Ferdinand

I saw that one. Neat set...

Then why don't you email Paul, Alexei and Marc?

I don't think it's an earlier variation, but it is indeed a much less common one.

Hi Dan, The first book is called is Labor awards to Railway Workers and Transportation Constructors (Трудовые награды железнодорожников и транспортных строителей) and the second one Railway Workers During the Great Patriotic War (Железнодорожники в Великой Отечественной войне).

It's hard to say with these later pieces. First we need to define "date". My guess is that this piece was awarded either during the later stages of the war or in 1947 as a wound award, but in any case, it was issued after the war. The same goes for your Glory 3rd Class. Most likely awarded late during the war, but issued afterward.

I agree, original piece with replaced screwplate.

One more thing about rarity. Of course the term is being used excessively and regularly applied to awards that are not rare at all, or scarce at best. But another aspect is that many people seem to think that a variation with a limited number of pieces issued justifies a high price. The 1985 OPW is a good example. If the production runs of each manufacturer constitute unique variations, you end up with a large list of variations, each with a relatively small serial number range. But I would never pay a large amount of money for a 1985 OPW, because in the end there were millions of them. The same goes for research. How many researched decorations have you seen that were awarded to soldiers in, say, the 1053rd Rifle Regiment? Not that many probably, but that doesn't make this regiment more valuable than any other regiment. Yesterday I was offered a standard OPW2 for $200 above market value because it was "rare due to its unusually long screwpost" - yeah right...

That's a good thing. Personally I would always make sure an item is real before purchasing it, but chances are you would have been able to get your money back through eBay anyway, even if the seller doesn't accept returns. eBay always sides with the buyer. It happened to me as a seller recently - I sold an order, the buyer claims he never got it, and PayPal immediately refunds the buyer and deducts the amount from my account. The order was sent via registered mail, I have proof of shipment, and I even have the buyer's signature, but PayPal does not refund me. I am now trying to get the money back through litigation, but the point I want to make is that as a buyer, you simply cannot lose. Regarding collecting for investing. I have never cared about this. If I buy a car for half a grand, it is only worth half that by the time I have left the showroom. I buy awards because I'm a phalerist and most of them will probably remain in my collection for the rest of my life anyway. You never know how prices are going to develop - in 2007 nobody would have expected that prices would skyrocket in 2008, and at that time nobody would have expected that they would be plummeting shortly afterward. Disregarding the unique situation in Russia in the 1990s, I doubt investing in awards is more profitable than putting your money in a savings account.

Maybe. You'd think that even the worst counterfeiters would do a better job. You'd also think that most experienced collectors would be able to spot the fakes you posted, but it amazes me how often people fall for this junk. You have no idea how often people ask me to research something that turns out to be fake when I take a look at it. With such collectors it is not surprising that production of fakes thrives.

I see two possibilities: as said it could have been bureaucratic errors. He was apparently transferred to another unit after August 1944, which may explain why he never received his first Glory. The third Glory was awarded shortly before the end of the war, and because of the subsequent mass demobilizations many of these awards took a long time to catch up with their recipients. A second possibility is that he did receive one or two additional Glories, but at a much later date. Perhaps another record card exists, which was misfiled or is still stored at his local military commissariat.

And there appears to be a fourth one, Colonel Filipp Petrovich Onopriyenko (1919-2005), a pilot. His name is Sitsevoi (Ситцевой)

Panchenko:

That's number three! So far only two officers were known to have received six Red Stars: Lt. Col. Vasily Vasilyevich Salantyev and Col. Pyotr Petrovich Panchenko.

If it was obvious, why did you correct me? Oh well...

Not sure what you're talking about, JapanX. This is definitely Sokolov - he was awarded three Lenins and two Red Banners, which is exactly what we can see on the top photo.

The HSU on the right is Marshal Sergei Sokolov by the way, who passed away last year at the impressive age of 101.

Yes, it's a good one.

Well, it's never too late to get everything researched... :)

Hi Rick, Times have changed. Navy research can now be done without any problems and it often takes just a few days. Even prewar military and labor awards can often be researched. I am lucky to have excellent contacts in Podolsk, Gatchina and a few other archives. Documents on partisans, members of the NKVD / MVD / NKGB / KGB / GRU, and post-1941 labor awards are often still classified, however. Auke

On the single-piece suspensions, two parts were cut out to wrap the ribbon around, and sometimes you can see the outlines of those cut-outs on the obverse of the award. Adding a front plate remedies this. I guess only the best was good enough for the awards. It has always amazed me too though. Surely all of that steel could have been put to better use.

Yes, probably. Although most orders were issued on two-piece suspensions, I have seen a number of Red Banners and Glories on one-piece brass suspensions.

Here's an example:

VoG Medals were issued on two-piece suspensions too. I've seen quite a few. So in this case there's no way to tell if this suspension and ribbon belonged to an OG3 or VoG (assuming the BM wasn't issued like this ).

Interesting record card, but that's not his; it's a card confirming the award of a Kutuzov 2nd Class to another Bulgarian general.

OPW2 is higher. Red Stars were awarded by divisions or higher formations, while OPWs could be only awarded by corps or higher formations.