Christian Zulus

Dear Rick, most likley "Pedagogical" - there had been a quite a high number of these "Pedagogical Universities" in the democratic states in Eastern Europe in the late 1940s and 1950s. Best regards Christian

Dear Vic, really strange ? According to s/n. Lingqi's order should have been awarded about 1975 ... Can you show a scan of your order book to us . Best regards Christian BTW: Kuzenko lists s/n. 44936 at 30th of may 1974 ...

Yes, a dealer might ask for that medal about USD 600,-, if the suspension & screwplate (and the medal of course ) are genuine. Research + excellent citation might even boost the price. Best regards Christian

The medal is extraordinary well preserved and should be from the "Winter-War" against Finland 1939/40 - in any case it is a pre-GPW award. Best regards Christian

Dear William, sorry .... my mistake - I just oversaw that you wrote that the Khmelnitsky is UKRAINIAN . Also the (original) Khmelnitsky might be called "Ukrainian", due to the fact, that the order shows the Ukrainian hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky of the medivial ages and that the order was primarly awarded for (mostly combat) contributions during the liberation of the Ukraine during the GPW. Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, dear Andreas, many thanks for the informations concerning the change in rivets . So, Paul's "Octoberrevolution" version 2 is very close to the change in rivets 4 to 5, that means, a very early version 2. That doesn't mean, that the normal worker hadn't been a "higher" member of the Communist Party. There were quite a few workers in leading functions at local party commitees or even in the Supreme Soviet. The composition of the Soviet communist party was a bit different to parties in the Western World - the working class was represented. In my understanding of Soviet history & phaleristics the "Octoberrevolution" had been THE order of the communist party. Best regards Christian

Dear William, is it that Khmelnitsky, which JimZ has as his avatar http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showuser=1543 ? I don't think, that the Guards Captain got a (new) Ukrainian one of the 1990s, as Ed meant. At least one Order of the Red Star is missing, because all officers, who didn't get enough combat awards, got after the victory a RS. To start the research with the Khmelnitsky - if it's the old Soviet GPW-award - would make sense. A captain in a antitank artillery Guards unit - making the way from Warsaw to Berlin -, who got a Khmelnitsky 3cl, should usually have a collection of RS, OPW - even a RB. You might find some intersting and courageous citations. Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, this might be true only for the very first years, that only highest level party members received that order, but during the late Brezhnev-years and the 1980s + 1990/91 it seems, that there had been a growing inflation in awarding (as with most of the CCCP-orders). In 1986, the communist party in the CCCP had over 19 million members or approximately 10% of the adult population. So, I guess, that the "Octoberrevolution" had been an order for higher level party members. Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, yes, you have a version 2 - the distinction are the 3 rivets at the rv. for fixing the hammer & sickle. Version 1 had only two rivets. I don't know, when they added the 3rd rivet . I have one version 1 with the s/n. 24318 in my collection. The "Octoberrevolution" had been are more or less pure "political" order for members of the party - also awarded to communist leaders abroad - and after the "Lenin" the second highest order in the CCCP. There had been some (rare) cases of some top-communists, who got 2 "Octoberrevolutions" - one from the Union and one from the Republic. Anyhow, that was against the regulations and not untypical for the Brezhnev-Era . Best regards Christian

Dear William, is it a 3rd class of the Khmelnitsky ? Do you have any order books of the veteran or any other documents ? The Khmelnitsky is a combat award and the 3rd class was frequently awarded also to partisans. Best regards Christian

Dear Paul, more than 110.000 had been awarded and some more produced. I meant, that s/n. 66987 is rather low for a version 2 of the "Octoberrevolution". Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, I presented two Soviet items of Dimitry's coming auction at these two threads: RB#4 + Lenin group: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24437 Glory 1cl: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24435 Best regards Christian

Very well preserved item with a rather "moderate" s/n. . Best regards Christian

"Hero Fortress Brest" is really matching . Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, Dimitry offers a (complete!) Lenin + 3x RB + RB#4 + OPW1cl group with document at the 10th of january 2008 at his N.Y. auction: http://www.sixbid.com/nav.php?p=viewlot&am...16&lot=2215 Starting bid is USD 7.680,- (incl. 12 % buyers fee) and estimate is USD 8.960 (incl. 12 % buyers fee) "Complete documented personal group of Hohlov I.F., includes Red Banner, 4th Award. Comes with Order of Lenin #62521, 4 Orders of Red Banner (#88440, #163661, #197141 and 4th Award #1563), and Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class #47762. Orders Book lists all of the decorations, nothing is missing. Scarce complete group. Condition: Superb on all items, flawless enamels" If the group is genuine, the estimate (and the starting bid) seems as a bargain . The research of that group might also produce great citations, because there might be only 1 (one) long service award among the orders (one of the RBs or even the Lenin). And ... RB#4-groups ARE rare ... Let's have a look which hammer-price will be yielded .... Best regards Christian

