Are "Copies" OK IF KNOWN?

[Christophe]

Originally Posted by Tommy

I guess that just shows i need to pay a little more attention to the DDR stuff

DDR stuff, except the high-end items, are quite unexpensive and still easy to find...

Ch.

[CtahhR]

Most of the DDR stuff is completely abundant. In fact it is often not worth paying the postage to obtain the item. When the DDR unified with the FDR there were vast stockpiles of awards in mint condition.

Usually you can get multiple items (such as 3 Medals Gold, Silver, Bronze.) for £1.

[Tommy]

Intriguing!

Feel free to let me know where i can find these things at such excellent prices!

Tom

[CtahhR]

That auction website. I bought up dozens and dozens of bits for under 50p each. I often went mad and paid 99p for a single Medal when buying in bulk to save in postage. The items can often be found in their original cases or plastic bags of issue.

They are pretty low on my "to do" list but I have lots of items not yet presented on the forum which will be posted in 2013-4 (if I'm still alive).

The availability of them is also exaggerated by the fact that it is illegal to wear them in Germany so recipients sell them off.

[JensF.]

They are not generally illegal to wear. The whole law or regulation is quite complicated. Simply all political awards are forbidden to wear like Stasi, Police, FDJ etc. Awards like those from the fire departments, Red Cross or Lifesaving Medals are allowed to wear.

Originally Posted by CtahhR

That auction website. I bought up dozens and dozens of bits for under 50p each. I often went mad and paid 99p for a single Medal when buying in bulk to save in postage. The items can often be found in their original cases or plastic bags of issue.

They are pretty low on my "to do" list but I have lots of items not yet presented on the forum which will be posted in 2013-4 (if I'm still alive).

The availability of them is also exaggerated by the fact that it is illegal to wear them in Germany so recipients sell them off.

[CtahhR]

Sounds very reasonable.

Railway and postal workers?

[medals73]

The actuarial tables will soon catch up with awards of the DDR as it was murdered almost 22 years ago.

It has to be tricky. Unlike Mongolia where not much has changed.

Jens: Are there real penalties? What if you wear your Karl-Marx-Orden?

[CtahhR]

The fact that even 22 years on not only communist awards are forbidden but there have not been "depoliticised" variations to replace the originals (as with the 1957 depoliticised series) is a comment in itself.

I believe there is a thread in the DDR section here on the punishments for wear of the forbidden communist awards.

There are personal as well as legal influences on wearing awards of a former regime.

Depoliticised awards could be seen as "copies" but do you have to surrender your originals if you want them to be replaced by legal copies?

[JensF.]

I only found this (german) site for example:

Auszeichnungen bei der Feuerwehr - Feuerwehrauszeichnungen für Sachsen-Anhalt - Feuerwehrspange Langjährige Mitgliedschaft Dienstjubiläum Ehrenzeichen des LFV Sachsen-Anhalt Ehrenzeichen des Landesfeuerwehrverbandes Sachsen-Anhalt Brandschutzehrenzei

Only awards which are strictly forbidden and those which are strictly allowed are mentioned, but yes, there is indeed a penalty according to the law for titles, orders and decorations, §§15 - 16 (Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen). For example you can get a penalty of up to 5000 Euros for wearing awards which are forbidden.

German laws are always complicated

[medals73]

Originally Posted by JensF.

I only found this (german) site for example:

Auszeichnungen bei der Feuerwehr - Feuerwehrauszeichnungen f�r Sachsen-Anhalt - Feuerwehrspange Langj�hrige Mitgliedschaft Dienstjubil�um Ehrenzeichen des LFV Sachsen-Anhalt Ehrenzeichen des Landesfeuerwehrverbandes Sachsen-Anhalt Brandschutzehrenzei

Only awards which are strictly forbidden and those which are strictly allowed are mentioned, but yes, there is indeed a penalty according to the law for titles, orders and decorations, §§15 - 16 (Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen). For example you can get a penalty of up to 5000 Euros for wearing awards which are forbidden.

German laws are always complicated

Thanks, off to read it and try to remember my moribund German. How does this ban compare to ban on the Hitlerite stuff (Swastika-bearing, I know it can be worn in a cleansed fashion -- but DDR stuff can't?!)? German history is always complicated too, as it gets reinvented and re-reinvented and re-re-reinvented, and . . . .