Brian Wolfe

In this shot is a round device called an Aerial Variometer Mk II. It has something to do with getting better reception. There is a gauge at the front of the device that can be turned to tune in a better signal. The aerial that came with the radio is laying on the vairometer. I hope you liked the photos of my new toy and as soon as I get it up and displayed I'll update this thread. Thanks for looking. Cheers Brian

This is the main label on the front of the radio.

Another shot of the two languages.

Here is a view of the English and Russian lettering.

This is a view of the front of the radio.

This is the spare box showing the spare parts and the morse code key that was inside the box. There is a hole on the front of the radio where the code key can be plugged. The protective rubber has gone a bit gooey but everything seems to be in place.

This is one of the three head set assemblies this one complete with the microphone. I think I have a photo of a soldier using this device somewhere in my collection. Once this wireless set is cleaned and properly mounted I will run a couple of photos of the radio in use (if I can locate the photo I'm thinking of).

Here is a photo of the box where you would plug in the headsets. Notice the writing is in English and Russian. I think this set may have been made in the U.S.A. as I read that the ones from the States had both languages due to the lend lease policy during the war. I have not taken time to look to see if there are any manufacturer's logos on the radio which may tell me where the main part was made.

Hello Everyone, Yesterday I got a call from a friend of mine who was doing some renovations in an older home for a fellow. The fellow has just inherited the home and there is a lot to clean up and clean out. My friend noticed this radio set in the attic and asked what the owner wanted done with it. He said to toss it! My friend said he knew someone who would really like it so he gave it to me. I wanted to post this last night but I was so excited that I couldn't sit still long enough to type anything. Yes, the body is old but the kid in me lives on. I'm still excited!!!! This is a wireless radio set No,. 19 Mk II, these were used in the tanks, universal (bren gun ) carriers and other vehicles in WW II. I won't go on and on about the history as you can check it out on the internet if you are interested. It has decades of grunge on it and I will be kept blissfully busy for many hours just cleaning it. It is amost complete even including the spare parts box, with the parts. I am missing a spare valve box and I hope to find one again. I say "again" as I once owned one but for the life of me I don't remember what I did with it. I hate getting old! I am missing one areal and I need to replace one cable. One of the three head sets is missing a micrtophone. Check out the photos, even the cables are there. I am so excited I can hardly wait to get at the clean up. We have a dinner party to attend this evening so it will have to wait until Sunday. I intend to build a stand to display the cleaned radio and put some mounts on the stand to hold the areal etc. I would like to build the stand to resemble the area where this radio would have been found in the universal carrier (bren gun carrier). I'll post the finished product when it is completed. The photos are not the best because they were taken in my workshop. When I redesigned the basement I put in two workshops, one for stained glass work and one for working on odds and ends like this. The radio is VERY heavy and that was the reason for the description stating "An old boat anchor finds a new home". I hope you like the photos. Cheers Brian

I agree with ilja559 regarding the purchase of fakes as far as "fillers" in a collection is concerned. I have read other post where members have purchased copies for a uniform and I don't see a problem with that as long as the copies are marked as such. Purchasing several real top end orders to put on a half a dozen uniforms would be quite expensive indeed. It must be remembered that most if not all museums use copies in their displays. However, we are not museums. The problem I have with copies in a collection is that there becomes a real danger that the collector will start to add more and more copies until the collection is basically watered down to a few authentic specimens and the bulk consisting of copies. You can spend a lot on "filling holes" with items never issued to actual soldiers (or non-military personnel) and you have to ask yourself "WHY? If you want a complete collection to look at then purchase a good quality poster picturing all of the medals from that particular country. Better to be able to actually hold a real medal in your hand that was actually issued to those who served. Most of us feel we are preserving artfacts for future generations, I know that's my (deluded?) view of my collection. Better to preserve a few true artifacts than dozens of cuncks of junk medal. Here's something to think about. About a year ago a member posted his collection of TR items. I know very little about TR so I stay away from those items, for the most part. His collection was flawless and very top end. Not knowing what is and is not a copy I thought that perhaps he had purchased fakes by the dozens. I followed the thread for months and no member ever questioned the collection. They praised it but never questioned its authenticity. I was blown away to think this was a collection of authentic TR top end orders. My point is that if you use "fillers" and are like me (not rich) you run the risk of people thinking your whole collection of garbage, including the real ones. End of today's rant. Cheers Brian

