Chuck In Oregon

* * * * * Speaking only for myself, as a graduate in reasonably good standing of the Ft. Benning School for Boys/Chattahoochee Military Academy, "blockhead infantry" has a certain ring to it.

Here's a numbered badge that I picked up last week. It's only 20.85 mm in diameter but it's thick (the disk alone is 2.45 mm thick) and heavy, 10.12 gr. There is a simple pattern in the silver under the red enamel. I guess it's Red Cross of some sort or another but what it represents, exactly, I don't know. I didn't think that membership badges were numbered and that's why I don't think that's what this is. Heck, maybe it's even a Soviet-era piece.

I found a local version of this badge. Here is the badge of the Tiflis (Tbilisi) Society of Faith, Hope and Love. The "T" is a thin layer of gold over what looks like a base metal, likely bronze.

And a close-up of the marks:

And here's the reverse:

Forest Infantry? Forest Shooters? I don't know how else to translate "197-го пехотного лесного полка". Here's how one of my books describes it: Крест красной емали, типа креcта лейб-гвардии Кексгольмского полка, на которoм серебряный меч с золотой рукоятью , по рисунку изображенного на Пертовских знаменах. So, similar in type to the Keksgolm Cross. I've got one of those around here somewhere. A guy asked me to put it "on hold" two years ago. Hmmm, I wonder if he decided not to buy it. This example is 50.28 mm tall and 30.18 mm wide. My books says 35 mm wide but I talked to a museum guy in Tbilisi and he said the book is wrong, that it should be 30 mm. It weighs 12.41 grams without the screwplate.

On further review, I think "Transcaucasus Railroads" is better. I didn't quite know what to make of that little eye problem. If it kept him free of conscription I'd bet he didn't much mind it at all. Who knows, maybe at one time he was the only single employed guy under 60 left in Gori. Coulda been a lot worse things happen to a guy. "Gaumajos Sakhartvelo!"

And here's the badge:

It's been quite a while but I've got some more information -- a second badge and an accompanying document. It looks like the З.ж.д. stands for Закавказскiя желъзныя дороги, Caucasus Railroads. The is Mr. Davidov's ID as stationmaster of the Gori (Georgia) Зжд railway station. Since this one has the eagle and the first one doesn't, perhaps the 1918 RR insignia example was issued to replace the Imperial version. I do notice that at the same time it doesn't embrace a Soviet version, just a non-Imperial one. Until 1921 Georgia was most definitely not a Soviet enclave so no reason to put the Soviet gerb on the badge. Maybe it's not much of a mystery but I don't get to solve very many, so I'm claiming this one. I got back from Tbilisi late Wednesday evening. I'll share some more new things soon. Chuck

I think one of my daughters made that, that, that ribbony thing in summer camp. I've probably got it around here somewhere. It's rare and valuable but I could let it go for, say, $350. Or did I see it at Michael's craft shop. Memory fails yet again. The box is crudely made but the wood is decent. Birch burl, maybe? Chuck in Oregon Currently Chuck In Tbilisi ... for 21 more hours.

I never found any history-changing things, of course. But what I did find, and the experience of hunting and finding them, will stay with me forever. I found a commemorative coin. Ho-hum, right? Sure, unless it was this one, which I think is the first-ever commemorative coin, 800 Years of the Roman Empire, with the she-wolf (did she have a name) suckling Romulus and Remus. You don't find those too often in Oregon. The day I found the Macedonian silver denar I also found a long bronze snake-head hair pin from (according to the site archaeologist) the Middle Bronze Age. Those things went into the site museum with credit to me for finding them and they were featured in the national archaeology (I hate trying to type that word) symposium. Another time we were looking for some clay-jar burials at a known site. I was detecting a site that had been looted long ago and I found a couple of bronze Persian coins. I turned them in (a deal's a deal after all) and the archaeologist said "Those are junk. They're only 300 years old. You want 'em? Keep 'em." They're in my collection to this day. I know some major league collectors here in Tbilisi and one kindly sold me a few of his pieces. As a result I am the proud owner of a couple of great Athenian Owls (yeah, Greek, off topic) and a few others. I've also collected a very few ancient Georgian and Persian coins here over the years. It's all good and this is a good thread. Chuck

I have a modest collection of ancient coins, mostly Roman but some others too. I bought most of them in the Balkans and a few elsewhere. I also found some with my metal detector. Now THAT was fun. I even found the only Macedonian silver denarius ever found in Georgia. I recognized it immediately because I have one that I found but the site archaeologist told me that was impossible because they had never found one before. He didn't admit I was right for almost threee months, when he finally gave in, saying "I just can't believe it." Oh yeah, great fun. I had a good friend in the Balkans who is a well-known collector who was kind enough to introduce me to the hobby. He has found and collected some absolutely amazing artifacts and coins. For instance, he has found TWO buried Roman soldier mustering-out bonuses of 3,000 silver denari each. I have never been able to afford an ancient gold coin but I have a small number of silver and probably a couple hundred bronze. It was very enjoyable and educational identifying and cataloging them. I was pleasantly surprised to find this thread. I also have some interesting antiquities acquired here and there over the years, including one tiny decorated gold ring with two blue stones. I hope to read more in this thread and to see what you have collected. Chuck In Oregon Currently, Chuck In Tbilisi

