new world

Your fear is not without a merit. This is totally possible. If one has original dies and uses quality enamel - no one will be able to tell if the award was made 60 years ago or just last month. Creating patina and wear traces is not that difficult at all. I recently heard that going price for Ushakov 1st class is over $700,000 and for Suvorov 1st class is over $250,000. With this type of money involved, what would prevent someone from making few Ushakov orders and selling them as non-awarded? Don't forget that Knight Crosses of Iron Cross were made after the end of WW2 by the folks who got their hands on original dies. It's a well known fact. William

Compared to what some dealers ask for RB with rather low SN - it's not so bad. Still, overall prices are insane! William

Breast start with cross on the right side of his chest is the highest order of Russian Federation - Order of Andrei Pervozvanniy! It was also the highest order of tsarist Russia. William

All-right, may be hearder example wasn't the best one. All I am saying, if judged by opinions in Research section for Soviet awards, majority of collectors value combat-earned citations. Labor and military long service citations do not get as much respect. BTW, do we know if research for labor-related awards will be available? William

Bob, You seem to be putting too high expectations on research. Don't be surprised if most of the citations turn out to be for excelling in hearding animals or for long service. I don't see how such sitations could add anything to the value of the award. William

What Igor asks and what it's going to sell for are two different things. Just because a member here owns BK1 it does not equal that he automatically has even $140K in his pocket. William

That's pin-back, right? "screwback - USD 2.750, nr 860, Nota Bene" William

What's even more insane - common Lenin selling for over $2000. At least Sukhe Bator was issued in limited numbers compared to Lenin. W

What's wrong with the picures? They are for type 3. The only inconsistency is his statement that award contains real gold...

$1925 No doc

Sukhe Bator pin-back SN 902 sold on eBay for $1925. William

But you have to keep in mind that potential buyers of this group already have all the acrs they want, as well as condos and villas. The group is not for us mere mortals, it's for collectors with REAL money. I have a feeling the listing for this group will not last. William

Red Banners sell quite well in Russia for $500-600, more for WWII period issued. If someone wins one on eBay for $400 - that's almost $200 for him.

Has anyone seen recent updates to RussianGlory web site? Recent additions are priced high and most of them are already sold or on hold. William

I would not be surprised if some rich Russian already bought one or both Victory orders. Compared to the recent sale prices of Faberge eggs Victory orders could be bargains. About the location of the vault where the awards are kept - it's very possible that the buyer keeps his prized possessions in some Swiss bank. William

I have a question about suspension, as it looks odd to me. It seems it's combined ot two parts: 3-place aluminum and 4 place brass. Why do we have the following: - what was the need to put two of them together instead of using brand new 7-place suspension? - how are they held together - I don't see any joins? - you can see that aluminum suspension has brass one placed on top of it, but the needle is still there, essentially making it not functional. Why wasn't the needle removed? it serves no purpose and the construction would have been more solid without the needle. - why earlier awards (1 through 3) are placed on newer aluminum suspension, while more recent awards (4 through 7) are on older brass hanger? - how exactly was this suspension worn - with pin needle going only through half of the suspension? William

Ed, tell us.

Also, you can check catalogue for recent Dmitry Markov New York auction. These awards were offered at the auction as well. William

Why don't you contact Dmitry directly and ask him about next steps? William

Young boys in the photos most likely are members of partizan units. Teenagers participated in Great Patriotic War on many fronts: - as partizans, - in regular army - so called "regiment sons" (sin polka), - in the navy - as "yungas". Many of them were awarded, some even with HSU titles. Their heroic deeds were widely publicized amoung Soviet youth (so called Hero Pioneers). There were numerous books about them as well. As for taking part in fighting, yes many of the young soldiers fought just like their adult comrades. Willaim

Here are some photos from recent presentation at Defense Ministry: http://www.webpark.ru/comments.php?id=32248 They spend about $4 million on new designs and Putin wasn't pleased at all. William

Woldzimierz, First think I look at in Nevsky order is protective mesh /net which cover his neck, right underneath the helmet's back. It should look perfect and evenly spaced. Most of the fakers can't get it right. William

Some nice items have been listed by the dealer! BOH small type for $74,000... I remember I was offered similar award for around $2,000 back in 2003. It seemed like very expensive award at the time. William

I was watching some cigarette cases from 1920s through 1950s on eBay. These cases have inscriptions (some given as awards, some just have name of the owner) and are fairly nice. To my shock they closed from $800 to $2,250. I remember their going rate used to be couple hundred dollars. William

Ouch - $3,000+ I give up, I just can't keep up with the pricing in modern market. Anything more or less decent is starting at $2K-$3K. William