Christian Zulus

Dear Snoopy, many thanks . But it was cheap & easy to build up such collection in the early 1990s - I had luck, to start so early with collecting Soviet awards. Best regards Christian

Dear Frank, congratulations - perfect and correct answer . Question #187 is now your turn . Best regards Christian

Question #186 Gentlemen, another easy question in the style of Marc: 1. What happened on 26th of june 1907 ? 2. Where did it happen? 3. Who was involved? (here, you need to give me at least the names of the two main participants) Best regards ? Christian

Dear Nesredep, all of my items are 100 % authentic & genuine - and of a high standard of preservation. Only about the 2 "Excellence Badges" (Sniper & Submariner) there is a discussion about the authenticy, as it is shown in the threads. Best regards Christian

Dear Miguel, many thanks for your information . It happened, as I told you in my PM . Maybe that newcomer is one of the Russian collectors ? Capitalism still works (at least somehow) and nothing is free . Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, many thanks . I have to think about a new nice question . Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, many thanks . My small & humble collection is no match to your collection, with it's numerous documented & researched sets . Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, many thanks . Besides the fact, that some items of my collection would be hardly obtainable now, I couldn't afford to buy such a collection now. Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, many thanks . I also have (almost) the whole range of "common" items in my collection . That photograph can be rather often seen in GPW-books and also at a French book as cover. Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, On 24th of may 1940, in Coyoac?n, a neighborhood of Mexico City, Leon Trotsky survived a raid on his home by Stalinist assassins led by GPU-agent Iosif Grigulevich, Mexican painter and Stalinist David Alfaro Siqueiros and Vittorio Vidale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky O.K. ? Best regards Christian

Dear Snoopy, that's really a nice flag . Best regards Christian

Dear Snoopy, you can see the old type of that badge + the Photo-ID-Card here: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=248668 You have the new type. Best regards Christian

Dear Bryan, you have an excellent YU-collection - much better, than my own one . Looking for a documented & researched Lenin-screwback (military!) + a documented & researched Nevsky type 2 (maybe both in a group ) you will have the choice: Either a well-preserved second-hand Porsche, or these two items . But the FoN - even documented ones - is still rather moderate priced and that order IS a beauty . Best regards BTW: I have neither a Porsche, nor a Lenin-screwback .

Dear Bob, I can't find any logic in Markov's behaviour, because he should be interested to collect the money after the auction - it's his buyers premium . Usually you should get after the auction an e-mail, saying: "Congratulations, you have won the bid, please transfer USD XXXXX to the bank account XXXXX." Maybe one of these Russian collectors paid even more for your items - after the end of the auction -, then you ? So your items might be already in Moscow or St. Petersburg . As we know, some GMIC-members already had some bad experience with Markov ... Best regards Christian

Dear Andrew, Did you have that photograph of the "Washington Post" in mind: Well, comrade Secretary General looks a bit like a pimp daddy . At least, a rather strange coat for an invitation at the White House ... Best regards Christian

Dear Brian, many thanks for your "first-hand" contribution and for your interest into our discussion . At the 18th of april 1947 the British did much more harm to that small island for birds, as your father and his comrades did: They blow up 6700 tons of explosives in a cave for submarines. That had been the biggest non-nuclear explosion in the history of mankind and changed the landscape of Helgoland . Best regards Christian

Dear Wild Card, why to apologize ? That thread was thought to be humoristic and an Irish soldier and an Austrian soldier exchanged their points of view about WW II in Asia 1945 + the policy of the US-Administration at that time in a rather sober & academic non-offensive style. And a GMIC-member from Russia meant, that it wasn't o.k., that the US bombed a country in Europe some years ago. What's wrong ? GMIC shouldn't be translated into "Gentleman's Mobbing Interest Club" . Rick brought the thread back to the humoristic track - and that's fine. Listen, the Serbs didn't bomb the beautiful Adirondacks. It was the opposite way: The US bombed Serbia. BTW: Central Serbia has a rather similar landscape as in the Adirondacks . I feel sorry for your father in law and your uncle, but I guess, that they hadn't been in the position to take any influence into the policy of the US-Adminstration. I can tell you rather similar stories from my family and I guess, that Sergey might tell you also rather similar stories from his family during the Great Patriotic War in Russia. I stated in my posting, that the US-Adminstration wanted to prevent a 2nd Ivo Jima. So, where is the logic content of your statement ? I am not against the USA: I love President Roosevelt, I like President Carter and I have great admiration towards the history of the United States of America - specially in the age of the 18th century, when your people invented democracy. Best regards Christian

Dear Rick, great picture - many thanks for posting . Best regards Christian BTW: Remember, most of my threads with a certain (European) humoristic point of view have been either blocked or delated, because some GMIC-members with US-passports felt offended. So, to prevent blocking or deleting, I am writing my postings in a more or less sober or academic style. There is still some (European) humor shining through, but usually not offending some GMIC-members with US-passports (there are still enough US-GMIC-members, who like my postings and inputs ). It might seem useful to create some "GMIC-Humor-Regulations" ...

Dear Nesredep, many thanks for your appreciation . In comparison to other collections, mine is rather small & humble - I still miss a HSU, Labour Glory 1cl and an Odessa-Medal in my collection and from the range of the really high-end generals/admirals orders I only have a Kutuzov 2cl in my collection . In the early 1990s I tried my best, but now, I don't have that amount of cash to take part in the run for the missing high-end items ... The collectors from Russia have a bit more to offer ... Best regards Christian

Dear Sergey, many thanks for sharing these great pictures with us . There really has to be a lot of "metal" in the soil of the Rzhev-era - Zhukov's greatest defeat . Best regards Christian

Many thanks, Paul Best regards Christian

Dear Matteti, you are right - let's say, there is a 50:50 chance that it is a true battle award . Anyhow, have a look at the website http://www.russianglory.com/soviet_orders.htm , always known for good items at (rather) moderate prices. The paid price for that RB still looks rather fair, I guess . The RB is an important order in the history of the CCCP - and there is a big demand for that order in Russia. 15 years ago, you got the ident RB for USD 20,-, but now - according to the economic laws of supply & demand - the price tag moved up to USD 600,- or more. That's capitalism ! Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, that's a question, impossible to answer right now ... Is someone a "shark", who sells some gems of his Soviet collection at an auction with a net-profit of more than 1000 % (or much more) ? Maybe the same person feels himself in 1 or 2 years as "chum" . In my opinion, orders & medals (+ the history behind the items) belong to the sphere of real & eternal values - contrary to all these "financial values". O.K., if you need urgently some cash for i.e. balancing out your housing loan (or if your wife wants a new car ), then it will make sense to sell now some items of your collection to one of these rich Russian collectors. If you don't need cash now at the moment, keep your Soviet gems, because they are "real" . We (old) collectors of Soviet orders & medals can be happy, that we got our gems for an "apple & egg" during the early 1990s, due to the economic desaster in Russia. I never paid more, than USD 20,- for such an RB in question in the 1990s ... . On the other side, it is a moral & ethic question: We all profited out of the misery of the Russian people . But we keep them (in bank vaults), show them at GMIC and - very important - research them, to keep the memory up of the heroic deeds of the multinational soldiers of the Red Army . Just my thoughts about the topic ... Best regards Christian

Dear Ed, we can see this as something like a PPP (Private Public Partnership) . Best regards Christian

Dear Marc, Best regards Christian BTW: As far, as I remember, I already asked a question here at Christophe's quiz about Ruth Werner's first RB .