GHB

I have some basic questions on the Lion and Sun of Ghajar Dynasty that I cannot find answer to, even here. (Perhaps I overlooked.) the meaning of different color enamel. 1. I have head that red means a donation to the empire . For Military perhaps the horses for a Calvary regiment. For Civil funds for a civil project. Comments ?? or corrections. 2. I have heard white enamel (extremely rare) if for a religious leader, as an Imam or such. Any ideas? 3. Re Black I have heard noting but have seen such badges. Are they merely very dark green or red or does someone here have an opinion? Help! GHB

Check out Emedals again. Today I saw a WWI medal for $21,000 with his other decorations. Oh for the good ole days when un-awarded was 500 and awarded was $5,000 (or so). GHB

The attached pictures are for an unidentified enlisted collar badge from WWI era. I was advised it might be Selective Service, but I thought in WWII the troops working with Selective Service were officers and they used SSS. I thought it might be Supply or Signals. Perhaps the dot was Morse code? Help please. GHB

I checked the results of the auction and the Hero Star did not sell. GHB

More comfirmations for LOM Chief Commander. The Truman Presidential Library forwarded the following documents for Army General Yeremenko and Marshals of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky, Meretskov, and Govorov: (in reverse alphabetical order in English):

More apologies anyway. I have just heard from the Truman Presidential Library that they have found the missing 4 LOM Chief Commanders. They were misfiled. They are forwarding to me but unfortunately the citations are coming snail mail so I should have them and be able to post next week. Then we can prove that the pictures did not lie. GHB

An update to identify Cavalier No 403 for the Order of Lenin (See previous Post No. 56)(Platinum Head replacement for a Tractor Lenin) with the assistance of Ferdinand, we can now identify another early cavalier, who appropriately was a Shock Worker/Team Leader at the Kharkov/Kharkiv Tractor Plant named for Ordzhonikidze. See below for the original in Russian and following the Google translation. Ленин № 403 – Питель Вера Федоровна, ударница шишельница литейного цеха; за высокие ударные темпы работы в литейном цехе завода. Вручен 21.10.32 по Постановлению ЦИК от 23 мая 1932 г. «О награждении орденом Ленина Харьковского тракторного завода им. Серго Орджоникидзе и отдельных работников этого завода и занесении на доску почета, организаторов строительства завода». За особо выдающиеся заслуги руководителей и рабочих Харьковского тракторного завода имени Серго Орджоникидзе по быстрому освоению производственного процесса и доведение выпуска тракторов в более короткий срок против, плана до 100 тракторов в день. Lenin number 403 - Pytel, Vera Fedorovna Udarnitsa shishelnitsa foundry; for high impact pace of work in the foundry plant. Handing on 21/10/32 CEC regulations from May 23, 1932 "On awarding the Order of Lenin Kharkov tractor plant. Sergo Ordzhonikidze and individual employees of the plant and entering the leader board, the organizers of the construction of the plant. "For meritorious service managers and workers of the Kharkov Tractor Plant named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze rapid development of manufacturing process and bring the production of tractors in a shorter period against the plan to 100 tractors a day.

To Christian Zulu: If you are in touch with Dorotheum ask them if they have the weight of the medal, less hanging device. Early HSU (less than 6000 tend to weigh 20.0 +/- .5. I know they are not supposed to weigh "less than" 20.0 but I can only tell what I observe. I have, every chance I got, weighted actual hero stars, or alleged hero stars, and 95 percent of stars under 6000, do not weigh 21.5 g. (That other 5 percent I regrettably told the seller was not correct.) If the star weighs 21.5 g it is either fake or later issue. It cannot be later issue so that leaves one alternative. If you have contacts who can answer, ask the question I for one would like to know. GHB

First to the identity of Hero 1174. Grigori Kharlampievich Onishchenko (Junior Sgt. of the 886th Artillery Regiment, 322nd Rifle Division, 13th Army, Central front) was awarded Hero Star No. 1174 on 16 October 1943. and it appears it was for a Dnepr Crossing. Apparently 10 or more were awarded that day almost in number order according to Hero of the Soviet Union by Vorob'iev and Efimov. (About 10 more were awarded the next day as well again, almost in number order.) About the medal hanging device: October 16 1943 seems late for early suspension although the book indicated that they were all (in that series) awarded that date. The nut also says Monetnii Dvor rather than Mondvor as on 985 badge as above. The earliest 2nd type suspensions that I have seen were in the 1300 range, although I saw a 1400 range that was awarded in August 1943. But maybe that was a more active front.

After detailed re-research I have found that the Presidential Library apparently failed to send me those other Marshals and General of the Army. So today I called and they have promised to forward the missing Chief Commander citations. When received I will post. Keep up the good work Slava. GBH

Posts 275-277 above re Captain Stepan Nochnoy, his LOM appears to be the early silver version. The medals were made of silver/gilt early and changed to bronze/gilt later during the war. Admittedly his appears to be awarded after the war but at the division level rather than going to the President. SO maybe they had the old versions on the front. On the reverse picture the hanging devise appears black rather than dirty brown/gilt. GBH

Don't make any plans to add this medal to your collection. According to the Spec Notes: 5. This item is not authorized for commercial sale, and may be produced only under Government contract and at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Many years ago when Russia was 2 months old, (as the future Russian Federation but still using RSFSR - basically February 1992) I was in St. Petersburg on a work trip and we decided to take a day to be tourists. We toured all the popular sites Hermitage, Peter the Great's Cabin (ok some out of the way places) Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress. Within the Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress is the Leningrad/St Petersburg Mint. The Mint has a museum. Did you know that? It is never open. But we got to visit. There were rows and rows of Hero Stars with legends explaining the recipient, (i think - I read no Russian at the time) number of award and date etc. I asked our translator what it said and he said with perfect understatement "It says a lot of heroes did heroic stuff." There was one lead star that I assumed was the first test stamping of the Hero Star. I remember the lead stamping in a room full of gold because there, it was unique. We didn't stay long, but it sure looked a lot like the HSU picture. But they were not that close together and had more words that I (unfortunately) could not understand. So, slava where exactly is the archive with all those hero stars. Willing tourists want to know. GHB

I have been surfing old threads and this was interesting to say the least. While it has taken us 9 pages to get here let me summarize so you can go back and scan (when this shows up a as a recent post): (!) It appears in conclusion that a badge awarded in 1932 based on a design first made./approved in 1932 should not bear a hallmark that expired in 1927. (2) A badge that fails to include all elements of that design can be at best described as an owners copy or collectors copy but for the flaw noted in (1) above. Based on the two conclusions above it would appear that the badge in question was intended to fool those of us in the collector market. GHB.

Looking up the OG2 and OG3 that now accompany the OG1 S/.N 2174, it appears that they are not listed in the Book Cavaliers of the order of glory. They were not awarded to any actual recipient of OG1. It's not opening bid but rather buy it now ($11,999) or best offer. GHB