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Bob, Handywork definitely has a Mondvor flavor Marc

Christian, Congratulation, that is a very nice order you got there Marc

Wlodzimierz, Sorry, it is definitely a fake. In addition to the points Stogieman made, I'll add that the mintmark is wrong, the engraving is not what it should be, and as I mentioned earlier, the way the screwpost is soldered is definitely not Monetniy Dvor production. Marc

Paul, No need to get overly excited with these initials, you definitely won't be able to retire on that I pick these up for under $10 a piece... Marc

Paul, As far as I know, a smaller, brighter red box. Marc

Paul, It is an Excellent Soviet Trader badge, most likely from the 1960's. The box is not original to this badge. Marc

Paul, Christophe, The document is for the 3 classes of the Medals for Irreproachable Service in the KGB, not the Armed forces. In this case, you'll need a set of long-service medals with roman digits on the fron (X, XV and XX). The box is indeed the original one but ... it is missing the original foam Marc

Ed, It might be some sort of wax from the look of it. On the French Legion of Honor, which is of similar construction, the centers are held by wax since the origin. One of the side effects of this substance is that as it ages and dries, it tends to shrink, and very often you may find that the centers have been "pulled in". I'd probably use some sort of blue-tack to repair it. Marc

Big Alex, The Soviet did not mint miniatures. I have seen some miniatures of Soviet medals (usually campaign ones and Victory over Germany) apparently with 2 sources of origin: Poland and Czechoslovakia, where it was/is customary to wear miniatures. The medal itself seems OK to me, I have seen before this type of ring made up by bending a piece of protruding metal. Just to confirm, could you please post a scan of the back, and give us information as to the manufacturing of the medallion (struck/cast). Marc

Noor, As I mentioned, Imperial Russia is not my cup of tea, I specialize in the next period That being said, being based in the former Evil Empire, I regularly get to handle some of these. Talking only for myself and based on my (limited) experience of these, I would pass on this one. Marc

Noor, Let's hear what some of our more specialized collegues think, but I personally would not get in a big hurry to look for a ribbon and suspension for this Marc

Noor, Please post a scan of the back WITHOUT the screwplate, the screwpost is a very important element in assessing genuineness of these items. Marc

That's for sure Marc

Paddy, Really cool Guards Unit banner!!! Marc

Highfive, I had a look at the auction in which you won this award. Man, if you bought it based only on the pictures the seller provided, for sure you like playing Russian roulette Marc

Stogieman, I read "13762", not "43762" Marc

Wahoo! This guy must therefore be living in a parallel universe in which time ticks much faster than in ours Marc

Brendan, For the time being, just "That is one seriously toned Bravery Medal". I sure wouldn't mind seeing a cloe-up of all the various items. Marc

Guys, As a community, shouldn't we make publicly known to others who this wonderful dealer with such an efficient return policy is? Marc

Why should he, since he knows that his order is genuine given the price he then paid (what a flawless logic!)? Marc

That is one seriously toned Bravery Medal Marc

Christophe, Looks like I'm not the only one feeling this way, after all... Marc

Yes, definitely a weighty argument to justify genuineness Marc

Lorenzo, I think that price depends on quite a few factors: collectibility, rarity, collector's interest, relevance, etc. Specimen/Trial strikes are a specialized area of medal collecting. Some collectors may be interested because of what might have been but wasn't, some others will simply consider them to be little more than badges, since they never got official status and got awarded. Marc

I personally use the term "issue" which I think is in line with what "emission" is supposed to mean. Marc