Chuck In Oregon

I've been away from the forum for a bit. Now I can resume the things that I enjoy here. I'll start by sharing this custom (I hesitate to say one-off, who knows?) shooting badge that I received last month. It has no known provenance, unfortunately, other than that it came from the family in Tbilisi. I can't even make out the stylized initials on the reverse. My guess is ФМ or МФ (FM or MF) but I'm not sure. The shape of the badge is a target with a black bull's-eye and colored outer rings. There are no proof or maker's marks, typical of small Tbilisi shops I think. The crown over N II appears to be solid gold and the and the rest of the metal seems to be silver except for the link. The enamel, in three colors, is of fair-to-poor quality with an uneven surface overall that takes away from the overall appearance of the badge. Still, I like the old shooting badges and this one is likely to stay in my collection. Chuck

* * * * * Your book is consistent with what my Georgian friend told me. He is an historian and quite reliable. Are you referring to the same book you told me about before? I've got to get some more reference books. Thanks, George. Chuck

* * * * * Danny -- I think that Dima has given us a superb answer. First and foremost, I believe that MOPR was a cash cow designed to bring money into the party coffers. As best I can recall, on the surface MOPR was supposed to be supporting jailed revolutionaries abroad, particularly in Africa. My guess is that not much of the revenue actually went to that end. Dima -- In case I didn't say so before, welcome to the group. With your experience you are going to be a very valuable resource for us. Thank you for your insight. Chuck

This is everything that I have from this gentleman. This group did not come from his family. It has an interesting provenance, though. Yes, that looks like an early GTO badge, and one of the better ones at that. I have a silver example of that variant, the only one I have ever come across. Chuck

Rick Thanks for the translation. I had some of the words but I couldn't put them together to mean anything. Chuck

... And here's the interior of the book. All of 1919 and 1920 are x'ed out and his dues start in May, 1921. They end there, too. No subsequent payments.

And here's the front of the membership booklet that goes with the badge. For publishing house workers, they didn't exactly get fancy when they decided on their book. I thought that maybe all the writing had simply faded away. No, there wasn't any to begin with except for what they wrote on the cover with a pen. Comrade Matikiants seems to have been member #933.

This is a very early Soviet trade union badge. It is heavy -- 12.52 grams without the screwplate -- and appears to be solid silver. However, it is neither proofed nor maker marked except for that unusual mark under the green enamel on the lower right side. I can't tell what that is. The odd-shaped hammer and sickle (no, it does not appear to be broken) is a thin layer of gold laid over another metal, perhaps silver, but it is not plate. Chuck

* * * * * I have been offered, on a couple of occasions, the left-overs after an Order of Lenin had been dismembered. On both occasions the explanation was the same ... they went into gold teeth. One of the occasions involved TWO Lenins to the same person. Sigh. There is still a lot left to collect if you look hard. My friends still find some incredible things for me. It's their hard work that keeps me in new collectibles. I had a very large bag of silver items a couple of years ago, maybe 25 sizable items, that I eventually was prohibited from taking home with me. No particular reason, except that everyone wanted a bribe. I eventually re-sold them to some Georgians. Oh well. Chuck

Hi George I should remember to include the size of things like this. This one is 4-1/8" x 1-7/8" (10.5cm x 4.7cm) and it weighs 62.57 grams. A sizable piece of silver and gold. I enjoy presentation pieces. I have 2-3 more, a couple of silver vodka cups and a silver plaque that was removed from a desk set. They remind me of the people behind the awards. Were you thinking of the small sweetheart jetons? They are about an inch or so long. I have 7-8 of those that I have thought about showing here. I even have 1-2 from general officers. Chuck

This is a presentation piece upon, as I recall, the departure of Gen.-Maj. G. P. Ardjavanidze to assume a higher command. As I translate this -- and I am not positive of the middle initial -- the reverse reads: "General-Major G. P. Ardjavanidze, from the officers of the 16th Grenadier Regiment - Tiflis - 1916" The 16th was Tiflis' (Tbilisi's) own. They were numbered, rather than previously named, after the 1915 death of their named patron who was, if I recall correctly, one Duke Mikhail. I just may have that name confused with another, but not the numbering part. Solid silver with gold stars and trim. Chuck

Here are two more frachniks I just received. They are miniatures of the first class orders of St. Anna and St. Vladimir, left and right respectively. Each is 84 proofed and maker marked. Chuck

Thanks for the insight, Rick. Yes, those are unusual insignia. I can never account for the apparent discrepancies in groups, except that there is still a lot to be learned. Chuck

... And the reverse

... And the front of his graduation certificate

This is the badge of a graduate of the Separate Caucasus Army's Cavalry Commanders Course, along with a photo of the graduate, one Noskov, and his hand-written graduation certificate. The badge is neither proofed nor maker marked. It appears to be plated bronze. By this time Georgia had been conquered/annexed/warmly embraced -- depending on your point of view -- by the Soviet Union. Uniquely, the Caucasus countries maintained a separate army, headquartered in Tbilisi, independent of direct control from Moscow. I would appreciate it if someone would translate the certificate. I doubt if I will ever be able to read Russian cursive. This badge may be uncatalogued and heretofore unknown in the west. It is likely one of the very few surviving examples. Chuck

... And his shoulder boards.

... And this is what he looked like before the war, and his order book.

This is a group of awards and a couple of other items of Georgian WW II pilot Mikhail Bibiluridze. It is the only quadruple Red Star group I have ever come across. Bibiluridze once was a pretty famous Georgian war hero, but little-known and unremembered today. Fame and glory are fleeting, indeed, despite their price. More images to come. Chuck

Oops. I meant to post this in the Imperial forum. I have asked Stogieman to move it. I apologize for the confusion. Chuck

This is the badge of the Keksgolm Life Guards Infantry Regiment, dating from the period 1913-1914 according to my sources. However, it does not appear in the reference books that I own. Perhaps it does in yours. Avers is inconsistent with the translation of "лейб-гвардии" and I'm not so sure that "Life Guard" is exactly accurate, but it will have to do for now. It might actually be the Keksgolm Regiment of the Imperial Guard. I admit to being confused about this. The badge is silver with white enamel and a gold emblem. It is proofed and maker marked. There is a small mark on the screwplate but no proof. It appears to be plated bronze. Weight without the screwplate is 9.72 grams. I was not familiar with Keksgolm until I googled it. There is a pretty good and concise history at http://www.towns.ru/towns/priozersk_e.html . This is one of several interesting items that I received yesterday. Enjoy. Chuck

I found a Czech partisan badge/star like that in Georgia. It was attributed to a Soviet Georgian soldier who served with the Czech resistance. Chuck

* * * * * Hello Bob I've got a few things due to arrive Tuesday that I think you'll like. I'm pretty sure that one of them is uncatalogued and completely unknown in the west. Stay tuned and I'll post most of them. Meantime everyone, have a safe and happy 2006 and thank you for your company here. Chuck

... And the 1940s document with an early badge. MOPR would be an interesting field to collect. Let's see what you've got. Chuck

... And here's the a 1936 Georgian MOPR book and MOPR badge.