SOVIET GOLDHEAD ORDER OF LENIN

[GeroiCCCP]

Does anyone have any detailed information on the Type 2, "Goldhead" Order of Lenin? Back in 2013, the NY Sale was auctioning a Goldhead Lenin #1166,

but it was way way beyond my reach. Although I would never be able to  acquire one, there is nothing stopping me from studying its history. #1166 sold for $22,500!!!

NJ dealer Igor M. recently sold one, #788; and in 1997, NY dealer Dmitri Markov sold #1209 in 1997. I know they are extremely rare and I'm trying to ascertain

how many have been marketed in the past years here in the US. Igor had another Goldhead which he sold about 10 years ago and I failed to record the serial number. 

Paul McDaniel's book has a short description and a great photo of one, but someone told me that there is a Russian author named DUROV who published a book

solely on the history of the Order of Lenin. Where can I find this book?

Thank you very much!!!

 

[rocketscientist]

maybe here? http://www.mirnagrad.ru/cgi-bin/exinform.cgi?page=27&ppage=1

Amazon seems having it in their catalog, but out of stock

http://www.amazon.com/Entsiklopediya-sovetskikh-nagrad-Lenina-Stalina/dp/1932525238/ref=sr_1_30?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455741189&sr=1-30&refinements=p_27%3AV.+A.+Durov

[GeroiCCCP]

WOW!!!!! Thank you very much, Mr. Rocketscientist!!!!!!!!!!! I can read some Russian. This will be absolutely helpful!!!!

 

 

[Gunner 1]

The actual book is available at ozonru.com at $36.47 and is indicated as in stock.

I have done business with them for a number of years and have found them very reliable and with quick delivery (usually about two weeks to California)

[GeroiCCCP]

Thank you Gunner1! I found a copy at abebooks.com a couple of hours ago.

 

[GeroiCCCP]

This Goldhead Lenin was sold recently. I have never seen anything so beautiful!!! It came with a booklet, too!!! I've heard that the Lenin bust was originally silver-plated over the gold, but all the photos I have seen of these medals shows a gold Lenin bust. Perhaps it was a very thin plating of silver which rubbed off. From what I read from the materials provided by Mr. Rocketscientist, the quality of the order was very bad (bad enameling).

[Albert]

Indeed, according to Durov, there is no real difference between the "gold head" and the "silver head" Lenin.  The silver plating on the "gold head" was thin and wore off.  And  I totally agree, this award is as beautiful as it is historically significant:

[GeroiCCCP]

Nice example! Thank you! I have photo evidence for the existence of 14 Goldheads, but I have never seen this 16X8 before! Yes, you are absolutely correct. The Goldhead Lenins suffered from poor quality due to very thin plating of silver on the Lenin bust which rubbed off...and poor quality of the enamel which caused it to crack and flake off. A fake Goldhead Lenin sold 2 weeks ago on eBay and the seller was in Ukraine...the poor guy won it at $4400. What an  expensive lesson! Probably when the buyer finds out that he was conned, you will see it back on ebay. What would be very interesting is the person who won the award, and his/her fate. Many died in the purges.

(467, 788, 884, 900,1110, 1166, 1194, 1209, 1290, 1296, 1342, 1345, 1139, and 2399).