Belaruski

Also have a look at my Albanian cap star in the Albanian section. The stars look very similiar in manufacture.

I think it's a piece of dembel insignia. Imaginative but authentic demobilisation stuff.

I don't have a blacklight yet, but I'd be very surprised if it was the original enamel. The star is JUST over 1mm thick. What does Den think it is so far?

The hammer and plough. Makes you realise why the changed it to a sickle!

I'm sure it's not magnetic, I've tried it on various pickups, and speaker magnets, and the little magnets that keep my wardrobe doors shut, and it doesn't 'stick'. Suddenly I find magnets everywhere!

Don't we all branch off with our hobby!? It doesn't appear to be magnetic, the only magnet in my house is my guitar pickup.. I'll get the close up of the front in the morning in daylight, I also need to charge my camera. Thanks for asking Den, Richie, this is turning out to be an interesting mystery!

That last badge is stunning! Great stuff!

I recall that the only portrait Che had on his study wall was that of Camillo. Incidentaly I think that it's quite hard to be a Marxist, and not a Communist!

I should say he resembles Mr Kilmer! Here are the close ups. The screwpost measures around 3mm in diameter. My order of the Red star srew plate is slightly too big for it, and a Soviet divers badge one is too small. It's hard to measure precisely, but i'd say 3mm.

Sold! Can this thread be deleted now?!

Interesting photo of Val Kilmer.. I'll take some close ups tomorrow in daylight, and measure the post too. I would be very happy to find it to be a breast badge from the revolution! But as we know in Russia they fake one or two things these days..

(here's the rest of the cap) I hand made it, to see if such things were possible!

Kimj, This is a Soviet anniversary parade one. It is not heavy quality and is just like later Soviet stars in materials, including prong back fittings. It's also not concave.

When I first started collecting Soviet stuff I bought an order of honour that for some obscure reason had been paired up with a Bulgarian case for the Order of the 9th of September 1944, 3rd class. I have no use for the box, so if anyone has an uncased order PM me and you can have it!

I don't have a black light, maybe ebay may help there.. Although I remember reading somewhere that blacklight tests are not conclusive, but that may have been for cloth items..

Dare we ask how much?

Hi all! I bought this several years ago, and would be curious what the experts think! I presume the screwpost has been replaced/ repaired. Or is it a copy? All opinions welcome! ***Sorry! I've just realised this is the researched section!! Can someone move it? Sorry... ***

Thanks for the information, and you met Ramiz Alia! Wow! What is he doing now?

Good idea! Incidentally I'm not convinced the enamel is original.

Here's why I ask. This is my screwback and has a long screwpost, that seems unsuitable for most caps! Anyway here it is.. (it's concave unlike my prong backed one).

Scott, that's a beauty!

Thanks Eric! I've read a fair amount about Hoxha, but it's difficult to find out which awards he had. As I said, reading the criteria, he could claim almost all Albanian awards. But he seems to have been relatively modest in that in photos he isn't bedecked in ribbons or medals. On the cover of his 'with Stalin' memoir he appears to have 8 or 9 ribbons. But as you say some may be foreign awards. Not even google seems to know!

Bob, Very nice! I used to find no Albanian awards for sale, and now ther indeed seems to be a sudden 'rush' of them. When you say the state vaults have opened, do you mean that literally? This may be a naive question, but as posted above Gold partisan stars have gone for $1000 to $100 in a few weeks!

Hi! I was reading Eric's book and I was thinking that Comrade Enver Hoxha must have been entitled to, or fulfilled the criteria for quite a few if not most of the Orders and Medals, as well as possibly the hero titles. Does anyone actually know which, if any, awards he actually received?

Sorry Christophe!! great minds think alike!