Hi Ken, Welcome and thanks for the great post. Yet another reason to avoid visiting Parliament when in Ottawa. Cheers Brian

I've never seen the 40 year but I know it exists, if any member has one I'd sure like to see it. To my knowledge there is no 50 year medal. Cheers Brian

Thank you Ferdinand. I am new to Soviet medal collectingn and was not sure. Now I feel better about trying to add it to my growing collection. Thanks again. Cheers Brian

This is the reverse view. Again from left to right the 10, 20 and 30 year medal. Thanks for looking. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, A 30 year Military Service Medal has just arrived to join the 10 and 20 year medals in my collection. I had bid on and "won" a 30 year medal on eBay back in September 2007 and after a long wait the medal never arrived and the seller dropped out of e$cam so I was out the cash and the gong. A dealer from Islamabad who had sold me the 10 and 20 year medal was offering a 30 year medal for sale. It arrived two days ago (Thursday) and I am very happy to be adding it to my collection. Next, the 40 year medal. I hope you like it. The obverse views of the medals are, from left to right, the 10, 20 and 30 year medal. These were implemented in 1992 and were issued unnamed. Cheers Brian

Hello Everyone, I was looking at a Medal for Valour today and noticed that it had no serial number on the reverse. All of the ones that I've managed to find on the forum are numbered. The medal looks like it has been around long enough and the ribbon is correct and also shows age wear. What is your opinion? Are all Medals for Valour numbered? Cheers Brian

Here's the back of the Order of the Badge of Honour # 1014937 This is the concave back variation as you can see. I like these so much that I can't bring myself to put them away in my medal collection drawers yet. My wife says I'm worse than a kid. What's her point? Thanks for taking a look, I hope you liked them. Cheers Brian

Here's the Order of the Badge of Honour. Cheers Brian

Here is the back of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour # 861377. Brian

Hello Everyone, A short while ago as I read though the posts on our forum I got the strangest urge to add some Soviet medals to my collection. I started off with the usual common medals and then, before investing more money, decided to read the past posts on the topic. Man, some of you guys (and gals) are pretty serious! I read until my eyes felt blistered and was getting pretty paranoid about buying Soviet medals and decorations. This weekend I visited a local gun show. Here in my part of the world there are three classifications of shows where you might find medals. A gun show is just that, a show for hunters and gun collectors with a smattering of other related items thrown in for good measure. A military show where you will find a larger percentage of medals and then there's the medal collector's shows where you can drop $1000 faster than at the track. As I was looking through the odds and ends I came upon a dealer I have purchased gun related items from for years. To my surprise he had a small case of medals for sale. In the case were several foreign medals as well as Soviet medals and two Orders. The two orders were, The Order of the Red Banner of Labour and The Order of the Badge of Honour. They are numbered and I feel pretty confident they are original. They look like they have been around for a while and if they turn out to be faked I can return them. I wanted to share them with you, even though I know they are not especially rare, they are quite attractive (in my opinion). The Order of the Red Banner of Labour is numbered 861377 The Badge of Honour is numbered 1014937 Any comments would be welcomed. Cheers Brian

A sad and shocking story. I will not go on a rant regarding museums, however (and he rambled on for pages), far too often items are donated that end up being surplus. Even items we would consider fairly scarce. Duplicate items are quite often stored away to be cataloged at a later date and forgotten. Forgotten that is until someone decides to "liberate" them. I'd rather see medals in the hands of the private collector and featured on a forum such as this. Museums serve their purpose, don't get me wrong, but if I were to donate my humble collection it would be relegated to a box in the basement and never seen again. At least I bore our friends and family with my collection every chance I get. Cheers Brian

Hi Greg, $175.00, now those were the days. Most of my collection was purchased back in the 1970s & 80s. I could never afford them at today's prices. Cheers Brian

Oops. I did think it was yours, Rob. Sorry Greg. I had just gotten in from work and my mind was still asleep (government employee). A great sword. Cheers Brian

Hello Vitalik, Welcome to the forum. Very nice Imperial Orders. Thank you for showing them to us. Cheers Brian

Hi Rob, Nice sword. I believe it is an Army Officer's Shin-gunto. The NCO pattern was a mass produced copy of the officer's pattern with the aluminum handle. While I do not profess to be an expert, I have not heard of an NCO with this type of handle. Blades for the shin-gunto can be hand-made or factory-made with and without a signed tangs. You keep coming up with these! Don't stop! Thanks for showing it off. Cheers Brian