hunyadi

As I recal it was bout' 4 1/2 feet tall and very impressive.

Yep - 16 in total and that is not counting the "Excelent Fireman Medal" or the "Excelent Fire Work Medal". These are difficult to find as not many people / dealers seem to collect them or deal in them. This one is the first one of this grade (30 year bronze) that I have seen. I normaly run across the 5,10,15,&20 year medals, but then I have never seen a document for one of these either. They are not as 'sexy' as the military / political medals so they dont come to market very often it seems.

Founded in February 4th, 1958 by the Council of Ministers to recognize the good work of voluntary firemen for long service. Two classes were created. 5,10,15,20,30,40, & 50 years. (these are a different form known as the Onkentens Tuzolto Szolgalati Erem) Then (this one above) came in three classes depending on the "merit" of service, but only for 30, 40 & 50 years of serivce. Three classes were formed bronze (as above) silver and gold. So in other words you could get a 30 year in gold for being a very heroic volunteer fireman or a bronze for average service in a town that never had a fire.

I am beginning to think the collectors with too much stuff are the ones with the parctice bomb. Back in 2004 my family was visiting the home of a fellow collector who had been ammassing US itmes since the 1980's. His wife had lost the spare bedroom, the den and the two car garage to the collection. When I showed my wife she realised that things could be much worse - so much worse when she saw the 500 lb practice bomb! When you use one of those things as a paper weight on your desk - it just speaks more than the 'complaint department - please take a number' handgrenade gag...

I would imagine not more than $80-100 when you factor in materials and labor and a strugling post-communist economy.

Like Latvia and places like Hungary - the post communist world has 1) cheap labor 2) industry to manufacture available. 3) many folks wanting to make a quick buck. So this is what you get. I like Chris's better than the Latvian type as if follows a more 'taditional' form and would look better in a display cabinet or on a tunic.

From what I understand the WW1 and WW2 archives are open to the public - only members of the government can get into the archives of the communist era. Sort of like needing to contact your congresman to get into the Library of Congress. Being furneerrs, I doubt that I woud get much results. Do you have a specific person you would like to research Jeff? PM me and I can see what I can do.

I would say that there is some varaitions in the hats. If you see the early armbands depict simply 'MUNKASOR' in stencled letters. Later there are photos with armbands that have the munkasor coat of arms. The gal in uniform seems to be wearing a light colored cap and the 'grandpa' also seem to be wearing the light colored cap. As the photos range from the years 1957-1967 I think the latter part of the 1960's saw a switch to the lighter color caps. Now - to find a early and late Munkasor uniform....ugh - will it ever end...

Cant be as the photo was taken before 1967. The ribbon also looks to be a national tri-color ribbon so it may be a sports medal (?) As for ranks - I have no reference. I could take some wild educated guesses, but I wont. I too am looking for one of these uniforms - the dress uniforms abound, but the battle dress is an anomoly.

Red Stripe is more like a discharge stripe - meaning he could wear the uniform in public as a civilian. Similar in WW2 was the "Ruptured Duck" however that didnt come into full practice until the end of the war. When my grandfather returned from the CBI in 1944 - he kept running into MP's who thought he was an AWOL Captain (!?) Eventualy he took the uniform off and put it in a closet to be eaten away by moths....

A mystery has been afoot for a while - anyone got photos of these uniforms??

Yep - its Bulgarian -

how about a walk in the woods?

and winter

Gordon - cammo?

They were not all old men in baggy uniforms with medals all messed up....

The Workers Militia had parades of course

And another coal miner (3 Kivalo Dolgozol!)

Here is some photos of coal miners - they each have a grade of the Coal Miners Medal for at least 10 years under the ground. Along with this 2 Kivalo Dolgozol and 2 Sztahanovistas! Yes I found one Ulstermann

This one reminds me of th Judds song 'Grandpa' "Grandpa tell me bout' the good ol' days" (when you were butchering those Horhty Fascists...) Of interest here is that the Workers Militia uniform seems to have no provision or regulation for wearing decorations. Grandpa has 2(!!!!) HUPR Order of Merit Vth class! Workers & Pesants Return of Power, Unkown, 1959 Commemorative Medal for the Hungarian Soviet (1919 Commut Government) - So he is Truly - Old Guard

Too many folks have asked for pictures of these medal in wear - and frankly propoganda books with such photos are more rare than the actual awards themselves it seems - but this weekend I found one. Its a series from the Workers Militia (a section of the armed forces that I seem to be finding lately - future article I am sure)

After three books - does there need to be more? Translation for the third book is Soldeirs Medals of Hungarian History this book has some interesting things in it that I wont declare as false but it depicts Order of the Red Star with Combat Decoration. It its similar to the one in post #148, but it has a different ribbon and a flower for the central piece where the Hungarian coat of arms normaly is. In all the other reference material and the "Blue Book" (a rare and hard to get book that contains all of the legal criteria and information of all awards from 1948 to 1977) this award never existed. Perhaps they were unofficial but... The only thing that I can see these being awarded to for 'combat' was the small UN delegation that Hungary sent in 1976 to observe the conditions of the cease fire in Vietnam. Two of the members were killed, but I have not researched into 'how'. I believe it was a mine if I recal the tale correctly. Anyhow - I would love to see the originals of these... Back to work I must go...

let this cat out of the bag?!

can you post a bigger photo? Its hard to make out specific details - but my wild guess is S&L??

Hi Darrell - Both are 'WW2' manufacture but they are not the earilest type. The fist forms came with the 'wrap broach' - the style seen on many earleir awards. From what I have learned the first bronze stars seem to have been awarded to the Navy and the USMC and therefore came with the wrap broach and hte shorter 'coffin' style boxes. However - there is no way to tell if these are truly WW2 era - as they made millions of this 'sewn broach' Bronze Stars and they were awarded in Korea, Vietnam and even up to Desert Storm... The 'Swank' BS's you see on ebay are in my opinion surplus awards that were found in PA and issued to Desert Storm troops. They were being sold at something like .85 cents ea as I recall when I conversed with the vet. Still - they are well above the quality that is handed out to our hero's today...