The Soviet Military Awards Page Forum  
  • Serial Numbers Database 2.0
Enter Here

vBClassified Featured Listings
Echoes of War
Echoes of War
Seeking following Soviet campaign medals for ..,

Go Back   The Soviet Military Awards Page Forum > Soviet Awards Forums > General And Slightly Off Topic Talk > General Talk Archive

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-12-2007, 03:18 PM   #1
ibaya
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maryland, USA
Age: 54
Posts: 200
Remember when the State Mint was selling actual orders and medals?

... not too long after the Soviet Union collapsed. They even included certificates of authenticity --- guess those are now get-out-of-jail-free cards should questions arise about whether they are stolen or not.

Does anyone know around when they discontinued their firesale?
ibaya is offline  
Sponsored Links
Old 12-21-2007, 11:54 AM   #2
Aharim
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Washington DC (aka Disneyworld North)
Posts: 145
Fire sales all around

I believe the period of the fire sales was early to mid Yeltsin era. From my experience the Museum of Political Movements (formerly known as "The Museum of the Revolution") went into an active "deacquisition" period where they also reduced their soviet inventory either to fund continued operations or to acquire later democratic movement items.

The Museum of the Revolution sold off duplicate or excess materials with documentation including certification as to payment of duties and taxes so that such material could be exported. I believe the duty was 100 percent at that time. I was in their museum shop which was more of an antique shop rather than selling T shirts of the Museum.

A friend then resident in Moscow was an active participant in the funding of the Museum's transition (that is he bought a lot of what they were selling) Now for duplicate here I mean they had three Provisional design Supreme Soviet badges maked on the accompanying cardboard sheet "one of three, design not accepted," which he acquired. They apparently decided that they did not need all three rejected samples.

The best T Shirt I bought was from the Red Army Museum for the ruble equivalent of $.42 -right fourty-two cents at the then exchange rate!). We bought their entire inventory! Big red circle (NOT sign) over an SS-20 and legend in Russian/English "fairwell to Arms!"

So, yes I remember those days. Some referred to those days as "pure capitalism" or "looter economy" when everything was for sale.

There were similar allegations that the "museum" at lubyanka sold of some off the materials in their safe, confiscated items of former non-persons and that that was where a lot of the expired Lenin badges (Gold head, Silver head) came from.

And whatever you could not get at the museums was available on Arbat before it was closed down. That seemed to mark the end of unbridled capitalism.

Most of that era had ended by 1999 - 2000.
Aharim is offline  
Old 12-28-2007, 09:49 PM   #3
Aharim
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Washington DC (aka Disneyworld North)
Posts: 145
Not the first time for the Mint

When I wrote last, I wrote about who was selling rather than what was for sale. Attached here are a couple of pictures (obverse/ reverse) of a table medal from a previous time when the mint was popular, or maybe needed the cash.

In 1924/6 to commerate the 200th anniversary of Peter's mint (acknowledging the name changes over the years as shown on the reverse [first scan]) is a commerative table medal/plaque, issued as shown. I did not get it from St. Petersburg mint but from Moscow, a museum selling off duplicates.

But I did visit the mint in St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg/Leningrad mint was in the St. Peter and Paul fortress. And, it has a museum, . . . which is generally closed to the public. It is reputedly run by the security service. They must like me because I saw a glorious display of Hero Stars. Imagine rooms of Stars and displays of heroes! I wish I knew then what I know now. But, I was polite and took no pictures!

Of course.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg scan0001.jpg (54.7 KB, 19 views)
File Type: jpg scan0003.jpg (89.3 KB, 14 views)
Aharim is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 09:43 AM   #4
new world
Senior Member
 
new world's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
Posts: 1,086
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibaya View Post
... not too long after the Soviet Union collapsed. They even included certificates of authenticity --- guess those are now get-out-of-jail-free cards should questions arise about whether they are stolen or not.

Does anyone know around when they discontinued their firesale?
Do you have an example of of such certificate from the mint or the awards from the sale?

I would assume these would be un-issued awards.

William
new world is offline  
 

Bookmarks


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Awards To Organisations, Factories And State Enterprises. Tal Inbar The Researchers' Corner 32 02-11-2012 06:30 AM


1944 letter on German prisoner of war sheet to American at Adak Island, Alaska picture

1944 letter on German prisoner of war sheet to American at Adak Island, Alaska

$46.00



1844 War Department Letter to Quartermaster G. W. Beach Concerning Commission picture

1844 War Department Letter to Quartermaster G. W. Beach Concerning Commission

$15.00



1944 APO 72 Philippines Soldiers Mail illustrated Personal Christmas Card Letter picture

1944 APO 72 Philippines Soldiers Mail illustrated Personal Christmas Card Letter

$19.00



US 1945 APO, GI, Soldiers Mail, RED CROSS Official Cover with  Letter FREE FRANK picture

US 1945 APO, GI, Soldiers Mail, RED CROSS Official Cover with Letter FREE FRANK

$9.00



Spanish American War Cover 1898 New Bedford MA 'Soldiers Letter' Postage Due picture

Spanish American War Cover 1898 New Bedford MA 'Soldiers Letter' Postage Due

$199.96



.RARE 1787 POST AMERICAN WAR of INDEPENDENCE HAND WRITTEN LETTER TO BRITISH NAVY picture

.RARE 1787 POST AMERICAN WAR of INDEPENDENCE HAND WRITTEN LETTER TO BRITISH NAVY

$521.27



1892 LETTER & ENVELOPE From Soldier At JEFFERSON BARRACKS picture

1892 LETTER & ENVELOPE From Soldier At JEFFERSON BARRACKS

$98.50



Indian Wars - FORT UNION LETTER & ENVELOPE picture

Indian Wars - FORT UNION LETTER & ENVELOPE

$150.00



194 Piece Grouping Of WWII Letters & V Mail From Same Soldier 1944-1945 picture

194 Piece Grouping Of WWII Letters & V Mail From Same Soldier 1944-1945

$600.00



Letters And Photos Military Photos From 40s Letters From 70s picture

Letters And Photos Military Photos From 40s Letters From 70s

$200.00




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2011 Arthur G. Bates III