Chuck In Oregon

Thank you gentlemen. Exactly the information I was looking for. Chuck

This is the badge of a member of the Imperial Red Cross Society directorate in the late 19th century. This particular one belonged to civil major general/state advisor 4th class Erminigeld Panov and signified that he was director of the Caucasus Region Department of the Imperial Red Cross Society.

As I understand it, this badge was issued in 1936 to senior Georgian officer veterans of the short-lived Independent Transcaucasus Red Army (prior to being absorbed in the Red Army). They were privately made and are numbered. There are said to have been around 25 in all. This is number 011.

I seldom buy things like this but I couldn't resist these three early hat badges. I'm pretty sure the larger two are fairly scarce. Can anyone tell me exactly what I have here? Chuck

I was an Army aviator in Vietnam. I flew Hueys with B/229AHB/1CAV, including this one. It is remarkable to me that what once seemed so ordinary and prosaic has become extraordinary after 40 years of hindsight. The UH-1H served me very well and I returned without so much as a scratch. Thank you for this reminder of what once was and will never again be. Chuck Stromme Cottage Grove, Oregon

This is a Red Army artillery officer's badge, circa 1919 - 1925. It is hallmarked and proofed. It looks to me to be made up of old Imperial badge stock but with the revolutionary theme. Each leaf is individually crafted. It must have been expensive, even then.

I believe that this small (27.38 mm) badge was presented to a medical officer by a military unit. In this case, a doctor of the 17th Cavalry Dragoon Regt. in Tiflis. The St. George ribbon signifies that the unit was entitled to display a St. George pennant. The badge is proofed but not maker marked, which I think was common in the outlying regions.

I just got back from a visit to Tbilisi, Georgia. While I was there I took possession of a few things I had bought since my last visit in 2009. This jeton is one of them and I'll share a few more in the coming week or so. This is a 1928 jeton "For Riding and Fencing" earned by Vladimir Pavelovich Kolesnikov. He served with Zhukov in the 1930s and eventually became a colonel and CO of the 206th Shooters Division of the Red Army. He was killed on 5-1-1944 and is buried in the Ukraine. Does anyone know what the 4KD might stand for? Enjoy. Chuck

Here is the "enhanced" scan to highlight the cross.

Here is an example for your consideration. I have always believed it authentic and still do. It compares well with the above images. I have attached an "enhanced" image below that brings out the lines in the cross. Other opinions are welcome, especially if you can authenticate or de-bunk with some certainty. Chuck

* * * * * Funny. Tacky, but funny. Missed it the first time around. Chuck

My Avers-3 mentions only a 30mm gold variant. I've never seen one so I have no experience with the gold. Chuck

Hello IG I spent 16 weeks working in Yerevan in 2007. I lived at the Marriott and I think I visited the flea market at least once every weekend. There wasn't all that much else to do. As you go down the steps from the open air tool sellers there is a guy on the left with a bunch of minor medals and badges. However, if you talk to him and ask him, he'll probably pull out his better things. I bought a few minor badges from him but what I value much more were some excellent documents and posters that he had. Check him out, he has a table next to the wall and his buddy has one in the center of the aisle. After you go across the street and get past the book sellers there is a little old guy with a small stand, mostly some things along the low wall plus a board or two. He is a friendly and fair guy and he came up with a couple of interesting things and some good documents. All the way at the back by the beer stands is a crippled guy with a couple of tables of badges and medals. He does a good business and had a couple of high-end things that I couldn't afford and some more ordinary things that I did buy. There's one other guy on the left as you go toward the back, a small stand with some good items. He used to go up to Tbilisi a lot but he got in visa trouble for entering Georgia via Abkhazia, so I don't think he goes up there any more, at least not under his own passport. He probably had the best authentic items of anyone I saw there. There are LOTS of fakes there but I assume you already know that. Of course, that was the situation in 2007 but I'd be surprised if it has changed all that much. My time in Yerevan wasn't as enjoyable as the 3-1/2 years I spent in Tbilisi but it was OK and I'd go again if the opportunity presented itself. I spent a lot of warm evenings eating ice cream at the city park. Armenian food isn't as good as Georgian, either. Every time I asked about a good restaurant, somebody would say "There's this great Georgian restaurant out on The Ring." However, there is also a good Lebanese restaurant just around the corner from the Marriott. Chuck

