Soviet Medal for Distinguished Labor

[Guest Darrell]

Well ... since it's been a good week ... it won't end I received this piece of the missing puzzle (of my collection) today in the mail. Although a pretty common (variation) and worth a pile of dimes ... it's very under appreciated in collections.

This was the last type the Soviet Union put out ... TYPE 2 VARIATION 2 ... no Serial Number and a separately soldered on ring.

Please lets see some of those earlier ones guys ...

Obverse:

Edited April 26, 2006 by Darrell

[Guest Darrell]

Reverse:

[order_of_victory]

Darrel,

I currently own two of these late types with doc, one is currently for sale on ebay (though Im struggling to to get 5.00GBP for it)

Here are some pics

[Riley1965]

Darrell,

It sure has been a good week for Ya I hate to say it but it is another medal missing from my collection. I will have one eventually.

Doc

[Ed_Haynes]

Oh, thanks! One of my favorites too. I won't bother posting my unnumbered medal, but will add the document associated with it (I choose my words carefully!).

Document (#114930) to Ilona Iosifovna Ganchich (female), 14 May 1977

[Paul R]

Nice set!!! I will place mine when I am home this evening.

[Ed_Haynes]

Page 2.

[Ed_Haynes]

Page 3. See no reason to scan the remainder (unless someone wants it).

[Guest Darrell]

Very nice guys

Ed ... I've always meant to ask ... why is it that you rarely see these award booklets with pictures? Did the relatives OR previous owners rip them out because they didnt want their mugs in these?

[Paul R]

Here is my only example.

[Paul R]

back

[Riley1965]

Darrell, Ed & Paul...GREAT Job!!! Thanks for sharing your labor medals. Sometimes it seems like this group of medals is forgotten.

Doc

Edited April 26, 2006 by Riley1965

[Ed_Haynes]

why is it that you rarely see these award booklets with pictures? Did the relatives OR previous owners rip them out because they didnt want their mugs in these?

I have never seen evidence for this, but I get the sense that from late in the GPW, photos were not normally placed in award books, or al least they were valid without them. I have always assumed that the nuisance of doing this outweighed the need to actually issue awards to recipients without delay to wait for the cameraman. Sure, in some cases, the photos or missing (whether fallen out or -- more rarely?? -- torn out), but a post-1943 (or so) award WITH a photo seems to me a bit of a rarity. Others wiser than I may (please) chime in??

[Ed_Haynes]

Darrell, Ed & Paul...GREAT Job!!! Thanks for sharing your labor medals. Sometimes it seems like this group of medals is forgotten.

Doc

As I said in another thread, while they don't share the considerable appeal of having been awarded for killing Nazis, they are nice awards that, if we could ever decipher their stories, would speak to the reality of the CCCP more so than a long-service Red Banner.

[Guest Rick Research]

The rings aren't separate pieces, they are struck with the medal.

The award Books generally have "Valid Without Photograph" ink stamped in the spot for a photo. Before mid-WW2 they always had a photo. After that I'd say 1 in 10 military into the 1950s had one, and 1 in 100 civil. From the 1960s on, I can count with one hand the number of awards Books I have seen issued with photos.

I've got one such for two Badges Of Honor awarded in the 1960s and--wouldn't you know it-- both Orders are missing.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7...indpost&p=74611

I've got the "good" part, and somewhere out there are two OBHs.

It would be difficult to imagine a more spectacularly useless document than a "normal" photo-less Soviet Orders or Medals Book--

no photograph, often unsigned, and not even that most fundamental of permanent, unchanging information to make sure the name matches the person-- date and place of birth.

[Guest Alanirvine]

[attachmentid=37114]

My contribution. T1V1

Alanirvine

[Guest Alanirvine]

[attachmentid=37116]

Reverse.

SN 2160, the lowest observed?

Alanirvine

[IrishGunner]

Here's my Type 2, Var. 2 Distinguished Labor

Edited December 12, 2010 by IrishGunner

[Hauptmann]

Very nice patina and overall a great piece! Again congrats on some great last day finds! Here's hoping you'll have as much luck on things at your next posting.

Dan

[noodly]

Rather interesting award. You're very lucky to find them)