"Excellent Borderguard" Badge.

[deValcourt]

I received this one from Larry and when I saw the photos of it first, I thought it might be Bulgarian because of the colors on the border flags. But when I got it, I saw that this is more like Hungarian, Czech or even possibly Moldovan? It looks to me like a border guard badge and the soldier is carrying a PPSH-41 Soviet submachine gun. Thoughts anyone?

The screw plate has only the Latin letters "P V" which would fit well with the Russian for border guard.

Thanks,
Phillip

[Tretov]

Hungary it is! Not only the text, but the coloured stripes on each side forms the Hungarian flag.

[Greg Collins]

Yep, it's Hungarian. One of their nicer badges as well.

[deValcourt]

All credit for that find goes to Larry (who is not my alter ego as some of you have suggested. I didn't make this guy up. He's quite real ). Now I'm off on another Eastern Bloc country. I suppose I'll need to visit the Hungarian section here.

Do you know what is says Patrick?

Thanks guys,
Phillip

[Commissar]

Nice, I have not seen hungarian badges before! Very fine, I like the PPSH modelled on it. For some reason the second I saw it I thought border guards.

[Tretov]

It reminds a little of the borderguard featured on the Soviet borderguard medal.

[deValcourt]

Same guy, but in summer and facing the other way.

No, better: he's the guy the Soviet border guard is looking at across the border and vice versa. If you put the two next to each other it feels like you are watching a staring contest.:chuckle

But really, I should have guessed it would say "excellent borderguard." I don't know what else I was expecting. Thanks Patrick.

It's also the first badge I've seen from Hungary. It reminds me that I need to brush up on my Eastern European history since it was basically ignored when I was in school and the Iron Curtain was still up (grad school, I'm not that young).

The enamel work is better than most of the soviet satellites. The star and the banner with the inscription have a good deal of clear depth to them which may be hard to see in these hurried photos.

Phillip

[Greg Collins]

This next item is an Excellent Border Guard Badge. This particular example is full sized and, oddly enough, made in Czechoslovakia at the Zukov factory.