* * * * * Far be it from me to argue the point, especially with those who have carefully researched this issue. I've said what I intended to say. Others may proceed as they wish. Chuck

When I tried to access the URL in post #3 I got the following warning: Reported Attack Page! This web page at ilpilot.narod.ru has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences. Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system. Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners. My browser is Firefox 3.6.3. I've heard that Firefox can sometimes give false warnings regarding legitimate URLs. Nevertheless, I'm not going back there. It's safer for me to believe the warning than to try to prove it wrong. Now I'm wondering if I should post a general warning to the board or just leave it alone. Any suggestions? Chuck

I thought you might be interested in this display in Barcelona's Museum of Catalonian History. Enjoy. Chuck

Wow, 1977. I'm really impressed. If you don't mind, I'm going to copy your text into a document and use it in a small display. Thank you for all of this. Chuck

Thank you both. I knew about the Lenin but the family sold it previously. Day late, dollar short. I may be returning to Georgia in the spring. I'll be sure to check up on the other watch and anything else they may have found. Chuck

Here are two more examples. I'm confident of the authenticity of the one on the left side and equally suspicious of the one on the right. Since I've never seen a reference to this medal in other than silver I've always thought that this is a fake. The worn silver wash on the one on the right is pretty apparent, as is the strange color. Still, I kept it because, well, because I keep stuff like this.

Hello Ulsterman Don't have a clue what was behind this sentence. In 1923 it might have been ties (current or past) to the Menshevik or White movements. Remember, Georgia wasn't conquered until 1921 and there was a major violent revolt in 1924, savagely put down by (I think) the 11th Red Army, re-named the Caucasus Red Army. There was plenty of opposition. I have 1-2 Caucasus Red Army items from that period. Pretty scarce stuff. I also have 2-3 entire Cheka capital crime case files from the very early days, including one of a Chekist officer who was pardoned the first time, executed the second time around for being a train robber and gang leader. I found them at the Tbilisi Dry Bridge Flea Market years ago. When independence came the KGB archives were ransacked and a lot of this stuff was burned or otherwise destroyed or stolen. Some of it stayed around and you still find it here and there. No one understands why a crazy foreigner would want this stuff. I'd share the files here but I don't know how to post such voluminous things. I can't even figure out how to use them on my web site. I've been around but not too active. I've spent the spring and summer supporting my darlin' wife in her battle with breast cancer. Surgery, chemo, radiation, the whole nine yards. She has five more daily radiation treatments to go, the next one in three hours. She is in the "burst" phase and is suffering very angry and irritating 1st degree radiation burns. Who knew? Anyway, next Tuesday is her last treatment. The prognosis is good. She had an unrelated cancer 13 years ago and this has renewed a lot of old fears but there are no indications for other than a full recovery. The orphanage goes very well. One of our girls got married last year and lives with her husband, a young small businessman, and his family in Telavi. I saw her in March and she looks just great and very happy. I took her and a few of the oldest kids out to a great supper when I was there. It was a rare privilege. This year we're bringing in a tutor for the 12th-grade (equivalent) students who show college potential. I don't select them, of course, but our teachers do. The national exams are very difficult but if we can get some kids successfully through them they will be admitted for free. We have high hopes. Always good to hear from you my friend, and to read your posts. Chuck

Here's a pair of unusual documents. One is an execution order for one Sandro Ivanovich Gvsalia. The other is a confirmation message that he was, indeed, executed on June 27, 1923, in Senaki Prison, Republic of Georgia. If this belongs in another forum, or if it is somehow inappropriate here, I won't resent it if it is moved or deleted. I post these as minor historical documents of some interest. Chuck

And of course you want to see the interior. Enjoy.

I know this little badge has been shared here before but you don't see many of the award books. So take a look at one. Chuck

* * * * * OK. Are you going to share some or are you asking us to post med docs that we might have? I'm pretty sure that I have one or two if the latter. Whichever, I'll follow this thread with interest. Chuck