Greg Collins

A detail of the seal...

And the back...

Thought I'd throw in the RPR version of the parade belt buckle; same materials...

The one use-able colour plate... also a quick reference to the medals that went from the Soviet style 5 sided mount to the later straight mount.

A look inside... medals and variations are very well covered- in German. Images would have been nicer in colour but...

One thing I found out early into collecting Romanian items is that there is pitifully little out there as far as ready reference materials go. While I have built a virtual library of reference sites on the net, sometimes it's just nice to have a book (guess I'm just "old school" that way). The one book I do have is written in German, most images are not in colour... the one use-able colour plate is of ribbons (shown) but, in defense of the author, the material contained is quite informative and obviously well researched. It is a book I do not want to be without. Anyway, it's written by Rainier Schmitt and it's titled, "Die Auszeichnungen Rumaniens 1948-1989". It is large format.

Included with the book is a very easy to use price guide...

Dr. Riemer follows the development of all badges through all variations...

A look inside...

The next book is one I would, without hesitation, describe as a master work. It is Dr. Riemer's book, "Bulgarian Badges Witness of History". A truly incredible work... very detailed, well laid out, well written, etc.. This particular book is number 85 of a print run of 125. As it name implies, it concentrates primarily on badges although there are a couple of medals contained- commemorative types where the distinction between medal and badge is a bit "blurry". If you get the chance, get this book!

A look inside...

I have two books (both out of print) that I use for the Bulgarian end of my collection. The first, for medals and orders is "Bulgarian Titles Orders and Medals" by Boyan Savov and Angel Garbatchkov (with whom I have dealt with many times). It is a relatively small format, paper bound quick reference book that gives a general description of the award, what it was for (very general) and the number of emissions. I like it for what I use it for, but it is limited.

First off- great ribbon bar!!! It is, by far, the largest I have seen to date. As for your questions; all good questions and, I'm afraid, all will go unanswered. Since beginning my Bulgarian and Romanian collections I have discovered that, when collecting ribbon bars, you just have to accept what's there and be happy that it gives you something to talk about. If you try to make too much sense or logic about it, you are doomed to frustration. One thing to "logically" consider when approaching these bars is that, once made, you're stuck with whatever is on that row. The only way to fix the order of awards on that row is to re-make it. Also, incomplete rows are more fragile, due to this type of construction, than complete rows. It was desirable to "square it up" for stability's sake. Also, and I bet this was a "primary factor", expense!!! How often do you want to "shell out" more cash simply for the addition of a commemorative award? I recently posted a "splice job" on the Romania forum on page 3 of the Securitate thread. Take a look and enjoy! It's quite "out of whack".

My thanks to all concerned for the new forum.

Well Rick, I suppose one of the reasons for it is the method of construction of the bar... certainly no room for changes once the thing is made. Ours (the US) is so simple you would think other countries would have copied it... "slide 'em on; slide 'em off"... the only real concern is that the cloth ribbons do get a bit dirty with time and need to be changed, but they were cheap enough. And, in my opinion, the bare cloth looks more "classy" than plastic- but that's me.

Thanks for that great link! For those who don't know, the Black Sea Cossacks fought valiantly for Pridnestrovie's independence ('90-'92).

And the reverse... standard pin back.

Also, and again with the help of the same friend, I was able to come by this Meritorious Service badge. As I have seen this badge on both Security Troop and Militia uniforms, I believe I can safely say it is an Internal Ministry award.

Picked up a couple more items through the kindness and generosity of a friend (whom I will not name pending his permission). The first is a post-'68 red boxed Medal for Distinguished Services in Defense of the Social Order and the Country. While I have seen this medal boxed in both the tan "lizard" and teal boxes, I had not seen the red before. The ribbon bar is included.

Picked up a new ribbon bar. I have often said that Romanian forces do not seem to have the same preoccupation with placing ribbons in the correct order of precedence as we (the US) do. Well, this bar takes the cake. It is a Securitate bar, and the awards are as follows (top to bottom, left to right): 1. Order for Distinguished Services in Defense of the Social Order and the Country - 3rd Class ('58-'68) 2. Order of Military Merit - 3rd Class ('54) 3. Order of Labour - 3rd Class ('48) 4. Star of Romania - 5th Class ('48) 5. 20th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Country ('64) 6. Soldier's Bravery Medal - 2nd Class ('59) 7. Medal for Distinguished Services in Defense of the Social Order and the Country ('53-'68) 8. Medal of Military Merit - 1st Class ('66) 9. Order of Military Merit - 2nd Class ('54) 10. 25th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Country ('69) 11. Medal of Military Merit - 2nd Class ('66) 12. 20th Anniversary of the Romanian Armed Forces ('64) The only thing I can figure is that the bottom of the bar (last row) was "doctored" sometime after 1969 and before 1972 (or we'd see the 25th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic). If you take a look at the back, you can see why I believe this... it's basically a "splice" job. A great ribbon bar! Lots to talk about!

There is an auction site that is very much like eBay called Okazii.ro. It is all in Romanian and you must be a member to bid, but anyone can look to their heart's content. As it is in Romanian, you will need the Romanian name to search. It is: Erou al Noii Revoluþii Agrare Again, as the same award is made of three different metals, prices will differ considerably. Also, this is still a rare order regardless, so you may have to watch awhile. I know of one order (brass) currently available on eBay for $185... PM or email me and I'll tell you where it is (no, I'm not selling it).

I know this is a bit difficult to "wrap your mind around", especially since we're dealing with a Communist state (everyone equal), but there was only ONE grade of this award... whether it was made of gold, silver or brass, it was the same award. The more precious metal issues were reserved for individuals of higher status- diplomats, generals, higher-ups in the government, etc. This, of course, is in direct conflict with the Communist ideal but, well, there you have it. And this is not the only Romanian award that was treated in this way- there were several. In his book, "The Awards of the People's Republic and of the Socialist Republic of Romania 1948 until 1989" (German), Ranier Schmitt points out the awards that were produced both in precious and non-precious metals, but gives no numbers to indicate how many of what were awarded. Given what I have been able to learn about it, I seriously doubt there are records to indicate who got gold, silver or brass. Current estimates say 50 of these awards were given (in all metals).

...while the button reading "RPR" on the banner is from the shorter board.

A detail of the buttons used on the shoulderboards. First, the button that reads "Romania" on the banner is on the longer board (RSR period)...

Found a couple of Security Troop enlisted (other ranks) shoulderboards.The longer of the two is for a Plutonier (Sergeant First Class) from the RSR period (post 1965) while the shorter is from the RPR period and is for a Sergent Major (Staff Sergeant). These may have belonged to the same person.