Imperial Russia Imperial Russian Shoulder board collection

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

I started my Imperial Russian collection back in 1975 long before all the fakes were being produced. Collecting shoulder boards among Imperial Russian collectors was a dog item or bastard child at the time. No one wanted them. All the Imperial Russian collectors wanted the orders, badges and swords. Cloth was considered left to the moths. I considered shoulder boards to be as equally rare if not rarer. As a teenager in the 70's, I could not afford a gold Saint Vlad for $200.00, but for 5 or 10 bucks could obtain a shoulder board. So thus my collection got started. And... believe me when I say that original shoulder boards were not easily found back then either. Now that I have a fairly large collection of original pieces, it is very easy to spot all the fakes coming out of Russia. To me, collecting Imperial Russian Shoulder boards was very fascinating because it told more of a story : Rank, unit, City the person came from and where on the front that person fought if you did some research. Today, these boards are very well sought after and rarer then the badges and orders everyone pursued.

Edited September 19, 2006 by REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR

[Daniel Murphy]

Magnificent collection and I look forward to seeing them all in living color. OK, maybe just the best ones.

Dan

[Ramblinfarms]

So the collecting moral of the story is to find a specialty niche and pursue it with devotion!

Beautiful Boards.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

So the collecting moral of the story is to find a specialty niche and pursue it with devotion!

Beautiful Boards.

Those are good moral and standards to use and to collect by. If you collect what everyone else collects, then your collection is always substandard and everyone else knows more then you do. You will never become one of the leading experts. On the other side of the coin, collecting is also an investment. You collect something that is a unique and rare field and you become a leading expert in that area. You can write books with your collection photos published in these books, thus, you create a collecting interest and a demand for that particular item. Now, your items become desirable and priceless especially since it is published in a reference book. Sounds exciting don't it ? My life long dream of collecting. Now if I can only find the time !

Edited September 20, 2006 by REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR

[Chuck In Oregon]

I especially like your

2nd Kaukaus Division Pilot

Staff-Captain, Overcoat Style

Do you have any others like it? For instance, perhaps, a 3rd Squadron?

Very, very nice pieces to enjoy and to learn from. Thank you for sharing them.

Chuck

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

I especially like your

2nd Kaukaus Division Pilot

Staff-Captain, Overcoat Style

Do you have any others like it? For instance, perhaps, a 3rd Squadron?

Very, very nice pieces to enjoy and to learn from. Thank you for sharing them.

Chuck

I do have some other aviator pieces. these are extremely rare as a lot of these aviator shoulder boards were one of a kind pieces. I will have to make some photos and post them here.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Naval Aide-De-Camp Adjutant to Czar Nicholas II

Captain. Belonged to a Naval Attache to the Russian Embassy in London during WW1.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

2nd Naval Guard Flotilla of Grand Duchess Olga

Lieutenant

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

1st Naval Guard Flotilla of Czar Peter the Great

Lieutenant

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Naval Guard Equipage

NCO Officer Cadet

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Naval Infantry

Usually made up of land based Army infantry units assigned for the protection of Naval bases and ports.

Rank is Major General-Admiral.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

11th Naval Infantry Regiment

Captain

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Naval Aide-de-Camp and Adjutant to Czar Nicholas II

Rank is Rear Admiral

Belonged to the same individual who was Naval Attache at the Russian Embassy in London during WW1.

He was promoted to rank of Admiral during WW1.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Naval Captain in the Imperial Suite ( The Czars most trusted advisors)

Aide-de-Camp Adjutant to Czar Nicholas II

Edited September 21, 2006 by REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Rear Admiral in the Provisional Government of Kerensky 1917.

These Naval officers where shot on sight if they were caught wearing such a shoulder board in public.

A very short lived shoulder board that outlived the Admiral who wore it.

[REGAL UNIFORMA COLECTOR]

Rear Admiral Butakoff. Assassinated in 1917 in the streets of Savastopol by rioting menshoviks.

He was the Grandson of the famous Admiral Butakoff of the Crimean War period.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Simply spectacular. I congratulate you on your collection and I thank you again for sharing it with us.

Chuck

[Nack]

Wow! I've never seen anything like these.

Do you have any justice-related boards?

[Theodor]

Really outstanding!!!! Great, unique collection!!!

[Chris Boonzaier]

A senstaional group of goodies, they must look nice in a frame!

[Laurence Strong]

An impressive and rare collection Thanks for sharing

[Chip]

Greg,

Excellent items. If you have the chance, I would like to see some of the unusual printed enlisted pieces. You have seen most of mine, but for the others here who seem to like these, here are a few.

Chip

9.Grenadier Regiment

Edited November 12, 2006 by Chip

[Chip]

General, 40.Artillery Brigade.

Edited November 12, 2006 by Chip

[Chip]

Lt. - 6.Glukhovskii Dragoon Rgt.

Edited November 12, 2006 by Chip

[Vodorosl]

Chip, I don't think your "General, 40.Artillery Brigade" board is original, the other two boards look fine, but with this one digit "4" is very strange and the top two corners are not very straight, just does not look Imperial quality, certainly Greg can attest to that, hopefully I'm wrong.