Gentlemen, Dimitry offers a Glory 1cl s/n. 1702 http://www.mirnagrad.ru/cgi-bin/exinform.c...;ич at the 10th of january 2008 at his N.Y. auction: http://www.sixbid.com/nav.php?p=viewlot&am...16&lot=2231 Starting bid is USD 6.720,- (incl. 12 % buyers fee) and estimate is USD 8.400 (incl. 12 % buyers fee) "Comes with copies of biography and awarding details for all 3 Classes. Awarded to Trunov A.M. for fighting on the streets of Berlin during the last days of war. Sen. Sergant Trunov was awarded with two(!) 2nd Class Orders in May of 1945, for fighting on Oder River, and street fighting in Berlin. The Berlin?s 2nd Class award was later exchanged for the 1st Class. Rare such. Condition: Excellent overall, perfect enamel, minimal wear" Well, that award is unresearched .... Since two years, Glory 1cl or full cavalier sets are always sold very, very quickly - at increasing prices. Another fact is, that no dealer in the west can offer a Glory 1cl or a full cavalier set at the moment. Let's have a look which hammer-price will be yielded .... Best regards Christian

Dear Belaruski, great collection and nicely displayed . What shows the framed picture above ? Best regards Christian

Dear Frank, great and highly interested pics . Please show us some more . Best regards Christian

MIR NAGRAD also doesn't list the s/n. of his Glory 2cl & cl : http://www.mirnagrad.ru/cgi-bin/exinform.c...;ич Best regards Christian

PUCH G - military version Not soooo expensive . Best regards Christian

Dear Vic, here is a video-clip of the G-wagon AMG 55 in action: http://auto-presse.tv/autotuning.php?actio...mp;newsid=12916 Two pics of the V8-compressor-monster: Well, that car is rather expensive .... Best regards Christian

Meritorious Pilot of the CCCP Dear Bryan, that's my title-medal, 2nd version with pebbled rv. and without s/n. (screwplate is not original!): Sorry for the bad scans . More information about these medals - and my medal - at the "other" forum: http://www.soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-...pilot-ussr.html http://www.soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-...gator-ussr.html The fact is, that these medals don't have an AEROFLOT-inscription and the medal you show represents a 1st version and should have a s/n. Best regards Christian

2 different citations - only 1 Glory ? Gentlemen, due to the fact, that Gnitienko's Glories 3cl & 2cl http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=229303 had been earned in the ident 55th Rifle Corps at the Crimea, I went through Netsenko's citations again and found an interesting fact. In my opinion we have in the Netsenko-case 2 different and seperated (time & location) citations: - 25th to 26th of october 1943 Melitopol and half a year later - 8th to 12th of may 1944 Sevastopol & Cherson Both events fullfill the regulations for getting an Order of Glory and the first Order of Glory 3rd class had been confered to senior sergeant W. S. Malyshev at the 13th of november 1943, so it would have possible to award comrade Netsenko with a Glory 3cl. Another point is, that he received his Glory 3cl more than a year later at the 1st of july 1945. I think, that Netsenko should have got a Glory 3cl for Melitopol and a Glory 2cl for Sevastopol & Cherson . So, Ed's Crimean-Glory contains two medals . Best regards Christian

Dear Frank, nice collection . I have a small standing Lenin, a small Lenin-bust, this plaque http://www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=16851 and a Lenin-portrait painted in Fedoskino-manufacture. My question: The metal is very, very lightweighted - do you know the composition ? Best regards Christian

Dear Christophe, that car is an Austrian constructed "PUCH G" (sold in Germany as a "Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse") one of the best military off-road cars in the world and used in many armies (and conflicts - Falklands, Yugoslavia, etc.). http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steyr_Daimler_Puch http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_G-Klasse http://www.puchg.at/ Best regards Christian