Mukerjee

What does the M O stand for on the badge?

What does the M and O stand for (they are above and below the machine gun)?

Regarding this Komsomol pin and other Soviet pins, how were they manufactured? They all seem of ultra-light aluminum and usually have a red, semi-transparent enamel, like around this Lenin. There must have been many Soviet facilities to produce these pins to feed an apparent pin craze in the USSR. Most Soviet pins also have a safety pin type clasp and are not stickpins like the rest of Europe. Any expert thoughts appreciated.

Thanks very much for this information. It seems Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, DDR, and USSR were the East-Bloc states that produced lots of lapel pins (militaria, other). Would be nice to have an authority like you on these other countries. From the number of pins I have seen, it looks like Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania were not as prolific producers. Take care.

Excellent addition on YU pins. Are these the only official ones? Should I assume military pins were official? Which ones were sanctioned by the government? With this info, I would know what and what not to bid on Ebay. GMIC should consider a section on militaria, retired militaria, militaria-like (Stasi, etc.) lapel pins from other countries since these are generally cheaper to collect than medals, are easier to store, and can even be worn today.

Thanks nice pins. I have the JNA/other Yugoslav militaria pins. They come in may colrs and sizes. In fact I always wear them when I am in Kosovo or Sarajevo as a "proud recuiter" for the JNA; the early 90's in the Land of the Southern Slavs showed us that Brotherhood and Unity lives on!

Nice collection; I have many of these representing "Brotherhood/Unity" from the "Land of the Southern Slavs". Actually, collecting militaria/political pins from communist/other eras is a cheaper way of collecting history. Like stamp collecting, you can pay less for damaged items. They also make great conversation pieces when you wear them at the office or a party!