RedMaestro

This is indeed a wartime variation. 1st Class wartime orders had several pieces, 2nd class only the hammer and sickle separately attached (see the rivets?). 1985 commemorates were one-piece. Check out Alex Filer's website or http://mondvor.narod.ru/OPatWar.html.

Any chance of posting the full picture? On a side note, Dave, nice to see you around! It's been a while, although I haven't been on this forum much recently. Cheers, Alex

Done long ago But thanks for the suggestion! The Bravery Medal was for suppressing German self-propelled artillery during the crossing of the Oder. Two enemy guns were set aflame, and the battery withdrew, allowing Soviet engineers to set up a ferry. Through all of this Bolshunov "devoted all his strength and ability to destroy the enemy."

I think there were something like 2000-3000 Red Stars, and a smattering of other awards ranging from Combat Service Medals to generals' awards (Kutuzov, Suvorov). Unfortunately, I forget the details. Assistance, anyone? Also, what reference do those numbers come from? (preferably published)

Very interesting mistake! How much did this set sell for? Thanks for posting :beer:

True, it fluctuates crazily ... but still!

What was the final price? Something like $2K?

What is a "realistic" price? And on that note, Nick, it would be very interesting if you could start a thread offering some comments on the market both here in the USA/West and in Russia, since you have the Russian perspective that very few if any of us do. Things like prices (asked and "realistic") here vs. there for all sorts of medals and groups, the state of supply and demand, what's hot and what's not, who are the buyers, etc. would all be great to hear about. :)

Sounds good! Leon posted on the other forum that his research attempt by name was unsuccessful, so he is trying again by number. Fingers crossed for both of you.

There was a 15 January 1945 NKVD long service decree, so perhaps.

Very interesting, both sets. Do either of you have research? If neither of you have research, it would be great if you could order it. I would bet money that both medals were awarded on the same day by the same unit, given the document types, serial numbers, and handwriting. Unfortunately, neither recipient comes up in Podvignaroda. But I think that further suggests they were awarded together. ...I'll also bet they were NKVD because of the document type and the presence of the Valiant Labor medal. If this does turn out to be the case, it would be one step more incredible, in my opinion, if you could work out a way to unite both in one collection. Cheers, Alex

Thought so Even better because it cost me all of $5 :D

Thanks, Tsend! Sorry, Nick, not sure what you mean. The document I've posted is authentic, correct?

Recently acquired medal document (medal missing unfortunately). Sergey Anasafievich Risevets Friendship Medal 0696 awarded 12.12.1961 (or is that 1967?) What does "#166" mean? Also, how much should a document like this cost?

Of course. Try convincing them it's a good investment But seriously though....?

Somehow I was expecting something like that. But really, how does one even go about pricing these historical rarities?

How much did this sell for, by the way? Please keep us posted on other such wonders from the Russian market!

Very interesting, the Egyptian medal especially! Thanks for posting, Nick :beer:

Nick, as far as I know, the group you just posted has been split, sadly. One of the Russian medals with the document was sold on ebay a few months ago by a Bulgarian seller notorious for mauling groups. The asking price was $2000.

Thanks! Maybe it's this fellow? http://shieldandswor...grishin_p_g.htm As for one of the other signatures (1958 doc), one of our members has suggested (on another forum) Виталий Васильевич Федорчук. What do you think? It makes sense in a lot of ways. The recipient served in the KGB in Moscow, and Fedorchuk was head of the "ОО КГБ МВО" (something Moscow, but what exactly?) at the time (see http://shieldandswor...dorchuk_v_v.htm). I don't think the signature is Fedorchuk's, though. Letters aren't lining up for me. PS - sorry for random highlighting. Don't see where to fix it.

Second two, signed by the same Major-General, but different stamp. At least they gave a rank on this document. The clarity of the signature makes up for the extra info, though :banger:

The KGB really didn't make these easy Any answers/suggestions? Thanks in advance. Cheers, Alex First two:

How much is being asked? Most of the Korean medals I remember seeing have been part of larger groups, so I don't have any solid references to provide. Also, there's always a lot of personal preference involved. At the very least, the 1985 OPW1 w/doc is $40-60.

Nick, thanks for posting all those groups, and sorry for responding late. It's definitely interesting to see more of these Russian anniversary awards to British recipients, especially the documents. That's where the patterns emerge. I figured that the medal would be the usual war veteran variation, but I wonder if there were any unique cases. Alex

Thanks, Mogul. That's a very interesting list, quite telling. I think you might be relying on jewelry guides too much and not enough on faleristic guides in your assessment of authenticity. The case of this Transcaucasian order is somewhat unusual. Here we have a fantastically rare award with few examples to begin with and a consensus on even fewer. I doubt any of the books you've listed (aside from the Decorations of the Provisional Govt. And USSR maybe) can provide an affirmed, authentic example of this order with which to compare yours in faleristic terms rather than jewelry. ...A brief aside here, do you think the order#71/3 that I posted is authentic? anyway... Now take the case of some of the other orders you posted, the Suvorovs and Red Banner and OPWs. There is a relatively large sample size for all of these, along with very very detailed reference guides. There are also excellent fakes. Your jeweler is not going to be able to pick up the subtle details that distinguish an original from a fake, like the shape of Suvorov's nose or the engraving style or the shape of a rivet. Your jewelry books will be similarly useless. I think they may have a time and place in medal collecting and may even have something important to add, but it is not in matters of authenticity. By the way, thanks for the historical literature recommendations. I'll put those on my list. Can't wait til my Russian is good enough to read Voennaya Literatura.