Nahimov.

[new world]

WOW!!!

A major NYC area dealer just listed Nakhimov 1st class for sale for $54,000!!!!

As we all know this is one of the rarest and one of the most expensive Soviet WWII period orders.

What makes this particular Nakhimov 1st class interesting - it has SN 107, meaning it was on of the 2 latest orders awarded (in 1981).

Furthermore - this Nakhimov belonged to Admiral Amelko, the only person received both 1st and 2nd classes on Nakhimov.

Story of Admiral Amelko was featured in the last issue of Ordenskaya Knizhka magazine.

Here's dealer's description:

"Order of Nakhimov, 1st cl., #107, 1981 issue. Comes with McDaniel authentication certificate. Most outstanding near mint condition: 10 out of 10 rating by Paul McDaniel. Authentication was done several years ago, and since then the order has received additional wear to the gold from handling. The wear is very light, there is no enamel damage and the order would still rate 9 to 9.5 out of 10 in our opinion.
Issued to Admiral Nikolai Amel'ko in November 1981 for leadership during war games "Zapad-81", this is one of the two Nakhimov 1st cl. issued that year. These two were the last Orders of Nakhimov 1st cl. ever awarded. Both specimens are slightly different variation than the earlier Nakhimovs, and according to currently available information only 2 of this variation have ever been issued.

The order comes with Xerox copy of the order booklet for Nakhimov 1st cl. (the only decoration listed in that document) as well as Xeroxes of 3 other award documents. One of them is a 1964 order booklet showing his WW2 era and early post-war decorations including Nakhimov 2nd cl. #8 and three Orders of Lenin. The other two documents are a 1972 booklet for Red Banner, 3rd award and a 1985 booklet for Patriotic War 1st cl. Included is also a compilation of his archival record.

Admiral Amel’ko served in the Soviet Navy since 1931. After graduating from naval academy he worked in the naval intelligence until 1938. In January of that year his life and career very nearly came to an abrupt end when he became a victim of the Stalin’s purge of the military. In a rare reversal he was released from prison just a year later and was able to return to naval service. At the beginning of the Patriotic War in 1941 he was commander of the training ship Leningradsovet. With his vessel he participated in the Baltic Fleet’s desperate escape from Tallin to Kronstadt in August 1941. It was Amel’ko’s superb leadership and skills of his crew’s that saved the ship and all 200 men aboard under uninterrupted attacks of Luftwaffe. By 1942 he already commanded a squadron, first of antisubmarine net boats, and then of minesweepers and smoke screen setting cutters. In 1944 his 10th Smokescreen Squadron provided protective cover for dozens of Soviet convoys in the Baltic. During the capture of several islands in the Gulf of Finland in June 1944 Amel’ko was under nearly uninterrupted withering fire of German naval artillery and warships. His boats not only provided smoke cover for naval infantry but also engaged German self-propelled landing barges. For these operations Nikolai Amel’ko was awarded with an Order of Nakhimov 2nd cl.

After the war Amel’ko continued his outstanding career in the navy. In 1954 he was promoted to Rear Admiral. During 1962-67 he commanded the Soviet Pacific Fleet reaching the rank of full Admiral by 1964. In 1979 – 86 he was Deputy Chief of General Staff for the Navy and in this capacity supervised war games “Zapad-81” (“West-81”). His “courage, selfless and high skills” during these large scale maneuvers earned him an Order of Nakhimov 1st cl.

$54,000.00 "