Exporting Of Items.

[medals73]

But still, how can we buy so many coins or medals, via ebay, from Ukraine?
Is it because they are 'dealers' somehow and that money's flowing back in to country?

Because they have deals with the guys in customs that we don't/can't enjoy?

[Henry Sakaida]

An acquaintence told me that he was going to Ukraine last month. He said he was interested in finding old medals to bring back. I warned him NOT to do it.
While in Ukraine, he emailed me to say that he bought copies of Soviet medals and a few genuine German medals he found in shops.
At Customs, his medals were detected. Then his nightmare began. He thought he was going to miss his flight. They took him to an office where an officer examined the Soviet medals...they were found to be copies, so OK there. They examined the German medals...and they said they were copies also, so they let him go.

So he arrived home and he was still stressed. He paid alot of money for what he thought were genuine Nazi medals, only to find out that they were fakes...they had "patina" and looked old. I told him they were simply restrikes or copies artificially aged. He is a neophyte in collecting.

If there is money to be made in high demand collectibles, you will find fakes.
So if you visit a small Ukrainian village and at the local flea market where foreigners visit, you see an old 90 year old babuska selling some Nazi medals that her Partisan husband had taken off a captured German officer (Knights Cross of the Iron Cross or an SS dagger in mint condition) for an outrageous amount, calm down and think!!! Too good to be true.

[CtahhR]

You'll find that the percentage of fake German items (specially anything Iron Cross or Swastika related) is considerably higher than Soviet items. I've only bought 2 WW2 period German items in the last 5 years due to the fact that if you're not very familiar with the items and have them in hand you can forget about it.

My cousin was posted to the Fuhrerbunker in mid-45 but seeing as he was attached to Canadian forces by the time he got there the Soviets had taken anything of any value, so there was only cloth items left, that's of course what he grabbed. He gave and traded all of it away apart from one item that I now have in my collection. An original unused sleeve eagle made for the Fuhrer himself. I'm sure there's plenty of folks who'd be making up stories like that to make a few $$ but this is certainly not for sale!

It has to be remembered that things with Swastikas on and the sort were illegal in the Soviet Union and the Red Army soldiers would destroy or deface such items and not keep them for their own collections. It was a very different story however with western forces - the Americans in particular. There was quite the black market trading captured German items with GIs for food and clothes etc. A time of rationing and shortages.

There is a lot of displaced history out there so these days you are more likely to find the real items for sale online from the other side of the world than a dodgy looking geezer where the battle actually occurred.

Band Of Brothers and Hitler's personal photograph album anyone?

[Sergei]

It amazes me that customs officers were able to tell a fake medal.
Sergei

[MarvWe]

Mabe we need some of these officers here in the forum. They see alot of fakes everyday

[CtahhR]

It would be nice to see how crude these fakes are.

[medals73]

I wonder if the easiest way to dispose of the problem of a troublesome (and law-breaking) foreigner at customs was simply to say the things were "fakes" and send him on his way (after harassment). To say anything else would have made a lot more work for these customs officials.

But, then, they may frequent this forum to learn "all about fakes"?

[CtahhR]

Fortunately (and sometimes unfortunately) Customs and Immigration officials are human. I know and have known a few customs officials being from by a sea port. One of my favourite stories is of a man coming back from the continent with a large suitcase. He was asked "Do you have any spirits?" He replied "1 Bottle". Then there was the customary check. He had converted the entire suitcase into a bladder full of spirits, many gallons using imperial or the short measure US system. As seizing the illegal booze (1 litre is the limit) would have caused a lot of paperwork and the man had not lied (as there was only 1 container) he was waved on.

But don't forget Customs officials are your friend! (see attached picture).

[Bundtrock]

Now don't get me wrong, I am THANKFUL that at least so far they have allowed Orders / Medals / Badges to leave the Russian Republic, but I am a bit amazed that they have.

I read another thread where the Ukrainian Government has taken measures to stop the export of these awards.

I would think the Russian Government would consider them treasures / historical artifacts?

Thoughts?

[CtahhR]

It is illegal to remove (amongst other things) governmental awards of the Soviet Union from the RF.

If you are very lucky you get a slapped wrist if you are American it's usually 6 months to 2 years gaol time.

Most items that have "escaped" the Russian Federation left the nation at a time when things were a lot more "slack" than what they are now.

Sneaking them out is playing Russian Roulette, which is after playing the game of "don't buy the fakes".

Also always remember the definition of bribery is a situation when you are not paying someone enough.