National Flag Order 3rd Class.

[komser]

one of the orders in the original box

[Pobeda45]

Here's mine, with the sandalwood box I bought it with. Boy does sandalwood stink! :) Great order, I'd love to get Soviet-made 1 and 2 classes some time...

[CtahhR]

The clusters of serial numbers to Types of these awards is rather hit and miss in places. The pre-Soviet Screwback Types were in a batch from 1->1000. Many of these will have no doubt been awarded before the Korean War (or at least in the first few weeks of the war). With the tide turning in 1951 Korean production (or at least the stockpile of the first Types) were unavailable and the Soviet Union stepped in to produced DPRK Awards. Soviet produced awards range in serial from <2000 to <100000 but only in batches. The first batch of Soviet produced awards will have most likely been awarded to Korean forces, many of these will have been worn "at the front" (serial range around <2000 to >22000). There are also the "Czechoslovak" produced screwbacks that I have observed in the serial ranges >24000 to >35000. After c36000 horizontal pinbacks are more normally seen. The small batches of >36000 Soviet produced awards will have been produced for forces of allied nations (Soviet Union, Bulgaria etc.) as they were more expensive to produce. Horizontal pinbacks do however turn up with exceptionally low serial numbers (<4000) but I would not be surprised if pinback examples numbered <35000 were replacements for those "lost" by Korean recipients.

I'll try and summarise this hypothesis as simply as possible.

"Czechoslovakian"/Korean Screwbacks serial numbered<1500 - Possibly pre-war award/stock.
Soviet Screwbacks serial numbered <35000 - Original "wartime" awards to any nation's forces (most likely Korean).
"Czechoslovakian" Screwbacks serial numbered <36000 "wartime" awards, most likely to Korean forces.
Soviet Screwbacks serial numbered >36000 - Late/postwar awards to "Allies".
Horizontal Pinbacks serial numbered <35000 - Postwar replacements for Korean forces.
Horiztonal Pinbacks serial numbered >36000 - Late/postwar awards to Korean forces.

As I've said before the Soviet produced award serial numbered <2000 is one of the most lovingly worn items I've ever come across. Most likely a fairly early war award to a Korean. Then there are Soviet produced awards in the 90000's that were awarded to Bulgarians.


Lowest "non Soviet" screwback in the collection is <240 and highest >35000.
Lowest "Soviet" screwback is <2000 and highest >91000.
Lowest Horizontal pinback is <4000 and highest <100000
Lowest "Rivet" Vertical pinback <ㄴ9000 and highest >70000
Lowest "non-Rivet" Vertical pinback >ㄴ72000 (and they numbered them for around 650000 pieces using different prefix letters each c100000)


There are just so, so, so many of these out there being produced under so many different circumstances that it is difficult to really focus on but to date I have recorded 13 completely different Types with up to 14 Variations per Type - I've not finished yet. I'm sure there are more out there and more in the future.

If anyone likes early, Pre-Soviet production, serial numbered DPRK awards - Start at the start!

[Pobeda45]

Great work, you should publish a book!
I like your theory about 90K+ being awarded to Bulgarians, I believe this is where I received mine from..

[Rogi]

Great work, you should publish a book!
I like your theory about 90K+ being awarded to Bulgarians, I believe this is where I received mine from..

Agreed, should I add that CtahhR should be locked in a room and told to write that book, would be awesome :D and cool, not much info. comes out of the DPRK awards but he always has some cool information! :)

[komser]

"Soviet" screwback is highest >101000.

[CtahhR]

Although each serial series tends to run to 100000 (on all awards), serial numbers can be seen up to ~110000. As for why I doubt we'll ever know. I've certainly not seen a 2##### serial number.

In the collection is a 2 digit serial numbered vertical pinback (Type 7) example. It has the correct font numbers stamped into it but who numbered it and why will most likely never be known. It may be an example of a replacement to a very early recipient or even someone at the mint planning to profiteer. I think the latter is less likely than the former due to personal risk involved but stranger things have happened. At the end of the day though, it is just a mystery.

Here is an image, I believe it is Colonel Ljuben Simeonov, with his NFO3. It dates from c1965-6.

I've had it for 6 1/2+ years, but it's always a challenge to find something from deep in the archives.

[CtahhR]

Here is a Type 4 Variation 5, Serial Number #76###. This Variation has a different "3" to the Type 4 Variations 4 and 6 (amongst other minor differences).

This Variation probably covers the range 75000-80000 but it definitely covers the 76000-79000 range.

As the rubbing from polishing on the obverse shows, it is certainly not made of silver.