Damaged, Repair, Clean, Preserve Soviet Awards And Documents.

[medals73]

I gather there is an eastern European cottage industry these days that manufactures "battle damaged" awards?

[andrew6767]

Looks like they only shoot Bravery Medals these days Must be the state of the economy.

[CtahhR]

Wonder why they haven't set about shooting real RSFSR RB and XXRKKA? Plenty of them got in the arena of bullets and shrapnel.

How about Imperial Russian awards getting shot and turning up on the market? After all the Imperial army were far more likely to walk towards the enemy with a glittering chest than their Soviet counterparts a generation later in a more industrialised war.

Don't tell the fakers that the Germans used the same calibre in the first and second war.

I also wonder if a ballistics specialist has ever checked the calibre of the rounds that hit these WIA items. A Mauser and Mosin do not take the same rounds.

[drill]

Wait a minute, we don't fix that awards that we have to place, should were be damaged in combat only!
I admit that the damage to occur in peacetime, too. But I doubt that anyone would deliberately spoil the Bravery to increase its demand.

Friends, what are you talking about?!
Do you seriously think that being broken, these medals are becoming more desirable acquisition?! At my place awards of this condition costs like silver salvage. It is of interest only to not wealthy fans of the entourage or to jewelers (for melting). But costs far less than "the source"!

I'd like to see the man who cut into pieces a medal #9447!!! From at least $300 (without a quadrosuspension) - to if the best happened $20 - excellent business!

[CtahhR]

Where are the battle damaged XXRKKA?

[Auke]

I've seen so many medals "damaged by bullets and shrapnel" that it makes you think all the Germans did was doing target practice at them.

Originally Posted by drill

Do you seriously think that being broken, these medals are becoming more desirable acquisition?!

Yes!! There was a horribly damaged (ground-dug?) OG3 on eBay some time ago, and it sold for more than the price of a normal, intact piece. It seems this is becoming a whole new industry. If #9447 would show up on eBay it would sell for hundreds of $.

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by drill

At my place awards of this condition costs like silver salvage.

Well, I'd be happy to take any that come your way for that price

[Jeffrey Meffert]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

Where are the battle damaged XXRKKA?

There were only 30,000 or so 20 year RKKA medals but millions of bravery medals. Shot up or not, that would be why it easier to find one.

[CtahhR]

Nearly all the XXRKKA served right through the war (and the wars with Finland and Japan). The Medals "For Bravery" although higher in number usually did not serve the entire duration of the GPW. There were also a great deal of post victory Medals "For Bravery" issued. I'm sure if we looked we could find unnumbered Medals "For Bravery" with "combat damage".

Still, where are the ground dug bullet damaged imperial awards?
300 years of Romanov, 100 years of Patriotic War, Russo-Japan war, Mobilization, Zeal, St. George and all his friends? All the items that have never had a difficult time selling on the international market.

Going "over the top" with fixed German machine guns, barrels glowing for 3 years must have put a fair amount of holes in awards. Do metal detectors forget there was a Great War before the Great Patriotic War? or were the Great War period awards already desirable enough not to need to be converted into high premium tourist pieces?

[EricFG]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Meffert

There were only 30,000 or so 20 year RKKA medals but millions of bravery medals. Shot up or not, that would be why it easier to find one.

Not to mention those with the 20RKKA medal were not usually frontline soldiers; more likely officers with a lesser chance of being hit by a German bullet (although maybe moreso by a Russian bullet).
Thanks, Drill for showing those!!