kimj

Thanks Ed! Have you ever seen an second version with a serial number? When I get time I'll post the Afghani bravery medal I have. But that is perhaps better done in a new thread. By the way, BIG thanks for your web pages with "obscure" countries awards like Afghani, Iraqi etc! GREAT source of info! I also like to add that it is nice to see you here at this forum. I enjoyed your posted at the Soviet awards forum. /Kim

VERY nice star Wild Card!! This is about as high one can get in Soviet collecting. I was also happy to learn that you have more from the same man. These high-high awards are so often found all alone. Here is your man in another photo. Courtesy of http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=1473 /Kim

Glad you liked it Rick. Hope you find something usefull. Here is another place you could find some info. Only in Russian but worth looking at. http://www.rkka.ru/ I especially like the uniform section with uniforms modeled on real people. Makes for a more alive history experience. /Kim

I don't think it's a "guards ribbon". Guards color in cloth were found only in the short lived navy guards badge and in the cap tally, as far as I know. None of those fit this description. Besides why would he carry double guards symbols? On the other hand why would he carry double Victory medals... I guess we'll never know for sure why he has an extra (medal) ribbon on his uniform. But knowing would take away the fun of guessing wouldn't it... /Kim

Thanks for the info. Only in the 500s... Perhaps these are unissued ones from the Mint. That would also explain why they are more common. It would also mean that 1000 is an overestimate of awards made. Or it could just all be coincisidence. /Kim

I think the ribbon is Victory over Germany medal. Yes, even though he is wearing that one too. It could be a simple explanation why he did this. But I don't have it.... Perhaps his wife had sewn it on his uniform and he did not feel like removing it. As for the first guy. Not caring about awards regulations!!!..... Is that really allowed?? But being an individual in the USSR and showing that you don't care about regulations. That sounds like a one-way-trip to lovely Gulag for non-soviet behavior. Or I am perhaps just way off. The explanation is most likely very obvious, to those who know... Perhaps he's chinese and ARE wearing them according to regulation. /Kim

Hi Rick Nice documents! I found a little info on your guys at: http://www.generals.dk Oleinik Fedor I., Major-General ( - ) 1943 - 1945Political Commissar 38th Army Rumiantsev Petr I., Major-General ( - ) Sosnovikov Vladimir V., Major-General ( -1967) 1941 Political Commissar 23rd Army 1942 Political Commissar 8th Army 1942 - 1943Political Commissar 2nd Tank Army 1943 - 1944Political Commissar 37th Army A bit thin when it came to Rumiantsev. But no info is also info.. Perhaps they are all political officers? /Kim

Thanks Christophe. What would be the second smallest serial number you have seen... Also forgot to welcome you here. Welcome! I would like to add more numbers to this small data base, three numbers counts as pretty small... /Kim

Gerd: Yes, gold and red enamel go very well together I only wish it was real gold instead of just plated. Christophe: What is the lowest number you have seen? The reason I ask is probably because I have read the McDaniel book one too many times... /Kim

I am not sure when they stopped awarding this one. An un-educated guess is first half of the -80s. I should probably get a copy of the Russian book on Afghan awards, but my Russian is poor at best.. On the question on how many awarded... Well, I have mine, no 155, and I have seen no 519. So I think about 1000 or less made would be close to the truth. I also forgot the best part! This lovely order became mine for 25$ /Kim

Thanks Rick If I ever research it I'll post the result and we'll see how close you were. /Kim

The translation would be something like [courtesy of D.D. at WAF]: Big text under the star: The People. Text under big text: Saur Revolution 1357 - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. 7 Saur 1357 was 27 April 1978, hence "April Revolution". The reverse: "in the name of the workers and peasants" or "for the glory of the workers and peasants". I asked my wife who knows Arabic what the text said. Well, what she came up with did not correspond with this text. Close with some words but way of on others. Here is the reverse. But I did not take a pic of the suspention as it looked like the common Soviet late aluminum "klodotka". Afghani awards are a bit of a white area on the map. But I have seen this compared with the Soviet Order of the October Revolution. /Kim

As this was made at the Russian mint I think it qualify to be posted in this forum. It is the first version of The Order of the Saur Revolution made for Afganistan. It's very heavy and has a look one would not expect from a suspended order. Anyone else that has Afgani awards? /Kim

