Soviet Budyonovka

[Bryan]

Please show your pictures of soldiers wearing Budyonovkas.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Hello Sov

I have some great old photos at home. I'll try to remember to share some when I get back. I'm in Armenia right now and I was in Georgia for two weeks before. In fact, I'll be returning to Tbilisi before I go home in early July. I bought maybe 100 old photos so far this trip and some of them are of soldiers wearing their Buds. You'll like them. Are you collecting these images for publication?

Good topic. I enjoy the old photos and I know lots of others do, too.

Chuck

[Sergey]

Hello Sov

I have some great old photos at home. I'll try to remember to share some when I get back. I'm in Armenia right now and I was in Georgia for two weeks before. In fact, I'll be returning to Tbilisi before I go home in early July. I bought maybe 100 old photos so far this trip and some of them are of soldiers wearing their Buds. You'll like them. Are you collecting these images for publication?

Good topic. I enjoy the old photos and I know lots of others do, too.

Chuck

It is interesting to see your opinions on Armenia and a condition of the antiquarian market. Interestingly in Yerevan the Flea market on the area works o not

[Chuck In Oregon]

It is interesting to see your opinions on Armenia and a condition of the antiquarian market. Interestingly in Yerevan the Flea market on the area works o not

* * * * *

Hello Sergey

I'm just back from 3-1/2 hours wandering the Yerevan flea market and nearby shops. It is much bigger than the Dry Bridge flea market in Tbilisi but it had almost nothing that interested me in the least. The "best" thing I saw was a very nice (really) OPW-2 with a 1957 book. It would fit nicely into anyone's collection BUT ... the guy wanted $70. I have some and I think I can get all I want at $70 each, so I passed. There were a bunch of jubilee medals and all kinds of znachki but nothing of particular interest. I asked around about Tsarist items and one guy came up with a hat badge that I already have in better condition. I saw one OK OPW-1 in the 900k serial number range, without book. He wanted $350 and I just wasn't interested. He also had an OK OPW-2, no book, for $50. I didn't see a single interesting old Soviet badge, although there were hundreds of junk znachki of all sorts.

OK, yes, I did buy something, and for more than it's worth, I'm sure. I couldn't turn down a 1984 commemorative stamp plate honoring the 30th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory at Dien Bien Phu, with a Hanoi cancellation, plus some associated Vietnamese war commemorative stamps. I'm such a sucker for oddball things like that. Maybe we need a stamp forum. Nah, probably not.

I saw one stall with a bunch of truly horrible copies of old Soviet badges. I can't imagine why they'd bother to make them, but they do.

I don't really have an opinion of Armenia, except that the people here have been very hospitable and pleasant and the drive here from Tbilisi last Tuesday was pleasant and pretty. As for the food, I may not have given it a fair chance yet. My initial impression is that I much prefer Georgian food, although even my Georgian friends told me that I would like Armeniian food. They tell me there was late cold here but the weather has been absolutely perfect every day I've been here.

I'm working on a short-term contract for a USAID-funded project. It was unexpected and unsolicited -- I thought I had retired -- but it pays a few bills and for some collecting so I accepted. I have already turned down a residency here but I may return in September for a couple more months. It's only a little disturbing that my counterpart's predecessor was killed by a car bomb hit last fall.

I can get a round-trip ticket to Teheran for $250 and the sister of a friend is willing to be my guide for 2-3 days. I'm mulling it over. I'll probably never again have as good a chance as this.

I'll be glad to try to answer any questions that you may have, so ask away.

Chuck

[Bryan]

Are you collecting these images for publication?

Thanks Chuck. Please feel free to add any pictures if you have some time. I do not collect for publication, but only for me. I just like those hats.

Here is one picture of a leather Budyonovka I have found on the net.

Edited May 19, 2007 by Soviet

[Ed_Haynes]

Not, I suspect, what you are after, but they were commonly used in Mongolia, as on this platoon chief.

Edited May 19, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Ed_Haynes]

Closeup.

[Ed_Haynes]

With the early cap star.

[Ed_Haynes]

And one more, a senior lieutenant.

[kimj]

Interesting pics Ed! But the cap star Are these available for a reasonable price or are they sukhbator rare?

Here are some more guys in the pointy hat. Notice the trio of political officers.

/Kim

[Sergey]

* * * * *

Hello Chuck

Many thanks for the interesting story about Armenia .In my life there was 1 year earlier when I lived in Armenia .This time of Soviet Union .On those years at the area of Opera theatre was possible was to buy a lot of interesting .Once I have bought there an ancient Iranian pistol for ridiculous money .The truth it there were ninetieth years .The border and customs have appeared later .

Then very interesting books in Russian and many subjects of time of tsarism were on sale .It was time when people tried to lose the past as soon as possible .It was interesting to go to a plenty of the opened antique shops to look weight of interesting things .Thanks once again for the story about Armenia .

[Wild Card]

Hi Soviet,

With reference to the picture in your post #5, do you have any information on this fellow? What a classic!

Thanks for posting it,

Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Hi Ed Haynes,

With regard to your man in post #6, is that an Order of the Red Banner for Military Valor, he?s wearing?

Wild Card

[Ed_Haynes]

Hi Ed Haynes,

With regard to your man in post #6, is that an Order of the Red Banner for Military Valor, he?s wearing?

Wild Card

Yes, WC, that's it.

[Belaruski]

I thought it may be time to add some pictures of budionovka to this thread; I'm sure RichieC can help there!

Heres's my NKVD Frontier Troops one.

[Belaruski]

inside..

[Chuck In Oregon]

As promised ... Here's the first one I came across. It's a photo postcard, so the angle is just a little stylin' at the photographer's studio.

Chuck

[Chuck In Oregon]

Here's one I really like.

These were easy to find in my junk piles. I'm sure I have some more around here somewhere.

Chuck

[Chuck In Oregon]

Found this one as I was putting the last one away. I'm sure there are more.

Chuck

[Chuck In Oregon]

Here's another shot of the lad in post 18, along with a couple of friends or family members. Brother and sister, maybe?

Chuck

[Denis R]

[Denis R]

Here Budyonny.

[RichieC]

A few earlier shots:

Edited July 17, 2007 by RichieC

[RichieC]

Good stuff....

[RichieC]

.......................