Badge "Excellent Border Guard".

[Doug Scott]

HELP!!!!!!!!!

I am in the Republic of Georgia and my "medal guy" brought a Distinguished Border Guard Badge over tonight. My research indicates it is a type 1, variation 3, KGB issue.

Any ideas what price this would go for?????

[otlichnik]

Doug,

I am flattered that someone is actually using my typology. But it worked as I knew exactly what you meant.

First, be very, very careful as these badges, especially var 3 (KGB) and 4 (blank) are very, very frequently faked!! It should be a very nice quality piece. It is of stamped brass and the stamping should be deep and clear. The fakes are too shallow or look worn but are actually just a bad stamp. Also the fakes tend to be flatter than the genuine which are more curved in shape.

Be very suspicious as I would say without exageration that 90% of these are fake.

If genuine I would say $75-100 is a fair price. This is mostly because the majority are fake.

Be suspicious if offered it in the $10-30 range.

Shawn

[Doug Scott]

Hi Shawn and thanks for the reply.

I feel confident it is real. I have been over a year and have never seen one of these before. The market for Soviet medals, orders and decorations over here is very small.

The economic situation here is such that people are selling anything just to get enough money to live on. All in all, I would say most stuff here is 30% to 50% less that what the same stuff sells for in the states. There is a flea market here, but I avoid it. This guy I buy from is a collector himself and is in the Georgian Army. He is real good at screening stuff.

Thanks

[new world]

Shawn,

The badge I was offered is a bit diferent - it has some sort of silver plating, which is worn off on the higher points - so one can see the underlying brass metal.

It also comes with 1960 document.

What do you think of this one - real or fake?

[otlichnik]

This looks pretty good. Nice detail on badge and nice age to document. Still it is hard to say for sure with a photo. The real key is to look at the detail of the strike and the ageing. They should "feel" good.

Anyone else have commets?

Doug,

Sorry I missed your earlier post. Same for it too. You'd have to asess detail close up.

Shawn

[tashkentski]

Hi Doug,
Just saw your posting, of Dec 2002, about your medal guy in Tbilisi.
I wonder if it is Mamuka, He is a good friend of mine, and I have been buying stuff from him over the past 7 years. He never knowingly sells fakes, and I have bought reall good stuff off him.

I just got back from Almaty, where prices are 50% higher than in Tashkent for badges. However saw two badges, I had never seen before, One for the construction of the Ferghana Canal, but with Tadjik SSR, instead of YCCR (Seller wanted 100$, I passed on it, mainly because, his other prices were too high (The same badge for Uzbekistan, I can buy in Tashkent for around 30$), but he wanted 90, so I guessed, he was selling at too high prices.
I am getting a scanner and will post some of my badges on site, I have been collecting Soviet stuff for 10 years now, but am lucky as I am in the CIS, once every fortnifgt.

Cheers

Shiva

[Doug Scott]

Hi Shiva..........

As a matter of fact, it is Mamuka. He is the only one I buy stuff from. And I have come to find that he comes up with the very rare stuff as well.

He is supposed to come see me today. I will tell him hello.....

[Kim]

Shiva

According to ”Uralsky Fotokatalog…” nr.1 the variant of the Tadjik SSR – BFK was made in 30 000 pieces. Compare this to the more common UzSSR – BFK that was made in 170 138 pieces. Both were made at the Leningrad mint. One thing that I foud odd was the reverse on the Tadjik. It is what order collectors call ”mirror reverse”. But this one in the book has the same mirror look as the Uz – badge. So the words ”Tadjik SSR” must have been added on top of the "UzSSR" on a Uz -badge.

/Kim

[tashkentski]

Thank u Kim,. Unfortunately i cant remember what the reverse looked like, but I will be in Almaty in the end of June and will snap it up if it is still there.
The seller says that a Kazak SSR one also exists. Is this true?
Shiva:)

[tashkentski]

Hi Doug,
What is a good price to pay for the Border Guard Badge.
Saw 3 different variations in Almaty (size and material)
Shiva