Soviet Medical graduation badges

[Drugo]

Hello all!

I'm new to this section of the forum, and new to Soviet badges too... But I've got a question, and you are those who can help me.

It's simple, and it could look like a game: I have an East German medical officer jacket, and I would like to complete it with the right badges. Now, the officer I'm thinking of graduated in a USSR military medical academy, somewhere around 1975... So i would need a medical academy badge to put on his jacket, but I'm not sure which one would be correct, considering the years I'm talking about.

I found a few of these badges on eBay, and I'll post a couple of pics, but I'm not sure which one would be the best, if they're correct at all...

This is described as an early '50s-'60s one:

This one instead is from the '80s (that's what the seller says):

Were these only from a particular school or not? Were there other badges of these kind that would work better for my purpose?

Thank you all for the help you'll be able to give me.

Regards,

Filip

Edited August 15, 2008 by Drugo

[Paul L Murphy]

These are for graduates of civilian institutions, not military. The first badge is for a medical university graduate but the second is for a graduate from a technical institute, not university level.

Regards,

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

The university badge illustrated is from 1956+ since it is the 15 Republics seal (7 ribands, bottom bow, 7 ribands) introduced in that year. Into the 1960s, all such badges were brass with the seal and specialty insignia rivetted on. I do not know exactly when they changed to one piece aluminum badges, but probably in the 1970s.

Civilian college badges on military uniforms are odd but not unknown. I've had some REAL strange ones show up on photos. Here is Soviet naval land forces Engineer-Major S. D. Korsakov in 1968:

That's an AGRICULTURAL college badge!

I've also seen civilian teacher's college badges being worn in photos on naval officers uniforms!

So I guess "anything" might be possible. You just have to match the construction type (brass with real enamel, aluminum waith "plasti-namel" etc) of badge to the period.

[Drugo]

These are for graduates of civilian institutions, not military. The first badge is for a medical university graduate but the second is for a graduate from a technical institute, not university level.

Regards,

Paul

So, as far as I understand, the second one is not good at all, the first one would fit but it's an early version for me, and above all they're both civilian.

Were there other kinds of these, maybe military?

Edited August 15, 2008 by Drugo

[Alfred]

Hi Paul,

this is the military university graduation badge. Till 1957 there were shields with names and art of education of the academy on the badge. After that shields were dropped. The badge is for all university subjects equal.

So you need this style of badge. For the 70?s you need one without shield.

These badges exist in silver (expensive) and cheap non silver. Some collectors belief, that all non silver badges are fakes.

There is a log discussion here on the forum.

Attached is a medical badge from the navy branch, and one without shield.

best regards

Andreas

Edited August 15, 2008 by Alfred

[Drugo]

Hi Paul,

this is the military university graduation badge. Till 1957 there were shields with names and art of education of the academy on the badge. After that shields were dropped. The badge is for all university subjects equal.

So you need this style of badge. For the 70?s you need one without shield.

These badges exist in silver (expensive) and cheap non silver. Some collectors belief, that all non silver badges are fakes.

There is a log discussion here on the forum.

Attached is a medical badge from the navy branch, and one without shield.

best regards

Andreas

Thank you Andreas, now I understand more!

I think the topic you're talking about is this one. So I need to look for one of these, without shield. What is a fair price for it? Is it difficult to find? And where should I look for it?

Regards,

Filip

[Alfred]

Hi Filip,

silver ones are around 80 to 120 Euro?s and non silver one are around 10 Euro?s.

If you want a non silver one on ebay are a lot of them.

best regards

Andreas

[Lapa]

...If you want a non silver one on ebay are a lot of them....

Andreas,

And most of them are recently made fakes

Marc

[Drugo]

Andreas,

And most of them are recently made fakes

Marc

How do you understand a non silver original one from a fake?

Regards,

Filip

[Guest Rick Research]

You don't, because they aren't. Silver was used on 1950s badges and ceased being used by the beginning of the 1960s. From then on they are base metal. 1960s badges still have a rivet holding the pieces together, then they went to just holding the front pieces on with a nut on the screw post.

I am sure there are SOME fakes of ANYTHING, but this is one of those paranoid/urban legend things which the people who believe BELIEVE and that's it regardless of all evidence to the contrary.

These military school badges were literally dirt cheap not very long ago at all and were everywhere. Now that even the most common hundreds-of-thousands 2nd Lieutenant school graduation badges are going for Real Money, no doubt some "enterprising" criminals may be busily ruining yet another collecting field, but these badges are so common there will never be any shortage of supply for real ones.

[Gordon Craig]

Drugo,

Re my earlier comment;

If this East German major wore a Soviet Military Academy badge he would have worn two academy badges. One for an East German officers school, which would have gone next to the collar, and a Soviet badge from the Kirov Medical Military Academy. Here is a link to a Wiki article on Soviet military academies. No pictures of academy badges unfortunately.

Regards,

Gordon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_military_academies

Edited August 16, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Drugo]

Thank you Gordon, I thought the Russian badge would have replaced the German one! When you say next to the collar you mean above the right pocket, as on any East German uniform? And where would exactly the Soviet academy badge go then?

Thank you.

Regards,

Filip

P.S. I'm not sure if this is going slightly off-topic, if it is, just tell me.

[Belaruski]

Just to go a little further off topic, Belarusian graduate badges are VERY similar to Soviet ones. And to illustrate the point:

[Belaruski]

And some are of high quality too, here is a KGB school badge, in three pieces.

ok I'll stop it now..

[Gordon Craig]

Thank you Gordon, I thought the Russian badge would have replaced the German one! When you say next to the collar you mean above the right pocket, as on any East German uniform? And where would exactly the Soviet academy badge go then?

Thank you.

Regards,

Filip

P.S. I'm not sure if this is going slightly off-topic, if it is, just tell me.

Drugo,

Sory for not responding sooner. I am in Italy on holidays. The East German academy badge goes in the normal spot above the right pocket. The Russian academy badge gors to the wearers right of the East German badge. When I get home I will post some pictures.

Rgards,

Gordon