05-03-2005, 04:28 PM
Tbilisi used to have a Museum of Soviet History. After independence it was looted and trashed, but only after some employees took with them whatever appealed to them. Some of those employees were collectors, others just immediately sold whatever they picked up. The same with the looters.
A few things were stored and hidden by loyal museum staff but later abandoned, distributed or stolen. After all, Georgians had no particular love for the USSR or any fond memories of their history of Soviet and Russian domination that went back to 1783. Of course, the fact that museum employees were (and are) seldom paid gave some fuel to their feelings of justification for their acts.
Over the years since independence a few things have surfaced now and again. For instance, in 2002 I bought a collection of first day covers and other postal art that had been a museum exhibit at one time. This particular badge is quite likely (I am trying to be cautious here) to have come from the family of one of the ex-employees who, himself, has had this in his collection since independence.
I hope you enjoy this one.
Have I mentioned how good it is to be home?
Chuck
A few things were stored and hidden by loyal museum staff but later abandoned, distributed or stolen. After all, Georgians had no particular love for the USSR or any fond memories of their history of Soviet and Russian domination that went back to 1783. Of course, the fact that museum employees were (and are) seldom paid gave some fuel to their feelings of justification for their acts.
Over the years since independence a few things have surfaced now and again. For instance, in 2002 I bought a collection of first day covers and other postal art that had been a museum exhibit at one time. This particular badge is quite likely (I am trying to be cautious here) to have come from the family of one of the ex-employees who, himself, has had this in his collection since independence.
I hope you enjoy this one.
Have I mentioned how good it is to be home?
Chuck
