JimZ

OOV, pls post better pics as the glare and focus on the obverse prevent any form of serious opinion. Without better pics I'd not be much of a fan of these medals Re scratches, it is sometimes a form of artificial ageing.... but it is hard to make out if these are just dings or heavier scratches. Jim

Yup - I was pretty amazed by the shher size especially when compared to the troops standing besides some of them! Jim

Try logging out and in again Kev. Sometimes happens and that usually solves it. If not..... ask Nick Jim

Ten years huh? You might just have a lil something to say when u see the prices Welcome aboard mate! Jim

And to top it off.... leaving all pics in their original internet context her's some other big mommas ..... including a number where rail mounts are totally visible. Their sheer size is impressive......as would be standing in their paths!! Jim http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56533

And here is her railway mounted sister....... Afraid the wheels or tracks can't be seen on this one!

Just to add some colour courtesy of wikepedia.... here's a photo of the Big Bertha field howitzer in action.....

Yet again a case of grind them and renumber them.... 200 bucks with few days to go! What a waste... and a pity that what must have been a 3rd class var 1 is of course .... no more. Jim

Mebbe the gent in question had other bars and this is only part of all his medals. I think that unless one has the documentation or research to back up a group, one can never safely assume that the group is complete. Just a possibility you might forget to consider. Jim

I was always impressed by stories of ships blown up and survivors having to swim through water heavy with burning fuel and the burnt dismembered body parts of your comorades. But actually being buried and having to claw your way out of the soil past your dead brothers in arm is as terrible a story. Yikes! Jim

Speaking of Orders of labour glory .... another 1st and 2nd class sold on auction site for good money ...... not their real value but a few hundred bucks between them is worth keeping in your pocket!!

Mmmm.... interesting! And while your answering Soviet...... to what extent was the awarding of orders and the stories behind them published in the papers.... and if some where which of the higher orders were worthy of this? Jim

Well I had never looked up the Mondvor site on that but I had picked up on it going through Avers. So effectively although they are 2 variations there is no clue as to whether or not they came from different mints or maybe simply, different moulds. An interesting detail on a medal that most would otherwise not spare a second glance at. Jim

Cheers andreas. Jim

Maybe not even necessary to dig at all sometimes!! A visit to some scrapyards can reveal much more with much less effort. Jim

Does that means Rick gets some sleep at last? Jim

Just as an interesting note. Avers #6 lists 2 veriations of this medal. The differences are minor changes in the bas relief of Stalin. I have never bothered to obtain and both variations of this. However, this is indicative of 2 different stamps and perhaps 2 different mints (?) which could account for differences in the quality/detail of some medals. Can anyone throw more detail on this humbl3 30 year anniversary medal? Jim

Hey Andreas The 5xx is rather close to the 683 although could be closer. What is your comment on the handwriting style? Jim

I would have tended to say so. Or at least until Andreas comparison. I would still probably steer away from based on the suspension ring and handwriting. But then again, if you did not pay a fortune for it it may have been a gamble worth taking after all Having said that, serial number handwriting styles can vary and the only way to be certain if that is correct is to try and find similar numbered medals and compare engravings. As for the 5 sided supsension, as I said its the least worry! Usually the problems with bravery and combat service/military merit medals is that the later postwar variations were not serial numbered and are yet ALMOST identical at first glance....well almost not quite! What one comes across most is later un-numbered medals having an engraved serial number onto them.... or alternatively having old serial number polished out and an earlier one engraved in its place. Jim

Fascinating! Which explains why, if there is not much of the patch left, there is nothing with which to restore it! Interesting indeed! Jim

Reading here in Switzerland. Let no deed be forgotten indeed .... and from what I've gone through so far .... may I say very well done indeed! Jim

I would like to think that we could start a thread called the "Dubious Seller Watchdog" flagging sites. listings or sellers where we can list those selling soviet material at rip off prices or under total misnomers (wrong descriptions or fakes as originals). However having said that: a) it may be hard for some to distinguish between the "rarer high priced" item versus the "overpriced" item; b) I can see the potential room for disagreement one way or another when prices and values are discussed - lets face it.... it has happenned before !; and c) potential misunderstandings may arise when sellers are unfairly listed if they have one listing where they may mistakenly "misfire" on the asking price or description So albeit this is probably a good idea particulary as it would help new collectors, I think it may end up by backfiring in the long run causing more problems than it may have solved!! What do you guys think.... Jim

Yeah.... I just picked up the most inflated price. Hopefully nobody takes the bait!!!

Looks fine to me! The day they start faking these medals I'll give up the hobby! What would be next.... fake anniversary medals or what!!?? Jim

Sometimes I just have to look twice! And even when I do ..... I am left really scratching my head! check out link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-Order-of-the-P...1QQcmdZViewItem Anyone tempted ?? Jim