Hauptmann

Ulsterman,

Yes the Military Museum has a store, like most museums, except this one sells stuff a collector would be interested in. Uniforms, hats, shoulderboards, collar tabs etc. Charles and I have bought some nice stuff there. The prices can be high, especially on uniforms, but some stuff is reasonable and rare. For example, the first thing I bought there was a complete Customs Officers tunic. All insignia etc. I have never seen another one for sale. A lot of the tunics you see for sale at the monthly show, or from flea markets, have been played with and you are never quite sure what you are buying.

Cheers,

Gordon

Hi Gordon,

Boy do I wish we had those kind of museum shops here! WOW!!!!

Here it's all pens, pencils, t-shirts, keychains, books, cd's, DVD's and calendars. Yawn! But I'd walk several miles... or drive a ton of em' for a museum that sold militaria! That's my kinda museum!!!!

Dan

Hi all,

Well, after talking with Vic and Christian... doing some research on all the great posts ya'll have made re: Yugoslavian awards I decided I'd test the waters and give it a try.

So with the excellent assistance of Vic I've managed to acquire my first Order, although it'll probably be a while as it's going with a shipment to Vic and then he'll be sending it to me with another package he's put together for me. Thanks Vic on all counts!!!!

Well, without further ado, here's my latest acquisition and my introduction to Yugoslavian awards:

Order of Labor 3rd Class

It's the sellers pic so I'll do more when it arrives. It comes cased as pictured... hoping it comes with the ribbon bar as well. Vic confirmed that it is a pin back so hoping it's the verical type like on German awards and not the horizontal one that looks like a funky pitch fork. I guess having been in Imperial and TR German for so long I just love those horizontal pins, even though I know those are the later pieces.

So there you have it... I'm in for a penny, in for a pound as they say. Sure hope I can find some more I like at prices I can afford. When I do ya'll will be the first to know... well, perhaps outside of Vic if he manages to locate them for me.

And here's hoping we get a separate Yugoslav section soon too!

Dan

Hi all,

I just remembered a memory from my younger years... I was about ten or eleven years old at the time. I used to hang around at a coin shop in Florida that was owned by an old friend of our family. He taught me tons about coins, currency, jewelry and all that sort of thing. One day I saw he had some medals in one of his cases. I asked and he told me they were Canadian. He said something about them being used in parades and such... but these were huge! they were probably about 4 inches across and then the ribbons were probably another 5 or so inches high off the medals. There were several of them... no idea what they were as even now I'm not that up on Canadian awards.

But it was always something that I've wondered about. What would something like these have been used for? Do any of you have any examples of these or know of any? It's something I've never seen before or since that day.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Charles,

I'd be willing to be that in some dark, dingy, forgotten corner of a warehouse somewhere... or a basement or attic, a bunch of those hugh badges are just sitting there packed away and ready to be found. Here's hoping you're the one to find them!

Hey Vic... didn't realized you'd gotten your promotion to Senior Member! Way to go my friend, way to go!!!!

Dan

Dear Vic,

congratulations to your promotion to the rank of a "Senior Member" .

Great and artistic stamps - I never saw them before .

I myself have a small collection of the well known stamps of the 1940s showing the Soviet awards - you can see them in the 1st book about CCCP-Military-Awards from Dr. Herfurth. They are very common and not rare at all.

Years ago I bought a very nice made "souvenir"-album with a collection of stamps dealing with Lenin inside. Also not rare and rather common.

Appropriate stamps & souvenir pins & badges should belong to every serious collection of CCCP-Awards

Best regards

Christian

Hi Christian,

Hey, don't forget coins and currency as well! There's some nice stuff floating around out there. I used to find tons in a dealers junk box of foreign coins and another of currency. He didn't specialize in that stuff so in the junk boxes it went regardless of condition. I'd find stuff from the 20's, 30's and 40's in there all the way to present day. And all for less than dirt! I loved that place. But after about ten years of that the owner and his wife both died at nearly the same time of cancer. Shop was sold out, closed up and not there the last couple of years that I was in Florida. It's a shame as although he was one of those people who takes some time to warm up to you, once he did he was really nice as was his wife and the rest of the employees there. Spent a ton of hours there going through stuff and made a ton of great deals. Boy do I ever miss it!

Dan

Hi all,

I hope I'm understanding this correctly now... this is not a "fire" cross in the sense of it being an award to a member of a Fire Department... but more like troops who get thrown into a hot area to get things going in the right direction for their side again... kind of like Waffen SS troops tended to be.

Please let me know if I've got this right or not.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi all,

I'm adding a shameless plug... but I have the Seitengewehr Troddel of a Festungs-Maschinen-Gewehr-Kompagnie from post #1 above in the sale section. Since the estimate I was given was between $60 and $90, I decided to split the difference and ask $75 plus shipping (of the buyers choice) and 4% Paypal feels.

