Chuck In Oregon

So what's really different here? Mine is a pin-back with a gold cross and a silver circle. Hers is a gold drop from a red ribbon, based on your illustration. Maybe solid gold, I can't tell. So my question is, I guess, is there any documentation of the existence of the award I have? It is certainly different from the one in George's book, which looks to be the same as the one in my book. Inquiring minds and all that. Chuck

And here are the descriptions ... Paul, my group came from the recipient's family in Tbilisi, Georgia. Chuck

Hello Gentlemen I haven't been able to access the site for 2-3 weeks, maybe a little more, and it has been driving me crazy. A couple of friends tried to fix the problem and I tried myself, googling several word combos to try to find a solution, to no avail. The problem was specific to this site and no other. I simply could not open it. I just got off a tech call to Quest and they fixed it in about three minutes, so I'm back in the game. Nice photo, George. Maybe I can trade you out of it. I see that your illustration looks a little bit different than my example. I have one trade paper reference book on Imperial Medical Awards. That's the cover of it in the first image. The badge itself is illustrated as shown here. The explanations are numbered but ... the badges aren't. I think this is item number 30, but my Russian is pretty rudimentary and I'm really not sure. Looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do, which suits me just fine. I'm darn glad to be back. I missed you guys. Chuck

Nice find, George. I have only been offered those two in five years and I bought them both. Did you ever learn whether there was a document with these? I have never seen nor heard of one, but that means nothing. If there was, I'd like to at least see one. Chuck

Congratulations Christophe!!! As soon as the cheering dies down I'll be looking for your next question. Congratulations, too, on France's big win over Portugal. Zidane is France's athlete but he is the world's athlete too. I love to watch him and I can't believe he's going to retire. Well, if you can afford too, I guess it's best to go out at the top of your game. Chuck

So there were silver and gold variations! Finally, an authoritative source. I have always been curious. I think that $220-$260 would be a very good price for one in the US. I can't imagine it not selling on the bay at that price. Thank you George. Hey Alex -- Welcome to GMIC! Nice to have you here. We're better off now than we were before you showed up. Tell us what you collect and a little bit about yourself. I'm looking forward to learning from you. And PLEASE ... feel free to post some of your things. Curiousity is rampant here. We get together, show our stuff and learn a little bit (or a lot) every day. I think you're gonna like it here. Chuck

* * * * * Hello George There seem to have been at least two variants, one gold plate over the silver wreath and the other plain silver. Do you happen to know a) if there really were two levels of these awards, presumably for different amounts donated to the cause, and b) if there were two, what were their respective criteria? And, do you know if there was an accompanying document? If yes, have you ever seen one? Does anyone have one? As always, thank you. Chuck

* * * * * I seem to remember a nice non-gilted variant that sold on the bay a couple of years ago for $500, or maybe just a little more. $600 seems about right these days, maybe a little more for the gilt version, and a good buy at $500. It would have made a charming sweetheart gift (or encouragement) but I think they were Imperial thank-yous for major donations in support of the air fleet. Chuck

Congratulations WC! Put one in your column. Your turn now. I was never even close. Nothing new about that. Chuck Humbled In Oregon

Hello and welcome to the forum. If you stick around I think you'll like it here. Tell us a little about what you collect. Nice badge. I posted a pair of them at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3456 . You see one of these on the bay from time to time. The last one I saw there was the wreath portion only, with a simply awful aircraft insignia that must have been pried off a cheap znachki and glued to the wreath. Good examples of this badge are desirabe and should bring a decent price. Nice find. Chuck

* * * * * Well, if I want to play (I do) and if I am absolutely clueless (I am), then I guess I'm gonna need another clue ... or maybe ten more. This is a real head-scratcher. C'mon, Давай, давай! Chuck

PM sent. Chuck

* * * * * I wonder if they're quite certain that this one is a regimental badge. I have this green enamel example which I have always thought to be a variant of either the Moscow Commercial School or the St. Pete Polytechnic Institute graduation badge. I'm willing to learn, but if it really is a regimental badge, shouldn't they be able to tell us which regiment? Don't they pay their experts to tell buyers what they're buying? Maybe not, or maybe I'm just wrong. God knows, wouldn't be the first time. This one, for the record, weighs 6.21 grams without the screwback and it is about 2.8 cm tall. It has an usually long mounting screw. It bears three marks, each on the reverse portion of one of the ribbon ends. One is the master's mark which may be AT or ИТ or ЯТ. It's not quite clear to me but I lean toward ЯТ. One appears to be a proof mark but I can't make it out as it was stamped too close to the edge. The third mark is entirely illegible, inside a small circle. The screwback is unmarked. Chuck

I don't know the reason for black and red versions of the important orders. I do know that there are black versions of this one and several others. Now I'm curious. Chuck

I thought maybe a Chinese monument, then I thought maybe one of the old Lenin monuments in Berlin that have since disappeared, but I can't find a thing in my books or on the net. Obviously, I literally don't have a clue. Chuck

