Bob

Perhaps slightly out of place here... but still... have seen several rare awards from Manchukuo at auctions recently and I've been flabbergasted by their beauty. Old items... but with designs that appear almost like modern art (with the corresponding price tag!). Anybody know a good online reference site?

Will see if I can post some more scans on specific interesting awards in those respective threads over the weekend.

and very low numbers... for the numbers fetisjists among us

Numbered I hope

Not a high quality scan but trust me, this one is completely silver colored and - despite scan perhaps giving wrong impression due to light effect - it is not just a faded bronze / gold colored one - 2 classes (or more) after all?!!??!

First class - intricate ribbon

Order - first class Nice small ribbon suspension

Here a comparison of a first type with a second class second type.

http://www.pksh.org The Albanian communist party

Received a silver colored one in the mail - will post scan over the weekend. I think there really might be 2 classes (or even a 3rd?) to this order.

Anybody notice the posting on eBay with different booklet? My guess is that we have the small black booklets for early awardings and then larger paper (1959 onwards as per my recently acquired books) for once it became an offical medal?

Again, I think it has to do with finite demand. There are perhaps (ignore the specific number of course) 100 people in the world interested in purchasing such a type 1 herder badge... and generally these people are interested in buying 1 and not a second one (rather spend the cash on an item not yet in the collection) regardless of how much further the price comes down. If there are then 150 of these badges offered... then probably after the 99th person has bought one, the prices will plummet. This is what I believe has happened. E.g. on ebay, items which would trigger bidding wars in the past are now getting no bids - people HAVE what they want. For the ultra rare items it is different... more of a sellers market. I'm sure it would make no difference whether a seller would ask 10K or 12K for a hero gold star... if there's a buyer, he'll buy it anyway simply because such an opportunity only comes by once every couple of years. I see it myself as well... the "basic" stuff I have, just looking for filling the difficult spots in my collection (Hero Gold Star, bronze Udarnik, etc.).

Just to get it in this thread

Perhaps the collecting community is just quite small and has generally been able to obtain most of what they want? 2000 Suche Baatars... how much demand for them is there REALLY from collectors? I have 2 myself... but are there 1000 people who'd fork up the money?

1st class pinback deep dish

3 - more on request (specific orders/medals)

And scan 2

green book - some random scans

I heard the rumor from the person who'd be arranging the research. Just keep fingers crossed! Now things will get interesting, were all those nice and shiny Red Banner's REALLY awarded or not?

After the summer the state archives will open up and it will be possible to research awards...

Doesn't ring a bell here - sorry That the board has been deserted for a while now doesn't help of course.

That reminds me of a quote from Pulp Fiction: "This watch was on you daddy's wrist when he was shot down over Hanoi. He was captured and put in a Vietnamese prison camp. He knew that if the gooks ever saw the watch, they'd confiscate it--take it away. The way your dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright. He'd be damned if any slope's gonna put their greasy yellow hands on his boy's birthright. So, he hid it, in one place he knew he could hide something: his ass. Five long years he wore this watch . . . up his ass. Then, he died of dysentery, he give me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you."

Is it also illegal to IMport them then?

Interesting - I'll have to wait and see what I get in the mail then because I've purchased above gold colored one and another one which is silver colored. Closer examination required upon receipt

Eric - while waiting for your updated edition, do you know if there is also a 2nd class of this order?