали." Regards, slava1stclass

To all: A very nice photograph of Lieutenant Colonel Gennadiy Vasilevich Tsatsorin. He was awarded the title Hero of Russia for valor in Chechnya. Note, too, that he wears wound stripes (red denoting light wounds) - a tradition carried forward from Soviet days. Regards, slava1stclass

Herr Zulus, How is your request for research progressing? The forum's gentlemen anxiously await the results so that closure may be brought to this very unusual case. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: Reports are circulating which suggest U.S. Ninth Army will be reactivated and designated the Army Service Component Command (ASCC) for the newest U.S. combatant command - United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM). Regards, slava1stclass

Reverse

To all: Currently avaialable on the well-known auction site opening at $1,799.00. Regards, slava1stclass

To all: Regarding Soviet Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory sets, one should consider oneself lucky to find a complete set of the three Glory orders to begin with. Instances of Full Cavalier sets that are supplemented by all the recipient's other valor awards (where applicable) e.g., Order of the Patriotic War, Red Star or Medal for Bravery, are extremely rare. While a split of any sort is unconscionable, sometimes the nature of the split can be even more critical. Regards, slava1stclass

usairforce, No, this is fake. Regards, slava1stclass