Those are some outstanding awards and uniforms, that's for sure. I'd like to see as many photos as you would care to post here. I know that I'll want your advice on what to see and where to go before I visit next year. Thanks a million. Much better than seeing them in a book. Add as much commentary as you feel comfortable with. I learn with each post. Chuck

* * * * * Hi George You know, that's a pretty good idea. I'll sound out my Georgian buddy about that before I try to sell this jeton. I didn't understand there to possibly be other items, but that has happened several times in the past. Just this last trip I picked up that port-cigar and screwback Red Banner that belonged to the NKVD general whose documents I have shared on the forum. I never expected that. You never know. Anyway, thanks for keeping me on track with this. I just bought a few more things a couple of weeks ago but I have to wait a while before I can take possession. Chuck

And is that 500 Euros? In 1992? I guess this is eBay bound! Thank you both again for a very interesting lesson. Chuck

That's really interesting!!! I had, obviously, no clue. I was pretty confident of the provenance of the badge but I am surprised -- pleasantly so -- to learn the correct history. Ermile Nakashidze was a real guy and I (we) thought we had the story right. What a turnabout! Now I wonder how a Georgian family came to own it. We bought this from, literally, a little old lady who said it had been passed down in her family. The price is rather shocking, even without the brooch attached. And that was 6-7 years ago. Of course, we know that prices have been pretty flat since then. (They have?) Thanks for the very interesting correction and lesson. You have an amazing knowledge of phaleristics and awards. I guess I couldn't have gotten it much more wrong, but live and learn. It never did fit into any of my areas of interest -- it was an impulse purchase -- and now I guess I'll be even more motivated to sell it to someone else who lives and breathes German history. Know anyone like that? Chuck

This is the personal jeton of Georgian Duke Ermile Nakashidze. He was a young officer in the Tsar's navy during the Russo-Japanese War. Later on he became an officer in the Black Sea Fleet. His study and passion was botany and upon leaving the navy he became a leading plant biologist in the Caucasus. The reverse is marked 84. There is no master's mark. The red enamel seems to be a particularly high quality transparent red, laid down over a pattern in the silver. The numbers are 1884 and 1909, so this was a 25-year commemorative of some sort, possibly a birthday gift. Enjoy. Chuck

* * * * * I just came across my notes on the latest jeton I posted. This piece was purchased by a Mr. Okanov for his wife, then handed down in the family. Mr. Okanov was initially a private and rifleman in the Tsar's army, serving from 1896-1900. Then he went to engineering school and, upon graduation, he became an engineering officer in the Dmitri Pavlovich Migrelian Grenadier Regiment. The "D" is the symbol for that regiment. Okanov was executed in the initial purges of ex-White officers. This jeton came with an associated medal for 300 Years of the House of Romanoff. That's it you see here.

Actually, I think it is actually the Imperial Military Medical Academy, but I'm not positive. Anyway, this is their 1898 100-Year Jubilee Graduation Badge. You can see it in Avers-5, page 82, item 10. Avers lists gold and silver variants, this one is bronze. There are traces of a silver wash on the inside of the screwplate and I'm guessing this badge was once silver-plated ... if poorly. I guess you got whatever level of posh you or your family could afford once you graduated. Enjoy. Chuck

* * * * * Hello RF You're certainly welcome. I enjoying the sharing and learning part. I hope you've seen some of the fantastic examples that georgecl has posted. I brought some other Imperial pieces back last month and still haven't posted them. I'll try to get around to posting a few this weekend. As far as reference books, I have been very disappointed that I can't find even the ones that are supposedly available. I ordered two off of eBay in April, shipped "insured first class mail". What I finally got was a window envelope from the USPS with a detached "Media Rate" shipping label addressed to me stamped "Received Without Contents". Giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, he shipped other than advertised, and did it poorly, and I was left with a $52 mailing label. He refused to make it right but PayPal (whom I often criticize for their greedy ways) got me a full refund after making me file a police report. That seemed like a little too much, but as soon as I did I got the refund. Please don't think that you have to have rarities to share here. Show us what you've got that pleases you. It's enough that you simply enjoy the hobby and share with others. We're all at different places on the collecting spectrum and we're all learning. FWIW, I'm going to be selling off a lot of Imperial (and Soviet) things that aren't related to my areas of particular interest -- medical, shooting, aviation. I need to fund my own purchases. Chuck

* * * * * Hello George Welcome back. If you didn't get any rest on your vacation, I hope you made up for it by having a great time. I may have an opportunity to buy a couple more nice things from this family, but it will have to wait for summer, at least ... finances being what they are. If they're still available -- and they tell me they will hold them -- then I'll take the next step in a couple of months. I did just buy a couple other unrelated things this week but I will have to wait for a while to take possession of them. I'm looking forward to seeing what you brought back. Chuck

I don't recall (as if I might) coming across any Cuban awards in Georgia. I did hear some stories about Georgians in the Red Army fighting alongside Cubans in Africa, but the stories were always 3rd and 4th hand. I know I have a "Soviet Volunteer Sugar Cane Harvester" badge (or something like that) around here, but I can't seem to find it right now. Meanwhile, here are three pins I did find: A Victory badge, a USSR-Cuba friendship pin and an Anniversary of the Revolution badge.