* * * * * I'm in Tbilisi right now. I was looking through a small box of parachute badges last Saturday, sure that there weren't any there that I didn't already have. Whoops, what's this? Darned if I didn't find what seems to be a Cuban parachute badge. It is a mirror-stamped badge, no provision for a hanger, Cuban flag at the top in place of the red star and the word "TERCERA" in the white canopy below the flag, otherwise identical to the Russian version. Could be a fantasy, I suppose, but my feeling is that it's real. It has a "Pobeda" and "Moscow" screwplate. It's probably common enough but it's the only one I've come across. Chuck

I'm in Tbilisi right now. I'm told that the "branch studios" of the Moscow and St. Pete masters hallmarked and proofed their silver and gold pieces made here. However, the local masters generally did not use a master's mark. I can't document this except to say that I have seen examples that seem to support it. I'm bringing back some very nice Imperial items as well as some very early Soviet things and some war-era and mid-era Soviet as well. I hope to share when I return but when that might be is a little bit up on the air. Sometime between 1-12 more weeks is the best I can guess. And no, my darlin' wife is not happy about that. My favorite thing so far is a cased (but I think a recently made case) detailed silver Maxim machinegun with a 1916 presentation plaque from the Battle of Dolangez Fort. I believe (but cannot document) that this was a battle on the Turkish Front. If anyone can point me to information on this subject I would be grateful. Chuck

My own favorite is the 1965 Russian/Georgian film Father of a Soldier. Available at Amazon here. IIRC, it won a silver at Cannes because, as one judge allegedly said, "We wouldn't give the gold to a Russian film." The only film I know of that inspired a national park in its honor, a beautiful manicured park in Georgia's Khaheti Region that includes a huge statue of the father. If you do go to the Amazon link be sure to scroll down to "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought". You'll find some of the movies discussed here and others that I was not familiar with. Chuck

<<So it's a very common badge?>> I don't know the numbers on this badge or the others in its series, but I think they are pretty scarce. I do know that I have not seen any of them, much less been offered one, in the seven years that I have been collecting. Most of my buying has been in Georgia, which had very active naval ports, so I might have expected to have seen 1-2 along the way. But noooo. I have seen 1-2 offered on e but I have been skeptical. I believe if someone is collecting this series, or early naval badges as a theme, if you have the entire series you can consider yourself an advanced collector. I'll be back in Georgia for a couple of weeks soon, for Victory Day again. My favorite day there. Chuck

* * * * * Yes, I was just about to recommend Solzhenitsyn. I wonder where he fits in the texts. I am in the process of reading the unabridged Gulag Archipelago. I don't know what else you would need to form an opinion of Stalin, the NKVD and Soviet communism. His stories are gripping, his insights are profound and his style is wonderful. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to reading it. If Stalin is so good, what does that make Beria et al, not to mention Solzhenitsyn's aptly-described "tens of thousands of human beasts"? Chuck

The design is reminiscent of a "Jerusalm Cross". If you google that with the quotes you'll find a lot of references and images for comparison. No idea what this particular item is, though. I once shared a very old ring that has that basic design in one of the sub-forums. Chuck

I can't quarrel with the transalliteration of the first name. However, I have a friend in Armenia with the same first name. He pronounces it, and writes it in English as, "Hrach", pronounced with a guttural "r". Talk about useless information! But that's the way he and his family say it. Chuck

I can't believe that it's been two years since I started this thread. I think I should have added a couple of my intervening threads to this one as reply posts rather than new threads. Live and learn. I had more or less forgotten about this thread until I wanted to post this jeton that I brought back in November. I was reviewing old threads and found this one again and it seems an appropriate place to share this. This WW I jeton is pretty self-explanatory. Dated 1916, it is from Field Hospital No. 14, Military Engineers, Tiflis (Tbilisi). The name on the reverse is P. R. Mandenov. I think. It weighs 11.39 grams and is 25x45 mm. Appears to be solid silver but lacks proof and maker's marks. That seems to be typical of Tbilisi ateliers of the period. The enamel is perfect as-made but not high quality, showing some bubbly imperfections. There is no pattern under the enamel except for a "X" connecting the inside corners of the cross. Does not seem to have been cleaned recently but perhaps rubbed or cleaned sometime in the past. Merry Christmas to all who respect it and Happy Holidays to all. Chuck

Here's his attributed badge. I think it is a "First Squadron, KKA Air Fleet" badge. On the reverse is engraved Military Aviation T. P. Bedia Sep. 5 1924 This badge is said to have been presented to recognize his efforts in quelling the last major White rebellion in Georgia in 1924. His work? Said to have bombed "rebel villages". Not a nice thing to imagine. Regardless, I hope you enjoy these badges. Chuck

This gentleman is said to be her brother. I know him only as "Pilot P. Bedia".

Here's her badge. I believe it is "St. Nadezhda Society of Sisters of Mercy" ... "Tiflis Hospital".

I was pretty pleased to come across this group a couple of months ago. Two photos and two badges. The first photo. I know her only as "Nurse Bedia".

I found this badge in Yerevan this fall. When I saw it, I knew that it would work in this thread. 100 Year Jubilee of the All-Russia Theater Society. Chuck