here it comes. I still didn't managed to get a new scanner thou :(, but hopefully my USB microscope x200 would arrive shortly, so I will be able to post really small details in 50kb :)
The medal is definitely home made, there is bad gilding around the ear
It does have that "dusty" look that could well be from the titanium oxide. You can see where the gilding was difficult around the star. I know you are probably tired of dealing with this medal and our requests, but I would really like to see a closeup of the star and at least one shot of the reverse since that's where the gilding seems to come off first.:)
Many thanks.:thumbsup And just as Alexei said, you can clearly see that the gilt was added after the enamel in this example. Now I'll have to post a closeup of the star on mine tomorrow so you can see the difference. The reverse is as faded as many like this seem to get.
ph3s Wrote:Well i have a little info now, I don't know about factory made ones or gilded yet. But I was talking with a person who use to serve in SU Air Forces. He told me that it was common in his regiment to cover those with dioxide of titanium, In nearly based aviation factory. Kind of a custom for retiring.
Agreed - fantastic photo, especially since he is wearing veteran medals above and before Soviet ones (including the non-standard medal I started this thread to discuss).:thumbsup
Document for the medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces" awarded for 25 years long service to Guards Captain-Engineer Anatolii Grigorevich Zaitsev, on 9 December 1977, by Troop Unit 23495.
This unit is the Strategic Rocket Forces Mobile Repair Station #858 based in Konotop, Ukraine.