Ed_Haynes

Said (?) to be Sukhbaatar's very own personal Red Banner.

Other exterior exhibits were "gone". You may use your imagination?

Next: Some "heavy medals" at the Mongolian Museum of History. (Had been there before -- with Jan -- but neglected to pay the high and silly camera fee. Went back, paid it, and again passed quickly by the pre-revolutionary stuff to get to the core items.)

Don't think IDs are needed?

A bit more.

A closeup for those of you into heavy metal.

EXCEPT, all the post-Qing (post-17th century) exhibits were closed. Said to reopen in four weeks (months? years?).

There were, however, some of the outdoors exhibits.

Nice pics taken from you hotel room (I guess... ).

Christophe: Yes, from the hotel room. (The Bayangol, if anyone is interested. Closest to the [plastic] "Irish Pub", Jan ) The building right in front of posts 1 and 3 is the Children's Palace, the subject of a number of badges, and one of the cherished creations of Tsedenbal's wife.

Today, the Mongolian Military Museum.

I noticed last night arriving at the Ulanbaatar airport that the one customs/immigration officer who was wearinbg ribbon bars (who also had a nasty quality late variety border guards badge) was wearing the plastic domed variety of ribbon bars, similar to many of the specimens shown here. When were cloth ribbon bars ever worn?

And another general urban view. More to come.

And another general view, looking up toward Sukhbaatar Square.

While this may only occasionally touch on militaria, I thought it might be interesting, for those who have never had the chance to visit Mongolia, for me to post some ongoing images from my March 2007 visit. I was in Ulanbaatar last summer, and Mongolia is surely a different place in the summer than it is in March. Today's high temperature is expected to be -12? (9? F) and the low -26? (-15? F).

Here is sunrise over Ulanbaatar, 10 March.

I must say I don't like this one much either. The number falls within a legitimate type 2 range, but those mintmarks?!

As I am now in Ulanbaatar, I shall ask other more expert opinions.

Thanks for this, Jani. Your approach seems to me to be completely ethical and legal and that the shrill bullying attitudes shown from the Russian side need to be met -- as you have done -- with calm logic and rationalisty.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for a lovely first auction offering!

Utter rubbish from Conrad, more shameless self-promotion.

Unless and until the law is changed by aggressive -- not any more passive -- pressure, such feel-good blather means little.

And why do we still tacitly accept the ban on US citizens coillecting the MoH? Others, living in free countries can do so (and good luck to them), but why not us??

No idea, William. Wish I knew. I assume some record-keeping tag, but clearly NOT an award number. Early ones were numberd and dated on the reverse. The focus on military awards has meant we don't know as much as we'd like on civilian awards of the DDR.

See also: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2455

Just in, a large (about 39" x 23") map of Mongolia and China (Lake Buir-Nur) is from 1942, but with pencil markings indicating Soviet troop movements as of August 1945. Detail below. Will get a full photo when I can (in a couple of weeks).

Interior spread.

"This Certificate is presented to Comrade Tsitumbalayzhin, who had donated two horses to the Red Army for fighting against the Nazi German invaders. Issued on June 29, 1942"

Donation of Horses Certificate

Outside.

Still another.

Another.

Some new ones.

Document - 5

Document - 4

Detail of photo (enhanced).

Document - 3