So if anyone is intro'd and would like to dress up their Imperial butcher blade bayo please give me a shout and we'll go from there.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Vic,

Congratulations my friend on your 1,000th post! It sure doesn't take long does it? Before I knew it I was well over 2,000 and still climbing. And I know you'll be there before you know it too. Shoot, just on DDR stuff I know you'll have enough for at least a 1,000 more posts in short order!

Keep up the great work my friend! Here's to many thousands more!!!!

Dan

Dan,

We will soon get you on the sillpery path to Yugo awards, its the least I can do after you got me in to DDR awards

Order of Victory

Hi Vic,

Well my friend, I don't know how far I can slip with my limited budget and way too many areas of interest... but we'll try and slip just a bit.

Thanks,

Dan

Dear Dan,

many thanks for your support .

I assume, that in our collectors community YU-Awards are regarded in terms of design, beauty and craftmanship as ranking No. 3 behind Soviet and Mongolian awards.

As with Mongolian awards, early YU-Awards had been made in the CCCP. So the quality of these awards is always superiour to the home-made ones of later years.

Here, at the so called "other" Soviet forum, you will find a comprehensive catalogue of these beauties: http://www.soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-...ian-awards.html .

The prices are still very, very moderate .

Best regards

Christian

Hi Christian,

No problem at all. I deeply appreciate your posting that link. I went through it earlier and I can see that most of the really high ones that I like are going to be way out of my range, at least for the foreseeable future. But I've seen a few of the Orders I'd like to shoot for.

Many thanks!!!!

Dan

Gentlemen,

I am also very happy about this new section at GMIC and - as the GMIC-staff knows - I have done some humble "motivation work" for a own Hungary-section .

For getting a lucid structure to the GMIC-world concerning Communism, I hope, that the next new section might be Yugoslavia .

Congratulation to Charles .

Best regards

Christian

Hi Christian,

I for one would also love to see such a section started. I know next to nothing about Yugoslavian awards. To be honest the few medals I've seen so far, even cased, have not been that impressive. I've thought the Orders I've seen have been rather blah compared with those of the Soviets, etc. However, I've now been tempted to try and test the waters so to speak. But needless to say I have much I'd like to learn about what Yugo has to offer. I figure I'm doing Soviet, DDR, Hungary and Bulgarian... so may as well keep going. Sorry I missed out on Mongolian but it's already gotten too pricey for me... at least for now.

So you've definitely got my vote! Be keeping my fingers tightly crossed.

Dan

Is that certain somebody me

I love that numbered medal never seen a numbered DDR medal before

Order of Victory

Hi Vic,

Yup... you guessed it my friend! Missed ya somethin' awful while you were away but very glad to have you back again! Oh, I sent you an email just a few minutes ago... re: what I wrote about I'm "working" on getting in touch with the member I mentioned to see what I can work out on that badge. Keep your fingers tightly crossed!

On the numbered DDR medals they are great! Gordons is super! There were several that were numbered including those Verdienst medals I love so much... but only the early ones. And of course some of those are also marked for silver content as well. Very nice pieces and I just pray I'm able to find some before all is said and done.

Dan

Hi all,

While watching the 40th Anniversary parade video Paul posted I caught this one and felt it would be of interest to those of us who collect DDR uniforms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NdCY_23b40&NR

Dan

I'd like to second Rick on this... congratulations Charles! It's great to have our own place and I know you'll be a terrific Host!

Dan

very cool. It's always a good day with something new and Hungarian here!

Amen to that! I must say, that blue certainly does contrast nicely with the gold of the award and the red and white of the rest of the case. And looks like it has a nice clasp on it too!

Yet another terrific find! I'm so tempted to mortgage the house and fly over there and load up with tons of goodies!

Dan

Hi all,

Here's one I found on the net:

Hope it helps!

Dan

Hey Dan - I am going to guess that these are heavily gold plated - but so are the late 1950's - but you can clearly see that the "gold" on the latter version is just not as pronounced as this one - its night and day when it comes to the quality and the detail.

Definitely... outstanding!!!! And that case is a real beauty too. Yet another variation. One could almost just collect the cases!

Keep findin' them great goodies my friend! When you come back you'll have to open a full blown Hungarian museum.

Dan

Hi Charles,

Beautiful! You know how partial I am to these. So by "real gold" do you mean that the hammer and wheat sheaf are gold like the H&S's on Soviet OGPW... or that they are a heavy gold plate on these early ones?

Dan

Here we have a new arrival that Dan might be interested in :

Early Distinguished Achievement in the Armed Body of the Interior Ministry in it,s blue cardboard case .

