Medal "For The Liberation Of Belgrade".

[Mozzabloke]

Have seen this item for sale with blank award document. I have never seen a blank award doc before, are they genuine?

Thanks

Mark

[otlichnik]

Sorry to say the doc is a modern forgery and the medals looks like a modern re-strike. This is one of the rarest and hence most forged WWII medals. The blank doc is for someone to fill out as they wish. A genuine doc would show much more age and be made from a softer, browner, non-shiney paper.

Shawn

[Art]

Those post WWII variations are a b*tch to tell the difference between a modern copy. My solution, avoid them entirely and invest in an authentic WWII variation 1 specimen.

[Mozzabloke]

Thanks Art,

Im working on the 'where theres doubt, theres no doubt' rule.

I did ask the seller for a better scan 3 days ago but havent heard anything.

Make of that what you will.

Mark

[Nota Bene]

Shawn,

I wouldn't bet on it, but I think the document is genuine. It's one of the later issue variations, that were given with type 3 medals, and as duplicates.

Alexei

Here's another one:

[Tal Inbar]

If you look at the series of the document Alexei has, and the S/N, I will say that the blank doc is OK!

[Mozzabloke]

Why would it still be blank? is this common?

Mark

[Nota Bene]

Tal,

Well, at least it looks OK when compared with other late issue cards I have/have seen.

Alexei

Mark,

Not very comon, but not unheard of.

Alexei

[otlichnik]

If these are genuine, as the consensus seems to be, it raises the question of what are you collecting and how much is it worth. I have no problem with people buying this or even with them buying fakes - as long as they know exactly what they are getting. The problem is misrepresentation.

In my opinion, an item like this should be sold as, at best, an official post-war late issue with unissued doc (likely knicked from an archive if genuine) and it should be much, much cheaper than proper wartime issue medal with issued doc.

What bothers me is when someone pays the same price for this as for a WWII issue or thinks that this is a WWII issue.

I am also very bothered by blank docs circulating with medals, especially expensive ones.

Just my personal concerns.

Shawn

[Tal Inbar]

Agreed with the points regarding description by the seller and price.

However, many collectors, especially in the begininig of the hobby, don't know much about medal, or don't have enogh money, or collect "just the metal". In later development as a collector, one is interesting in variations, medals + award documents, and at the end the collector puts Order of victory and Marshal's star in his "wish list".

We, as a collectors community, has an OBLIGATION to help others. (For example - I contacted more than 30 persons on ebay, and many of them are now members of this board).

Tal