I have a Red Star with serial number 3 598 324. It's the highest I have ever had the chanse to buy. Any thoughts on when it was issued? In the Shishkov book he gives some time between 1961-67. But that is a pretty dull guess... /Kim

The serial numbers of the golden stars are not 100% cronological. Why this is I can only speculate. Purges could explain some, like the issued number 34 and 35 in 22 feb. 1944! Those are probably "recycled" numbers. But I doubt that would explain stars numbered after each other issued in 1943, -44 and 1945... I think there is some logic behind the numbers. It seems like some numbers were "saved" and not issued after the last star issued. But I would say most of the numbers follow logic. Early numbered stars were issued early, 1939-41. If I remember correclty only 626 were issued before WW2. /Kim

Very nice and informative reply Alfred! I have looked in the Borisov book of army badges. I think he gives the date of the MVD ukaz for fire figther 20 june 1947. The Air force soldier badges has year only, 1947. I also checked this rather intresting site,in russian, about the badges. There he gives an other date for fire fighter badge. But I think he's mixing it up with another, the MVD fire figther. Anyway: http://www.znakisssr.h15.ru/ Nice pics of the award documents. Also the badge you listed in 1947 as sniper should probably be rifle man in English. /Kim

This is a good one. Notice that it is a bit less flat than the other. It also has a thick screwpost. This used to be a good way of telling fakes from original stuff. All the early fakes had a thin screwpost. The elongated shape is WW2 issue, the other one I posted imitates a later issue. This shape is now very popular with fakers as it's WW2 issue, made last year. I might add that I had some negative comments about the originality of this badge on antoher forum. But I belive it's good as does a dealer I had contact with. No, I didn't buy it from him /Kim

Thanks Rick! The badges are very well faked nowadays. So I don't think you can tell the good from the bad without "hands-on" knowledge, sometimes not even then. But I can show one of the older type of fakes. The only one in my collection, at least I hope so... This is a very bad Exc. Pontoneer. As the pic show it actually fell apart. Making it a three part badge. This is one of my first badges of this kind. Bought in St Petersburg with two other, also fake. This was in -94, so it's a 1:st generation fake. /Kim

Oops! Wrong forum! Sorry about that. Perhaps someone can move it....

Here is a close up of my latest treasure, Excellent Torpedo man. /Kim

Anybody here that collect the different types of Excellent Baker etc. badges? These badges are one of my personal favourite areas of collecting. Only problem is that they are so faked nowadays This is how I display them or at least all the different variants. Yes, I do have some variants other than the ones shown. /Kim

No awards at all... Perhaps it's not his uniform but his after-work outfit I have some strange hair cut photos. But my favourites are the ones with big moustaches. I think there was a trend, late war, with BIG moustaches. The idea was probably to show "machismo" but looks very much like the Village People Next photo is not a moustache one. This is just an example of the lazy solution of attaching ones medals. The ribbon behind the screwback awards was probably red. Also notice that the medals are in the wrong order! He has pinned the highest ranked ones at the top. It looks good when you wear it but if it had been a medalbar it would be all wrong acording to regulation. /Kim Forgot his name... this is colonel Nicolay Kubasov

Great service Marshall! In the spirit of sharing I can offer what I can find in: Ordenskaya Knizjka, Geroi Sovetskogo Sojoza. It's the book that lists: Serial number; Name; Award date; Date of death Stalin's Eagles. A book on soviet air aces from ww2 and Korea. In the last on I found your guy Rick. But not much other info that already in the russian book. It also confirms the date that Marshall found. /Kim

It is a strange one and I guess it will remain a mystery. Here is one more. This one is not that strange, just a bit odd. Notice the ribbon under the Lenin. A case of "Are you telling ME, a Hero of the soviet union, how to wear my awards?". Photo of Yuri Makarovitch Maznyi (at least that is how I transcribe his name), dated 1948. /Kim

The photo is not reversed, as I also thought at first. But when I looked closer I saw that his "kitel" buttons the right way and that the medals are faced the right way. I forgot to write the date of the back of the photo, 1956. But the old rule for Red Stars were not valid as he is also wearing Red Army 30 years medal, from 1948. The big question is why he is wearing his medals and orders on the wrong side? Did he go to China before 1943 and when he returned he didn't care to check regulations... On the lower row of medals to the far left he has the Sino-Soviet medal. But 1956..... /Kim And thanks for the welcome!