Bob

Some more (from left to right): - The best transport worker badge (note the Uigur script at bottom!) - The outstanding worker of the trade union (numbered!!!) - The outstanding worker of the radio / TV communications - The outstanding cooperator (whatever that means!) Also looking at other badges for sale, it would appear that usage of Uigur script is indicative of the most recent versions of these badges - interesting

A lot of VERY nice stuff on that site! One of the Tamara's shown is in fact the one also depicted in Klietmann's article.

Out of curiosity... has anybody ever seen a Tamara with a mint / manufacturers mark?

Don't know what ANS / M&E mean... link perhaps? Thanx

Just in, and she's a beauty!

The benefit of living in Germany:) Let me know if I can help anybody with info from any one of these. There's a wide range of awards covered - some of which appear to be obscure to say the least!: 1 - Der Furstliche Hausorden "De parfaite amitie" von Thurn und Taxis 2 - Geschichte des Eisernen Kreuzes von 1939 3 - Der Orden "Michaels des Tapferen" 4 - Das bohmische Adelskreuz von 1814 5 - Das Furstlich Isenburg-Birsteinsche Hausorden "pour mes amis" 6 - Das Kroatische Legion und ihre Auszeichnung 1941-1943 7 - Die Protektordekoration des Johanniterordens 8 - La Croix Rouge Francaise 9 - Der Orden von Eisernen Dreiblatt 10 - Die tschechoslowakische Falken-Orden 11 - The Foundation of the most ancient and most noble order of the Thistle 12 - Das Baltenkreuz 13 - Das Ritterkreuz des eisernen Kreuzes 1939 14 - Ordenszeichen und Staatsform 15 - Armelband "Kurland" - die letzte Auszeichnung des Deutschen Wehrmacht vom 12 Marz 1945 16 - Das Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes 1922 bis 1939 17 - Order of the Sacred Crown 18 - Die Barockorden des Grafen Franz Anton Sporck 19 - Un acentry de la decoration du Lys: l"Ordre de la Fleur de lys - 1791 20 - Der "Orden vom 25 Februar 1948" der CSR 21 - Der Deutsche Orden des Grossdeutschen Reiches 1942-1945 22 - Order of the Golden Kite of Japan "Kinshi Kunsho" 23 - Das "Abzeichen" und der "Orden der Konigin Thamar" in Georgien 1916 und 1918 24 - Uber die trageweise der Zeichen des Johanniterordens 25 - Der Orden vom Slowakischen Nationalaufstand 26 - Register fur die Nr 1-25 der Jahre 1958-1964 (i.e. above publications) 27 - Die Orden der SSR von Aserbaidschan 1920 - 1936 28 - 125 Jahre Orden Pour le Merite fur Wissenschaften und Kunste 29 - General Gordon's Khartoum Star

To paraphrase John Steinbeck: "forum wars are just like ice hockey, there are no winners... only survivors"

Doesn't look new to me

And here another recent one but now oddly enough made out of "heavy" metal. Really difficult to see, apart from the design principles, some logical trend here!

And now there really is only 1 available on dealers sites... close to 2K!!! Remember the "good old" days?

Hi Eric, in your extensive research efforts, have you also run across a good overview of modern day Albanian awards? Let me give an example: http://securingamerica.com/printready/prin...ternational.htm http://securingamerica.com/node/985 General Wesley Clark was awarded a Skanderbeg... and it looks awfully similar to the one from communist times. What implications could this have?

Hi Eric - you sure know a lot about Albanian awards... even badges! Attached some lower end ones. Not particularly striking in quality or design but still nice to add here. Nothing special on reverse... just a pin. From left to right: - KS 17 N?ntori - TIRANA SPORT CLUB - FOR THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE "Bashkimi" (The Union)magazine. Official journal of the Democratic Albanian Front under the communist regime - 50th ANIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION FROM THE NAZI-FASCIST-OCCUPATION Perhaps I should return to Albania once. Have travelled there before and loved it (you start to really appreciate those little pill boxes spread throughout the country:)). And the reception at the airport was very nice as well... the plane was surrounded by snipers! Turned out that the president was about to fly in on a different plane from a trip abroad:)

Here is the correct pic then. Note: the ring is applied seperately to the medal.

It is a bit of a gamble... I've paid amounts which I though were very nice, only to then see 2 weeks later a ridiculous low price elsewhere. Signs of an immature market still I guess.

http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=IO180#bigPic Is it just missing the enamel or a crazy variation?

Ignore - wrong thread!

Let's start with a picture:) http://www.medals.org.uk/czechoslovakia/csr/csr006.htm http://www.vyznamenani.net/CSR/Order_of_Kl...t_Gottwald.html Not quite close enough in design for me. I guess Lenin only had 1 cousin in Dimitrov:) Still, certainly a nice one.

A number of people (incl. myself to a small extent) are not convinced that it is a fake Soyombo. If real, what would explain the Soviet screw on the suspension? I thought nowadays all awards were produced in UB? Besides, if made in Russia, wouldn't the quality of the overall item be MUCH higher?

Great thread! I will be visiting Wolgograd for the May celebrations next year. Although I generally prefer independent travelling, in Wolgograd I am considering taking a guide for 1-2 days. Could you share any connections / websites / tips you might have on visiting Stalingrad? I've read Beevor's Stalingrad book and am particularly interested in (a la "After the Battle") something which provides details on where to find what related to the battle. Thanks

I recently acquired an Order of Geroge Dimitrov... not that I am a Bulgaria collector but I liked the design in how it was so similar to the Order of Lenin. Are there any other awards with same similarity? E.g. from other communist countries?

I won't bore you with the trousers so here's last pic

and more... no doc's so due diligence would have to be done on numbers of awards and timing deduced from that... what was a Mongolian Major doing at Stalingrad is of course one question... well, how did he get there is a better way to put it perhaps note - set sold this morning for mucho dineros!

More...

Below offered to me for sale (and presumably also to others). Description as from the seller. order of merit #1239942 red star- 117672 silver star- 319710 gold star- 78182 Mongolian order of the polar star- 407 Mongolian order of combat- 2059 Mongolian order of military merit 4489 guards badge ww2 type on a supposedly "Mongolian Major's uniform" with also WW2 square visored cap that matches this Victory Parade uniform set (again as per the seller). Medals all without documents ( ) so no way for sure to know if it's a group. hefty price tag... but what a find if real - thoughts?

Can anyone with a design and the cash go to Mondvor and get them to produce an award (numbered, and with their logo on back)?