ChrisKelly

Real or fake?

Image 1: Everyone loves gradpa's stories of the Great Patriotic War! Image 2: Victoria! You need more medals!

My small collection, including a miniature. I wish I could get research on these medals.

An interesting award... Recipient is first on the left in the photograph. Source: https://www.omsa.org/russian-50th-anniversary-of-victory-medal-to-an-american-nurse/

From my research, since 2010, this medal is awarded only for "combat service/military merit" and is struck in silver. It is no longer [since 2010] awarded to veterans of the Great Patriotic War due to their veteran status.

On the original issues, from 1994, what's the difference? Some have a mintmark on the reverse of the planchet, some have a mintmark on the suspension ring, some have no mintmark... Is it just a difference in where the medals were made [Moscow or Saint Petersburg], or is it an indicator of genuine or reproduction?

One more, in answer to previous posts... Source: https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/russia-puts-a-lid-on-military-medals/ The Daily Report Asia Times POSTED IN RUSSIA Russia puts a limit on military medals The Russian military has issued a new regulation: no more than 10 medals can be worn on parade uniforms By DAVE MAKICHUK MARCH 4, 2020 Soviet generals were never particularly modest about wearing military medals at special occasions, including famed Second World War Marshal Georgi Zhukov, whose chest was practically buried behind glittering metal. And rightly so, at least he earned his medals. During the Cold War, Russians liked to joke about Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, whose parade uniform groaned under the weight of the 114 medals had he had either been awarded or had awarded himself. What would happen if Brezhnev were eaten by a crocodile? The crocodile would be sh—ing medals for two weeks! Today’s Russian commanders are a bit more modest when it comes to military decorations. But some officers are wearing so many medals, that Russian troops mockingly call them “iconostases,” after the wall of icons and paintings found in Eastern Orthodox churches, according to a special report by Michael Peck of The National Interest. So in 2019, the Russian military finally issued a new regulation: no more than 10 medals can be worn on parade uniforms. “Only two rows of five medals each can now be worn,” said the Russian newspaper Izvestia. “That is, service personnel can pin no more than 10 medals, awards, and departmental heraldic badges onto two boards on the left side of the tunic. Civilian awards and badges of public organizations are banned from parade uniforms. Previously some officers ’ uniforms had entire ‘iconostases,’ as they were humorously known by the troops. And this flippant attitude toward decorations did not help raise the authority of officers and prestige of the Armed Forces.” It is not known if Russian President Vladimir Putin had a hand in the new rule, but Izvestia highlighted the more modest dress of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: “The head of the military, who has received dozens of awards over the years of work in high posts, has shown a personal example to subordinates. Sergei Shoigu entered the parade on May 9 in his uniform, on which there were only two rows of the five most significant orders and medals. In addition to the ‘Golden Star’ of the Hero of Russia, the orders of Alexander Nevsky and “For Personal Courage,’ as well as other top awards, were attached to the minister’s formal tunic.” That’s far less chest fruit salad than Brezhnev, who even bestowed WWII decorations on his son-in-law, who was just 5 years old when the medals were supposed to have been earned (Brezhnev himself served as a commissar in WWII), the report said. The late Soviet leader’s self-promotion was so flagrant that in 1989, seven years after Brezhnev had passed away, the Soviet government actually stripped him of the Order of Victory, the Soviet Union’s highest military award, the report said. Compare that to Robert Lewis Howard, a Vietnam veteran who is considered the most decorated American soldier. Howard, who retired as a lieutenant colonel and passed away in 2010, also had a chest emblazoned with medals: 88 decorations to be exact, including the Medal of Honor and a staggering eight Purple Hearts, the report said. Indeed, Howard reportedly could have garnered six more Purple Hearts for wounds in combat, but “told his superiors the other six injuries weren’t severe enough to warrant a medal and he refused the awards.” [Russian Cold War and WWII military veterans display their hard-earned medals in Moscow. Credit: File photo.]

This is not unique to Russia. America's examples below... Third image is, "Air Force releases criteria for new valor “V”, combat “C” and remote “R”" [these are ribbon bar devices for both individual medals, such as Achievement Medals, Commendation Medals, Air Medals and Bronze Star Medals, etc., as well as the many unit award ribbons]: See also/Source: https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/335917-what-is-the-funniest-dumbest-thing-you-saw-or-heard-while-in-the-service/page/4/#comment-3028016 Here's a 75th Anniversary Parade Participant Medal from Belarus. For Participants in their Victory Day Parade in Minsk on 9 May 2020. Source: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174319102347?hash=item28963a698b:g:1ZwAAOSwmIJe6R1u&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8KlsMXif1Sm1BCmv6G16ZG6AezHObIRuw2FamlNlxUfxTruYntfBvd8nz%2Bx2slA%2BhYK8zOtdB0IZNCxCUY8mOv%2Bh2EPdiy%2BuYtYZlpvMzWdDCeg3L51pgTjCAhdchRxcW0hF4cK8y3TJ0VxUMO6jg0yCVfeT7nHjlgl1tXQgZI99WGeDd2IHw8M%2BZCfooEy%2BroXi8oV8KV3g%2F2kyz6Q%2FmYpGjsuEhfHR%2F4vmWA2MXChKMtU5uBfD78WnW4ugFmLxLNLb8kVm%2Fgn9ev2TaDNaWU6uE43Txx%2FG9FboCVKaFrEJ3qPWtYq1LuSLsndJJhMdTQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8behM_dYg

Images of a genuine issue...

Is it true that Russian jubilee/anniversary medals for the War have been awarded to North Korean Premier Kim Jong - Un?

This may help... Belarus medals, 75th Anniversary of Liberation. Genuine issue is on the right, reproduction is on the left, in images 1 & 2. Genuine issue is on top, reproduction is on bottom, in images 3 & 4.

If I'm not mistaken, this was Hindenburg's last official/national act before his death two weeks later. He wanted to award as many people as possible for their contributions to the war efforts of the Central Powers. Since the reverses are blank, has anyone seen one that is engraved?