livesinayurt

This is a great piece! For me, the labor and civilian awards are the most interesting aspects of Soviet awards. Every country has lots of interesting military awards, but the Soviet (and other countries behind the iron curtain) were kind of unique in their extensive awards for all sorts of things. Some of the civilian and labor awards (e.g. Friendship of Peoples, Red Banner of Labor, Badge of Honor) are also some of the most aesthetically appealing to me as well.

Thanks again @Egorka. I decided to try my luck in a Russian-language forum and got a very interesting reply! Москва - пресса, ММД. - Forum FALERISTIKA.info

Thanks for sharing that thread! Fascinating to see another example engraved with Tashkent and you're right that rules out my original theory! I also stumbled across the examples without the "Moscow" on them which added to the intrigue (e.g. Знак Пресса. ММД). Really curious what these would have been used for! Even if it remains a mystery, it's a really nice badge which I am happy to have in my collection.

I stumbled across this intriguing press badge at a flea market in Tashkent. I don't think it's particularly rare or valuable, but I am hoping to learn more about it. The badge is quite heavy and feels very high quality (not surprising since it has a Moscow Monety Dvor mint mark). So it's likely made of brass and hot enamel. It is engraved with "Tashkent city. 1966." I've found a few other examples online (e.g. https://meshok.net/en/item/134933522_Знак_Пресса_Москва_тяж_ММД) but none with engraving. My questions are: 1) Any idea what organization this was used for? I was familiar with Radio Moscow, so that was my first guess. But it seems odd that it's just "Moscow" here... There was a literary journal titled simply "Moscow", but it seems unlikely that they would have press badges... The script on the badge does not appear to match either publication, but that doesn't rule them out at all. 2) Any idea why it was engraved? Since I haven't seen other examples, I am guessing this may have been done by an individual and was not an official part of the badge (though if this is a case, they did a very nice job with a rotating tool!). My working theory is that it was a reporter who covered the aftermath of the devastating 1966 earthquake in Tashkent and did the engraving him/herself as a memento. Of course, that would be neigh impossible to verify. Would love to hear any additional thoughts or ideas. Thanks.

Thank you for sharing. It was very cool to see high-level groupings displayed alongside the awards of more typical service members. I'm glad they are honoring the memory and sacrifices of both.

Thanks @Wat05 and @Eric Gaumann! They are not cheap, but as a collector interested in labor and political history of the USSR, they are the favorite items of my collection. I'd love to eventually collect one from each of the 15 republics and feel that is achievable (I'm currently at 3/15 + USSR). There are also supreme soviets for the autonomous oblasts and short-lived republics that are incredibly rare that I doubt I'll ever be able to acquire. My most recent acquisition is this beautiful example of a badge from the 4th-6th convocations of the Turkmen SSR. While I don't have the documents for this badge, I learned that the deputy was allegedly a worker on a collective farm growing cotton (колхозник хлопкороб).

These three badges are the favorite items in my modest collection of Soviet orders, medals, and badges. I would love to see examples from other forum members if this is a collection area others are interested in! Supreme Soviet of the USSR (unknown convocation 1st-11th, 1937-1984) AVERS8: 2494 Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR (5th Convocation - 1959) AVERS8: 2682 Supreme Soviet of the Ukranian SSR (Uknown convocation 3-8th, 1951-1971) AVERS8: 2690

A bit of a shot in the dark on this one on a thread that hasn't had activity for a few years, but I am strongly suspecting that this Defense of the Soviet Transarctic medal is an "Umalatova" reissue. Would love to get others' confirmation or thoughts.

This is fascinating! I’m curious how an awardee would get an OGIII to modify like this. I’m assuming there was very little market for medals and orders during the Soviet times, so was this done later? Thanks for sharing this fascinating history—even when it’s aesthetically less pleasing, I like awards with modifications by the awardee as it shows how meaningful it was to them.

Thanks @Marcel B. for the recommendations for those sites specifically on the ORS and OGPW. Those are great! I’ve bought stuff from Matt before— even though the prices are not cheap, it’s nice buying and being confident about authenticity. I’ve also communicated with him over email—he’s a really helpful reference at confirming originality and I really appreciate the quality of his photos. Thanks to @Megan as well. Even though they are older references they are still helpful. I do read Russian reasonably well. Was this site ( https://web.archive.org/web/20020330125740/http://www.mondvor.iptelecom.net.ua/) an earlier home of the current Mondvor site (https://mondvor.narod.ru). They look nearly identical at a glance. Thanks again for the recommendations and for the warm welcome to the community.

Thanks! Good to hear I already am using the best references available.

Hello--I'm new to the forum. Many thanks to @Chuck In Oregon for informing me of its existence and inviting me. I've been collecting Soviet stuff for a while, but only gotten into the hobby more seriously for the last two years. I primarily collect medals, orders, and some badges (Deputy badges of the SSR republic supreme soviets are my favorite). I wanted to ask about recommendations for reference books. I currently have copies of Reznik's Soviet Orders and Medals book (for orders/medals) and AVERS8 (for badges) and use Mondvor regularly. Reznik's book is pretty nice, but it doesn't really have any additional information to what is already online at Mondvor. I was considering buying another reference book and am considering getting a copy of AVERS6 (not terribly priced on eBay) or The Comprehensive Guide to Soviet Orders and Medals (quite pricey). Do others on this forum have those books and can provide a recommendation on whether I will get more information than what I already have? Are there any other resources people would recommend? Thanks so much. Jonathan

This is a tough one. I am not an expert at all (and am a new member of this forum), but I do not see any major red flags. There are definitely some details that could be sharper (e.g. the magazine of the submachine gun, the guard's glove and boot, and the handle of the sickle on the reverse), but it doesn't look like a cast copy to me--just something that has been handled over time. If it's a fake, it's a pretty high-quality one.

Beautiful piece!