Bulgaria Bulgarian GTO "Ready For Work & Defense" Badge

[Stogieman]

I always thought GTO Badges were sports badges, but the seller called it "Ready For Work & Defense" Badge. Is this a translation issue? I believe this is the First Class type badge. I have seen these with Roman Numerals II III for different grades. Nice with the original award booklet.

[Stogieman]

Interior close-up

[Stogieman]

The badge itself, up close & personal:

[christerd]

Nice Badge Stogieman

Here is the Class II of the same Badge

Very nice badge looking just like the first class on back, with screw and maker marked washer

sorry for the bad pic, I have to get a new camera that take better pics on close distances

Christer

[christerd]

And here is the small booklet for the Class Badge

Awarded to a Kostadinov

Christer

[christerd]

And here is my I class Badge with document, similar to Stogiemans but mine has a numbered backside ?

Maybe some earlier issue , number is 38883

Edited May 24, 2008 by christerd

[christerd]

And just to confuse things a little bit ,

Here is two more GTO Badges !

Both seems to be First Class but the one in the middle is only about 50% in size of the normal one?

I also have a Booklet for the small one, it is numbered on the back with 347

The one on the right is on needle! And it sure looks like its orginal made, in size its beteen the other two....

Seems like we have a lot to learn about theese badges

Christer

Edited May 26, 2008 by christerd

[christerd]

And here is the booklet for the smaller one , I realized after posting it that it says BGTO ? on that one so it must be another type of Badge

but very similar to the others ?

Cant find it in Riemers Book

I have a couple of more badges to show you

I?ll be back !

Christer

Edited May 26, 2008 by christerd

[Carol I]

I always thought GTO Badges were sports badges, but the seller called it "Ready For Work & Defense" Badge. Is this a translation issue?

GTO was a general public physical education program and its name translates into "Ready for Labour and Defence". The name gives away its ambitions: to have the general population in a good physical state, both for work and for defense. It originated in the Soviet Union, but exported after WWII to the communist countries. See on Wikipedia some information on the Russian GTO.

[Theodor]

Here are mine - I guess the right one is ugly late version. BTW the 2nd grade has blue color, no mater it looks white here.

[Theodor]

other side

[Stogieman]

So! Some of the earliest issues of these Bulgarian badges were actually numbered!? Interesting! Thank you for adding all these beautiful variations to the thread!!

[Theodor]

I have 3 of them and checked them now - all 3 are numbered, seems it is not unusual. I have not searched specially for numbers, these 3 are just random badges I have picked.

[Chuck In Oregon]

I sold my Soviet BGTO/GTO collection last year, all except the few that I couldn't find at the time, so I no longer have any early examples to share. However, not only were the early examples numbered, many were silver. It is an interesting theme to collect and now -- of course -- I wish I hadn't sold them.

Chuck

[Theodor]

I have no further information about those badges, but I think they are different.

I mean, GTO is Ready for.... and is an award badge, the people earn it somehow.

And I think the BGTO is a propagand badge, that could be worn by anyone, not earned - Budi gotov za trud i otbrana - BE ready for..........

[Anatoly13]

BGTO - for young children,GTO - for the senior age groups.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Wikipedia has a useful explanation of BGTO/GTO here .

[Stogieman]

Here's a another nice example of a second class badge & document:

[Stogieman]

Inside:

[Stogieman]

Here's a nice little stickpin for this organization:

[Stogieman]

These are in the pipeline as it were.... interesting pair both First & Second Class to the same person!

[Stogieman]

And the second class set

[Anatoly13]

More GTO ...

[Stogieman]

Here's a different certificate for the GTO Badge:

[Lapa]

Stogieman,

This document is a diploma for completing a course of training (Sport Instructor in Wrestling).

I don't believe that the recipient was given a badge with this diploma.

Marc