Soviet really awful copies

[bifter]

I have bought some copies of the more rare soviet medals; public safety, combat co-op etc...

On the web site they are really good & well worth 7 euros each; when they arrived i was appauled at the quality. The loops that keep the medals to the kolodka are all about a centimetre long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It looks stupid; the medals are all die struck from what i assume to be very worn out dies; a lot if the details are just not there. This does give them a well worn look, but there are holes in the patterns due to where there must have been filth or bits of metat filings preventing part of the pattern being stamped. One of them is totally missing half of its border ; the medal was obviously placed wonky.

I am hoping to cut down the long loops, & that a metal polish will remove the vile greasy powdery film that they all seem to have. The combat co-op has genuine enamel, but is really badly applied & looks like it was heated in a normal kitchen oven!!!! Overall they are a complete pile of ****!!!! At 7 euroes each, i have got what i payed for, but the catalogue pictures where of good copies.

They are all genuine brass, silver & real enamel; it is a shame that they have not been made by a real enthusiast that loves their work. There are many good copies from bad materials; mine are bad copies from exellent materials. My usual dealer tested the metals; even the hero of labor has 9ct gold plate; it is just applied to a star that is badly struck. I am going to bury them as i do with all things i am dissapointed with.

[Alex K]

Hi bifter, sorry to hear about all this, but unfortunately, in this world, you get what you pay for. internet transactions can be a minefield, It only takes someone to post a picture of the real thing, and say you are buying a copy of it and hey presto, you end up with a pile of cr*p, it doesn't say what quality of copy you are buying.

my commiserations

regards

Alex

[Ed_Haynes]

Always a shame to see this sort of thing happen. As Alex says, there are some real sharks out there online. Sometimes it may be better to pay a bit more to buy from a real dealer.

Before you inter these, could you post scans of the offending items, for our education?

[Alex K]

Always a shame to see this sort of thing happen. As Alex says, there are some real sharks out there online. Sometimes it may be better to pay a bit more to buy from a real dealer.

Before you inter these, could you post scans of the offending items, for our education?

Completely agree with Ed. It would help all others to see the offendng items,

Unfortunately this is not particularly new, I well remember in the 1970's having certain dealers catalogues which listed practically every TR and imperial decoration in existence! and I bought by the bucket load, because they were inexpensive, in the end I ended up with a huge pile of cheap garbage made of either lead or pot metal which bent if you blew on it. I think that if you were to poll the forum,. many of us have been there at some stage.

regards

Alex

[Alex K]

As an example a few of the items I still retain, all pot metal or lead, and bend when it gets warm