Ramblinfarms

Check out this link. It is my understanding that an original would be extremely rare and quite expensive. What do you think of this one being sold by Tsar's Arsenal, Dmitry Gurevich out of Boston, MA? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...DME:B:FSEL:US:1 Chris

Could it be for some sort of civil official? The backplate does look old, and has a concave curve to it like it would be attached to a hat by the split fasteners. Then again, there are two holes punched through the backplate on one side of the eagle attachment, so it kind of looks like a homemade put together, maybe for display? I like it. It was under $100 and looks nice. The eagle is very patinated on the front, with verdigris, etc. The back still has gilding.

As you know George, my experience in handling these is not what you would call extensive. But for what my opinion worth, I do like it.

I know this is not technically a medal, order or badge, but I was wondering what the members thought of this Manions Item. Can you tell the period? It appears to be stamped, guilded brass, but the detail is somewhat crude. http://www.manions.com/bid/pastbidsitemdet...4&list=8674 Thanks for looking. Chris

I couldn't agree with you more George. Some of those Jettons are outstanding!

Great Board! Did you see the presentation fan for sale on Romanov Russia site with the anchor and axe done in diamonds. Absolutely stunning, and quite a nice birthday present for Maria Feodorovna!

Another reason why I find these so fascinating. To think it was just luck, or maybe the care and love given to it by a former Imperial soldier that has allowed it to survive some 90 years. The odds are stacked against any of us ever holding it in our hands; yet, here it is, a piece of history long gone. That to me is the best part of collecting, to own a tangible piece of such an interesting period of Russian history.

I'll get out the loupe again and stare at it until my eyes cross!!!! I sure don't want to make the same mistake twice! But in any event, I am fascinated by these badges and Imperial russian History in General. Thank you again for your feedback and assistance. And welcome again. I'm sure you will enjoy the forum and this group.

Yet, it is my understanding that enlisted badges are rarer than officers. More inclined to toss them after the revolution because they were made of brass or bronze? I've heard a couple of explanations for this.

Not at all. In this hobby you win some and sometimes you get burned. I have this one in hand, and man, it still looks good to me. It really looks stamped, rather than cast IMO, even under 10xmagnification. How do they blacken the silve ciphers, vinegar? I don't smell chemical or gunpowder. No fresh cut marks that I can see.

I thought so too, but did you notice the cipher is upside down? My guess was a bad repair at a later date. Chris

Do they actually have to declare the items as repro? Boy that would be fun if you could get access to those shipping records. Of course, the dealers would say it was deliberately described as a fake to clear customs.

I've heard a lot of this stuff are put-togethers and sometimes made up of museum parts pieces sold on the black market. Same thing in German. Get an East German visor, add WWII insignia and group it with other items for a "provenance." Old trick. I never place any reliance on "gruops" unless I can trace it back to the original owner. Notice the photo that went with the Curassier Badge. Nice photo, but I do not believe he is wearing a Currassier Rgt Badge. Can you tell the unit he is in?

Yes they certainly do!!!!!! Would you mind sharing with us the names of these illustrious dealers? If you would prefer not to post publically, feel free to PM me. Thanks Chris Werner

Was the gold of the period always rose gold, even for guilded pieces? I know that the makers new how to make different gold tones. I have seen some badges with a combination of gold tones for an enhanced efffect. For example, isn't the dragon in the Moscow Guards Regiment Badge a green tone of gold? BTW, welcome to the forum Greg, and thank you, and George, and all others, for sharing your much needed and much appreciated expertise. Collecting Russian Imperial appears to be as big, if not a bigger minefield than WWII German!

Gold painting has a uniform, glossy bright gold appearance, like a plating or gold-filled jewelry. In period originals, "fire-guilding" was used, which was done with mercury. I can't get much more specific than that, other than the process is highly toxic, and not done anymore. fire guilding has an unmistakable frosty gold appearance, almost like what you see on a mint proof gold coin. It is unmistakable. Go to the threads on Imperial German and look at some of the award medals that were done this way. You'll see what I mean.

I heard he did a vase or two.

Приветствия мои друг и гостеприимсво к форуму. Я надеюсь что вы считаете их интересным и информативным. Chris Werner

Vadimus: Welcome to the Forum, and thank you for the translation. We can all benefit from your language skills! What do you collect? We would all enjoy sharing information with you. This is a great Forum for Imperial Russian as you will see. Best regards, Chris Werner

Is this the one that Collect Russia sells? Not the really expensive one all in Russian, with the superb photos, part of a 3 volume set? I like Adolenko, but I wish it was in color rather than B&W.

George: Which reference book is this out of? Chris

Here is a link, and a couple of photos of one for sale out of the Military antique shop in Estonia: http://www.militaryantiqueshop.com/view.php?id=335

Chuck: Welcome back! I'm glad you are posting, and your computer situation is fixed. It may be that mine is, also. After replacing my hard drive, Dell thought that perhaps the memory was a problem too, so tonight, I replaced the memory with Dell supplied memory sticks. As of tonight, I seem to be back in business, too. My kids can testify that the games run faster! I look forward to your always interesting postings on the Forum. Chris Werner

It looks cast. I would think that any badge made by Faberge should border on "sublime" as far as quality. What is this supposed to be, George?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=WDVW&rd=1 Here is one for sale out of Israel. What do you think of it? The photos are poor quality and the bidding is private.