Hi Grant,

VERY NICE!!!! With the early shield to boot! And nice case!!!! Love cases!!!! I can't wait to see the one on my latest Polizei medal... the one from the 50's. His payment should reach him on Saturday and hoping against hope he might get it out that same day if he gets it early enough. Hoping I'll have it by mid week or thereabouts.

Keep up the great work!!!!

Dan

Hello ,

Flags it is not my theme for a collecting but I shall try .

Inscription on the first flag( post13) -We Shall execute plans of a party (free translation). I think that it is the award banner or a flag of the party organization .I do not see how many republics on a flag.As it is made in a printing house a banner - this award not for the high big organization Often for greater and high organizations gifts were from velveteen these had an embroidery .А thread contained gold. I badly know English. Probably I am difficult for understanding .

However I tried

Hi Sergey,

Many thanks for the help on these and for the translation. And don't worry... your English is actually very good. Just keep working on it... the more you use it the better it gets. But trust me... alot of native speakers don't do as well as you.

That last one you posted sure is a beaut, but if Christian is correct then someone will probably end up being in deep trouble over it.

Thanks!

Dan

If I recal (please correct me if wrong) the Rainbow Division liberated Dachau. (Did you check the pockets for the SS collar tabs?)

As for collecting - I collect where I am at - so when in Rome - collect the Romans, etc...

Boy, don't I wish!!!! We'd have definitely gotten you some great uniforms with those!!!! Sadly nothing but the insides of the pockets. But I'll keep trying!

Dan

super nice tunics! The rainbow div is a very highly decorated unit!!

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for the compliment! I really should do some research on that division and put it with the tunic. Yet another project I've always kind of put on a back burner. Another thing that attracted me to that one was he was a Tech Sergeant like my Uncle Jack was so there was that connection there.

Thanks again,

Dan

Hi Charles,

VERY NICE! Had no idea you sly fox! You're like me... into a bit of everything! We're definitely gonna have to plan on going "hunting" when you're back in the states... hopefully during estate sale season.

As far as others... I have a Navy officers dress blue uniform... can't remember if it's an Ensign or a Lt. It's in a garment bag complete with original cap (I believe with extra top) and pants. It was a gift from a friend many moons ago. And then I'd gotten Nick what I believe is a WWII sailors "cracker jack" uniform. I'd forgotten where I'd gotten the "rainbow" till I thought about the sailor... they were both out of a big trade with an acquaintance down in Florida several years back. He had some German, a tiny bit of Soviet and DDR and a ton of US. I wasn't generally into US but Nick liked alot of it so I just traded for a bunch and these were part of the deal. I especially liked the "rainbow" since it seemed so complete and looked original. I'd later gotten him one that he drooled over... had I been into U.S. I'd have gotten it for myself. It was from a friend who happened to be blind. It had been her grandfathers. Her folks were "cleaning out" the house and getting rid of it. I worked a deal with them through her since otherwise it would probably have been given to a thrift store or something. It was a complete set of several uniforms, pinks, etc., with all insignia, ribbons, the works, including at least one of his caps. I believe it was for a Lt. Col. and even came with a copy of some photos of him in uniform and a bit of documentation showing he'd served in N. Africa in the Army Air Corps. Just a terrific set with history, etc., and which could be further researched based on the info we got from them which I believe included his service number, units, etc.

I generally hate to see families part with such things, but with the only granddaughter being blind she really didn't have an interest in it since she couldn't even see it. She and her folks simply wanted it to go to a good home where it would be loved and appreciated for the history it represented. This fellow was heavily into U.S. and German, history of WWII, etc., and went nuts when he got it... just loved it. And I'm sure he still has it as one of the prizes of his collection.

Even though I'm not truly into U.S. for the most part I like to have representative pieces from the various sides in both WWI and WWII. I used to have several TR German uniforms but over the years they have all gone to other collectors. I still keep my eye out... if I find such goodies for cheap at estate sales and that sort of thing I'd grab them if I have the $$'s at the time. But I don't tend to hunt them down say on Ebay and that sort of thing.

I really love German uniforms of most time periods. They could almost go direct from the battlefield to a dress ball and back again. Whereas U.S. and some other forces just looked so drab all the time... even when they were "dressed up". Don't know why it always struck me this way... they just tended to look much more utiliitarian. As plain as some Soviet uniforms were when dressed up with all their various medals and Orders and such... well, I guess they were like Christmas trees... tended to be very plain till they were decorated and then look out!

If anyone is intro'd I'd be happy to try to do up pics of my others. Again I don't think they're anything to write home about but I guess to some collectors they'd be considered a real find. The dress blues even have a small U.S. flag folded up in the pocket as I recall.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Gordon,

Great pic! Many thanks!!!! Sure looks as if he's got a really nice sized ribbon bar on there.

Thanks!

Dan