Exporting Of Items.

[claretbaron]

good luck

[deValcourt]

Alex, hopefully you have access to a computer and see this. Izmailovsky Park no longer has sellers of any real Soviet items. It will be a waste of time if that is why you go there. For a while after the clampdown on sales of Soviet awards people could still find deals "under the table," but regular search and seizure operations by the MVD put a stop to even that. My sources tell me only touristy stuff and possibly some Russian books in English are there now.

Phillip

[Auke]

I was at the Izmailovo market in May and there were a lot of awards and badges, but only Russian Federation, Umalatova, KPRF and souvenir pins and the like. The only thing relating to Soviet awards they had were ribbons and suspensions. I don't know if they had Soviet awards hidden under the tables, but even if they had I wouldn't take the risk of buying them. You certainly won't make good deals there and you are justing taking the risk of getting into trouble at customs.

[RedMaestro2]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I went to the market today. Of course, amost everything was fake. I did get one guy to show me a few medals "under the table." As you warned, they were expensive and I didn't want to take the risk. The only good items were a ribbon bar (someone else bought it) and a few documents (order books, communist party papers).

Perhaps I'll have better luck in Estonia.



Alex

[Esteban_cool]

Originally Posted by RedMaestro2

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I went to the market today. Of course, amost everything was fake. I did get one guy to show me a few medals "under the table." As you warned, they were expensive and I didn't want to take the risk. The only good items were a ribbon bar (someone else bought it) and a few documents (order books, communist party papers).

Perhaps I'll have better luck in Estonia.



Alex

You may want to take extra care in Estonia, since lots of fakes come out of the baltic states, especially badges. Check carefully the forum for topics related to the pieces you´re targeting so you can distinguish them.

Good hunting.

[deValcourt]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

You may want to take extra care in Estonia, since lots of fakes come out of the baltic states, especially badges. Check carefully the forum for topics related to the pieces you´re targeting so you can distinguish them.

Good hunting.

I second that. They have the means and the motive to make especially good copies of old and normally expensive items which may even be made from real silver, good quality enamel and the like.

I also thought of something else about the Moscow Region. There are a few "antique shops" located to the south of the city that you could get to by electric "commuter" rail in out-of-the-way villages. Some have websites and purport to sell real Soviet items (but won't ship outside of Russia, of course). The prices were in Rubles and seem very good, but there has to be a catch (other than Customs).

Phillip

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by RedMaestro2

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I went to the market today. Of course, amost everything was fake. I did get one guy to show me a few medals "under the table." As you warned, they were expensive and I didn't want to take the risk. The only good items were a ribbon bar (someone else bought it) and a few documents (order books, communist party papers).

Perhaps I'll have better luck in Estonia.



Alex

As I said - feel free to contact me when in Stockholm.

[ph3s]

Perhaps I'll have better luck in Estonia.

be really careful in there, as mentioned above fakes made of solid silver. Plenty of them. try this place: Tallin . 9 Viru Street. Andry's antiques, but it might be expensive.

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by ph3s

be really careful in there, as mentioned above fakes made of solid silver. Plenty of them. try this place: Tallin . 9 Viru Street. Andry's antiques, but it might be expensive.

Another is Lai 7, Military antiik. Expensive though.

[dav1941]

Andry's is interesting. He's an Ethnic Russian that speaks both Estonian and English well. He has real stuff and fakes but his place is more of an antiques store. He may come across a bit gruff at first but take a chance to start up a conversation if he isn't busy. If he likes you, and you show some knowledge of Russian awards, he'll be more apt to steer you away from some of the fakes on display