People's Deputy Badge

[Tal Inbar]

Hi

I see a lot more Supreme Soviet badges than Narodny Depotat badges. What are the proportions?

Also, There are a lot of supreme soviet badges variations - for each republic. Is there only ONE badge of Narodny Deputat (CCCP)?

Thanks!

Tal

[charlet]

Hi Tal, from my little observations, badges for narodny deputat are indeed much rarer,and at knwon dealers i saw only one variation, stinckpin. Following Gorby's law of december 1st 1988 fixing the creation of a soviet of people's deputies instead of a supreme soviet (made of 2 soviets), they were stroke in 1989. So not much time to strike another variation?
I got two sources: having not any book of the collection Avers, I've a booklet about soviet badges of 30 pages +40 plates of badges photographies, edited by the firm Udacha in Lvov, collective authors, a few years after 1992. It has a catalogue of deputies badges, amongst all, only one model for narodny deputat. 2nd source: a known new-yorker dealer with a lot of pics you know certainly better than me: I've only seen over 4 years only 1 type of deputat of ussr, but also 1 narodny deputat for each federated republics. Don't know if all were attributed, or come of stocks.

my 2 centimes of euros
sebastien

[Aharim]

First to peoples deputy of the USSR. There was only one congress. There were 2250 members. 1500 elected 750 appointed. First there were delegates elected from electoral districts. If you have one of the badges and it has a number you have a badge for an elected delegate. THe second series were delegates from party lists who were elected based on how well the party did accross the country. There was a minimum cut off so if your party did not get 5 percent for example you got no proportional delegates. There was a third series who were nominated by certain national organizations which were recognized as contributing to the state, such as Komosmol, various trade unions etc. So, if you were a member of the communist party and Komosomol, you could be represented by an entire series of delegates. (One man three votes, or more.)

THose last did not have numbers on their badges as near as I can tell.

As far as Supreme SOviet there were 11 congresses. They had between 1100 and 1500 members each, which would mean there were more than 15,000 Supreme Soviet delegates total compared to 2250 Peoples Deputies. SO even though there were more Peoples DEputies they overall are more rare. In addition, recent recipients may have been reluctant to trade away/sell considering if it was numbered, they would know who you were.

[Aharim]

There are basically three books on deputy badges going back to 1995

1. Art of Russian Metal Miniatures
Udacha 1995, Lvov by Likhitsky

The book comes in three different editions. The first was in English and German and of a smaller size with black and white photos. The second and third were in Russian or Russian, English, and German. They were larger size and with color photos. Apparently he used the funds from the first English/German edition to publish in Russian. All three show the same badges and include some 106 different deputy badges.

Some of his descriptions are incorrect when it comes to Armenian or Georgian since they did not read either. Some of the badges are out of chronological order but all in all a good tool for the time.

It was inexpensive back in the 1990's especially in the english black and white edition, but out of print now.

2. Avers 2
Avers #2 by Krivtsov, V.D. Published in Moscow 1996 is the second book. Avers 1 has some deputy badges which are repeated and expanded in Avers 2. Avers 2 also includes a numbering of illustration so that it can be used as a reference. As we all know his pricing is irrelevant. And you should be aware so is his history. He has all red flags from the 1960's when no republic still used that flag.

Avers also confuses badges for Tatarstan and Turkmenistan, Georgia and Armenia and Abhakzia. IT does include some 118 illustrations. This book and Udacha both include some not in each other. It it written in Russian and English and includes English as well as Russian captions beneath the illustrations.

3. New best on the market - Decoration Badges of Highest Organs of Power 1917 - 1991.

By A.I. Mekhonoshin in Ekatrinburg, 2006.

This book is currently the ne plus ultra, for deputy badges, being solely dedicated to showing badges and their history. The book shows (or lists) some 290 different badges. It includes more than 20 badges which "should" exist but he has not yet seen. There must have been more than one TsIK (Please note I tend to use the Russian transliterated TsIK in lieu of the English CEK.) badge for the German Villages of the Volga since they had apparently 16 convocations. (Early badges were not necessarily in the shape of flags, and he only shows the so called 'flag pins.') So as place holders until someone presents the bages he has blank spaces as fillers with numbers all ready for that next illusive badge.

