Ed_Haynes

Page 3. Photo not required, alas.

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The second interesting factor is the matching awards booklet. Perhaps worth showing in full to flesh-out the thread.

Just in, a new 2nd class. I won't post it, following Bob's wise advice, unless we really want to try to disentangle the minor sub-varieties. It is #130167 and what I show as a:

Type 1.2 (Screwback, Mongolian-made); Low = 52404/High = 169768; 1969-85

The first interesting part is the screw-nut (which, of course, may not be original. Scan attached.

A (another) variant of "The Outstanding Worker of People's Education" (B# R01-R08). How far should we go in assigning manufacturing variations and deviance in enamel color as "variants"? This one is better quality than most and an almost "jewlery-quality" pin.

Tentative identification as "Outstanding Ploughman", it surely has an "early" feel.

As of this moment, $1 = MNT 1120.37.

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic

There are issues of copyright and intellectual property in using images (1) from a dealer's site and (2) of items which a dealer has transferred to the custody and legal "ownership" of another party. The Chairman may want to rule on this? Dealers may be approached to give permission to use their images with attribution (we have done this with some good folks for the OMSA site, and it is a good advert for them anyway), but what about a piece once it is sold??

Another suggestion of places to start:

http://www.omsa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=611

The place to start, of course, is with books not websites!

I don't like it,. not one bit.

For comparison, my Type 2, var 4, #12577 (a poor scan, can do better if needed).

I have some requests out now. Will advise.

Page 2.

Page 1

What is identified (tentatively!) as a Do Ya (Mongolian "Chekist") ID. More details being sought. Dunno.

Multiple choice question: Is this a "NIB" or a "mule"?

a) This is a "NIB" a variety of The Outstanding Construction Worker (B #N05).

b) This is an unholy marriage of The Outstanding Construction Worker (B #N05) and something else (maybe X01/X02?).

Your answer??

Cross reference: possible State Grand Assembly Deputy (1924-44), see http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5914&st=20

This is fascinating, Dolf. Thanks for adding this.

There do seem to be three early holes in Battushig's presentation of the deputy badges (pp. 74-75):

State Great Assembly (1924-44)

State Lower Assembly (1944-51)

People's Great Assembly (1951-60)

Looks like this image may be the first of these, but this is only guesswork. Any idea on the reverse? Numbering?

Cross reference: the thread on deputy badges http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5294

Sounds fair to me, however bizarre.

The last time Mr. X had this medal and document (no research yet) for sale, in August 2003, it was, as my fading memory retains, $32K. He had it for sale at the same OMSA (Philadelphia) where I got the Lavrinovich group. I got to caress the medal and document then and there. While I thought (briefly) about it -- and still dream about it -- it was sold to someone else at that same OMSA gathering.

Yet it is worthwhile to observe that this particular dealer -- and note how carefully we avoid names while leaving no doubt at all of whom we speak -- seems to love to fly in the face of the economics I learned in college: if an item has been on his list for months (or years) and remains unsold, he raises the price.

I think we are allowing ourselves to be distracted by "sticker shock" here -- and quite a STICKER it is. Let's not forget the importance of this group:

1- A legit tractor Lenin.

2- Low-numbered.

3- Documented (with a marvelous photo).

4- Researched.

I know that many devalue non-military awards. Never sure why. But can't we see the importance of this medal?

And, yes, it is a lot of money. It is around half the price of a Victoria Cross group. Comparing it to unnamed/unnumbered items (e.g. any Nazi-era stuff) and tiny-niche stuff (e.g. DDR awards) misses the point, I fear.

"Should" it be worth that much? Is is worth that much? Hey, ECON 101, if someone will pay that much (and I suspect someone will), then it is worth that much. (Not to address this dealer's "strange" pricing practices.) And if it returns to the Motherland, is that a bad thing? OK, we'd all rather see it go to a loving "collector" home that to some nasty investor, but that is a universal preference, isn't it?

Thanks, Mike!

Jan,

Have you posted somewhere here the two variations?

As you know, C 08 on Dr. Battushig's book only shows the more common one, I know we both have both variations, maybe it would be a good idea to post both together or one after the other, what do you think?

Or I can post them later.

Cheers,

Dolf

Yes, I think the two variations are somewhere around here, though it might be good to post a side-by-side comparison. I have only the "angled rifle" version that B shows as #C 08 (p. 80). The "horizontal rifle" version is the one unpublished.

Well done, Dolf!!

1. Sukhbaataryn odon = Order of Sukhbaatar

2. Baildaani gav'yaany ulaan tugiin odon = Order of the Red Banner of Combat Valor

3. Khodolmoriin gav'yaany ulaan tugiin odon = Order of the Red Banner of Labor Valor

4. Baildaani gav'yaany odon = Order of Combat Valor

5. Algan gadas Odon = Order of the Polar Star

6. Baildaani medal = Honorary Medal of Combat

7. Khodolmoriin medal = Honorary Medal of Labor

As far as the name of the order is concerned, looks like "Algan gadas odon" = Order of the Polar Star to me (as I squint it out and compare it to my cheat-sheet). Can others who can actually read this confirm??

Now I gotta learn Mongoloan (too)!

They are lovely, aren't they?! Congratulations on the new arrival.