Christophe

Hi Ilja, Nice doc. Do you have the medal that goes with ? This doc is not for the Ordre du M?rite Agricole, but for the M?daille d'Honneur Agricole, one you don't see very often... Ch.

Kevin, It is french. It is the insigna of the 2nd Regiment of Dragons. See the following reference : http://asor44.free.fr/esr/2rd/2rd.htm#8 The price of such an insigna is between 8 - 10 euros. Ch.

Just coming back from holidays, and... nothing happened in this thread during the last 3 weeks !!! Order of Victory, just as a reminder... It's your turn, now!!! Cheers. Ch.

Andrei, Thanks for the answers. That's for sure is an interesting piece. If I was the new owner of the real one, I would be interested in having such a copy... just for the fun!! But how many copies have been made ? Ch.

Andrew, Sorry. I misread this previous post, and thought they were appearing only recently. What seems to be sure is that instead of staying "confidential", they now become more frequent on the market. Curious... Ch.

Andrei, How can you explain such a copy? Do you know the history of the real one? Did the fakers have the possibility to cast it? Thanks in advance. Cheers. Ch.

Yes, again, I'm quite suspicious about them and their recent presence on the market... Ch.

Andreas, This one is mentioned in Anatoly Kutsenko's book "Soviet orders", in page 282, and in Shishkov & Muzalevsky's "Orders and medals of the USSR - Vol.1, in page 234. This unfortunately does not give us the "initial" source of both books. Ch.

Clear demonstration... but it does not answer your question about the medals... Ch.

Ch.

No, Order of Victory, you did well on Jacques Chirac... even knowing the dissolving date . Congrats. Ch.

J?r?me, Many thanks. this seems quiet logical... and, here, I learnt something . Again, many thanks. Ch.

Here are the complete answers to my questions (where they too obscure ? Or just because there was no source on the web ? The 4 questions were : 1. Who has been the first recipient of the 1st Class of the Order of Merit for the Country of the Federation of Russia? Jacques Chirac 2. And when ? 24 September 1997 3. Who has been the first recipient of the 2nd Class of this Order ? Mikhail Kalashnikov 4. And when ? 5 November 1994. Below is Mikhail Kalashnikov wearing the Order. So, order of victory is the winner Congrats!!! Your turn now!!! Ch.

He wears them on his right chest. Is it normal ? Or is it a "negative" effect ? Ch.

Andrei and Dave, Many thanks for all these infos and hints about enamel. These informations are very valuable for us "non-experts" collectors. Again, many thanks. Ch.

No one for this one ? I will give the answer tonight and declare order of victory the winner... Ch.

The perfect set we all have dreamt about... Ch. PS : Gerd and Darrell, may I take part of the deal? In the same conditions as Darrell of course...

Last hint before I give the answer : 3. Who has been the first recipient of the 2nd Class of Order of Merit for the Country of the Federation of Russia? ? 4. And when ? ? Hint : here is the man (I should say his uniform... ): Who is he ? Ch.

No, but those in Chile who displayed the flag... Ch.

This is the "normal" one, adopted 19 December 1981. Ch.

But no one noticed it... Ch.

And the flag was brand new... there must be a stocl somewhere... Ch.

Interesting to notice this is the flag and coat-of-arms adopted 11th October 1945 and abolished 21st January 1977... The Franco toie one!!! What a mistake... no one noticed... Ch.

Details : Ch.

Close-up : Ch.