(See attached photo of one of the "missing" German TsIK badges.)

Meknonoshin gives numbers of members to each soviet or TsIK congress, dates of congress, and identification of likely mint marks on each variant. (There may be some minor issues with the reveres designations in that I have seen MMD early on some republics and on the subsequent congress MD for another republic.) But those issues tend to be minor.

One complaint is ordering of chapters based on some system that I cannot figure out or remember. Moldova precedes Latvia which precedes Kirghiz. That is not any alphabet nor chronological system that I can follow or remember.

Still, it is the best out there, and has made me regret having sold/traded off more than 40 duplicate badges only to now discover that they might not have bee duplicates. (Afterall, who bothered to count the number of rays beneathe the blue enamel on all those Estonia badges?)(Are we getting to the point of counting angels on the head of the pin?)

Now I am going to have to try to see if I can call that guy and see if he really wants those duplicates that I sold him.

Expensive but if you care about these badges and their accompanying history, worth the price. Oh, and the book is only in Russian so some knowledge of Russian would help. But you scan still see the pictures and read the numbers and dates and we all can figure out ACCP = ASSR. Some of the translation is easy.

[Aharim]

You are correct about earlier being more vertical. The shape of the peoples deputy follows along the same shape of the RSFSR peoples deputy. Earlier during the Supreme Soviet (1960's - 1980's) they didn't follow that closely.

Attached are a series of Moscow City, ordinary city (gorsoviet) region (raisoviet) badges. Moscow is bigger because they were. other cities and regions were smaller because as today Moscow is a federal city and counts just like an oblast at the federal level. The others are mere locals.

Again, legend Peoples Deputy is 1990 and 1991.

[Aharim]

A few more random soviets/congresses at a level below union or autonomous republic.

You do not have to break the bank to collect badges for organs of state power in either soviet or post soviet period. These three badges cover two post soviet and one soviet.

Top Krasnodar Krai - post soviet regional soviet

Middle -
Region (Rajon) soviet from Ukraine - soviet era

Bottom -
Local regional soviet from Altai - I think.
No legend so might not be a soviet but I think it is village or lesser region within one of the Federal republics in the post soviet era.

All badges or organs of state power at differing levels and eras. There are thousand of them. You can't ever get them all. Only the mint has anything approaching a complete set and since all early badges didn't always come from the mint, I doubt they have a complete set.

[Aharim]

Attached is a scan of a series of local soviets including several from Moscow gorsoviet before and after 1991. Also an early RSFSR Supreme Soviet on the same strip. Badges include

Moscow City Soviet - all red peoples deputy (before 1991)
RSFSR Supreme soviet - all red (before 1955)
Moscow City soviet (peoples deputy) - post soviet - Russian Tri-color
Altai Federal Republic - post Soviet
Karachav-Cherkas Republic - Parliament Deputy - Post Soviet

These badges are all heavier in silver or brass.

These are larger because they represent RF Federation Level Units. Krasndar was smaller that K-CH republic, Altai badge was smaller that Altai republic. You can collect at any level for your region, republic, etc.

[matteti]

Originally Posted by Aharim

Attached is a scan of a series of local soviets including several from Moscow gorsoviet before and after 1991. Also an early RSFSR Supreme Soviet on the same strip. Badges include

Moscow City Soviet - all red peoples deputy (before 1991)
RSFSR Supreme soviet - all red (before 1955)
Moscow City soviet (peoples deputy) - post soviet - Russian Tri-color
Altai Federal Republic - post Soviet
Karachav-Cherkas Republic - Parliament Deputy - Post Soviet

These badges are all heavier in silver or brass.

These are larger because they represent RF Federation Level Units. Krasndar was smaller that K-CH republic, Altai badge was smaller that Altai republic. You can collect at any level for your region, republic, etc.

Thank you Aharim for the interesting information and photos you provided. Very useful for me! :thumbsup

[Tal Inbar]

On ebay, no number on the back:

This badge sold for 460.00 US $. I think it's rather low price for such a rare badge.

[Tal Inbar]

Complete set of 2 badges, documents and box is offered by the known dealer for $2,600.00.