Christian Zulus

Dear Bruce, many thanks for your unique and first rate expertise in your thread and specially in your comprehensive book. Concerning ORDEN SLAVA you are the no. 1 expert in the world! Kind regards from Vienna, Austria Christian

Great news - I just ordered 2 copies :-)

Gentlemen, this fine cavalier's set above seems to have at least a "normal" asking price :-) Any more details or citations? Kind regards Christian

Well, the prices of Soviet medals will go up and down, as the history since 1992 showed, but rather high-end items with documentation will always have a sort of eternal value. The decline of US-propaganda in the world and the re-writing of the history of World War II might increase - in the long rund - the interest in documented Soviet awards, I guess.

Well, dear USSR, I guess, the hammer price of your OGII was at least 50% under the estimate :-( The upper middle class in the former Soviet Union isn't that well off, as some years ago and the classical middle class in the western world, which invested in fine arts & collectibles, almost vanished :-( Kind regards Christian

Gentlemen, I guess, that's the lowest price, ever paid for an OGII to a Full Cavalier :-( Kind regards Christian

Fantastic group, dear Paul! 2 Lenins + HSL is rather rare for a shepard, in my experience.

Gentlemen, a fair price for an OGI in a rather good condition! What's the story behind the OGI s/n. 848? Kind regards Christian

Dear slava1stclass, many thanks for the information and congratulation to Matt (USSR)! Kind regards Christian

Gentlemen, "the first theory", mine, is totally wrong! I made a mistake :-( I simply oversaw, that Gantsev already passed away in 1968 and not in the 1990s, during the inferno of the Yeltsin-era. Of course, in the 1960s Gantsev would have got a duplicate OGI with stamped s/n. and with an "d" on it! "The second theory" by Slava1stclass is the correct one :-) I guess, Matt's OGI will get a highest bid somewhere in the range between USD 5,000.- and USD 7,000.-. The order is in an outright 10/10 condition, represents the very last version and there are no doubts about authenticy. On the other side, this OGI has no history, due to fact, that this order came directly - stolen or illegally sold - from the mint and the s/n. was afterwards faked, to hide the legal ownership of the Moscow mint. So, it seems quite difficult, to sell it to a Russian collector. Kind regards Christian

Dear Matt, at least you have an OGI in a most outstanding 10/10 condition in your collection :-) Quite a large number of OGIs have been polished to dead by their proud owners ;-) In 1996 I bought an authentic Kutuzov 2nd class for about USD 600,-. Also for the Yeltsin-era a bargain. By research in the military archives and by experts opinion I came to the result, that the s/n. had been altered :-( I had the luck, to find a Russian buyer at an auction in Vienna in 2009, who payed USD 6.000,- for this order :-) In January 1994 I purchased my Full Cavalier Gnitienko-set of 1st category for about USD 1.500,- from Ukraine. Sgt. Gnitienko passed away in Charkov and his heirs sold the set. So I guess, your OGI is - despite the s/n. alteration - an excellent investment for you :-) And these OGIs with this late and special rv. are quite rare! Kind regards Christian

Dear USSR, no doubt, your OGI is 100% authentic - your first photograph was wrong :-) It's a very late version with that pebbled rv. A more or less logic solution for the new engraved s/n. and the absolute 10/10 condition might be, that Gantsev's OGI had been stolen, he went with his documents to the mint and they gave him - or sold him - this very new one. Maybe the stamping machine was out of order or engraving was just easier. So the mint could also not STAMP this cyrillic "d" on the reverse for "duplicat". Have you checked Gantsev's personel files in the military archives, if there is something like that recorded? Kind regards Christian

Gentlemen, an interesting Full Cavalier, who is recorded in Slava1stclass' fantastic book "Onward to Berlin!": "Mama Nina" - Nina Pavlovna Petrova. One of the 4 women, one of the 34 snipers (she had 122 credited kills!) and with 53 years of age, when her heroic deeds took place and becoming a Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, one of the oldest ever :-) Kind regards Christian

Dear USSR, the Spassky-Tower and the Red Star on top are too narrow. Can you forward the photograph of your OGI on the COA? If your OGI is authentic, then it looks like fresh from the stocks of the mint. Did you invest some few bucks into research? Kind regards Christian

A copy, USSR? The Spassky-Tower and the Red Star are looking different ...