#10 was also used for some "Organisation" award (if not more than one) but with the number of non-federal RF awards out there today I'm surprised they've not started using colours outside the visual spectrum.
CtahhR Wrote:#10 was also used for some "Organisation" award (if not more than one) but with the number of non-federal RF awards out there today I'm surprised they've not started using colours outside the visual spectrum.
Yes, there is a lot of recycling of ribbons, for example a lot of PDRA ribbons show up on post-Soviet quasi- and un-official things. Maybe that is where the stocks of those ribbons went?
And I thought that some of the color schemes being used already transcend the visual range, especially the quirky unbalanced (in all senses of the word) ribbons.
It probably is where lots of left over ribbon went as the quality on the "Organisation" awards are usually par with the state and ministerial awards. Some unofficial awards (such as the anniversary of St. Petersburg synagogue) come with a different ribbon almost ever time. It may well be because they could only get so much of each left over ribbon rather than some other "magical" reason that some dealers may attribute to it.
No doubt now the ministerial service medals have a new ribbon design the old ones will be on unofficial awards with 3 "classes".
#8 can't be the Kursk medal as that is black on the outside and white between the black and the blue. I first thought it was that as it's the right colours just not the right order.
CtahhR Wrote:#8 can't be the Kursk medal as that is black on the outside and white between the black and the blue. I first thought it was that as it's the right colours just not the right order.
Must be another case of "use any old ribbon". I have seen dozens of variations of ribbons on the unofficial submarine/navy forces medals with some ribbon designs having no relationship to others.
But rarely, I think, would a brand new ribbon be made up in two such similar versions. When there's recycling, I could understand, but this ribbon hasn't been linked to anything else. Maybe these two ribbons mean something (which I doubt, though some dealers might like to argue thus) or maybe it was made by two makers, one screwed up (and we'll never know which is "right"), and they just used both since no one would care anyway.
Sometimes I long for the comparative certainty of Soviet phaleristics, post-1991 is an absolute zoo.
I have been thinking of making a comparative chart of RF awards but it would take a vast amount of time and have very little interest. There is also the question of who issues what which really clouds the whole deal... Relying on RF ministerial websites as a solid resource is also a bad idea and they often get updated once in a blue moon.
This forum could be a very good place to display as much information as possible of the ribbons of awards of all the post soviet states including some of those "organisations" and "unrecognised" states.
If I'm offered some assistance from other forum members in information collection I'd quite happily start on the project next month. Systematically producing ribbon charts nation by nation - organisation by organisation.
Before their site was virtually destroyed by efforts at micro-control, Francois (Frank) Dutil had done a lot of good work on post-1991 Soviet-successor awards over at the OMSA site (Orders and Medals Society of America -- both the forum and database). Much of his good work has recently been shamelessly stolen at russianfederationmedals.com but I guess you can't control the pirates.
Alas nothing even nearly comprehensive, lots of strange (incorrect) colours and more often than not - vast gaps of information.
I was thinking of a one stop spot for every ribbon of every Warsaw Pact and post-USSR state with information on the foundation of the award and its name in the original language and not just english. If I had a quid every time an "organisational" medal was fobbed off as "federal" or "ministerial" I would be VERY rich... even if just looking at these references.
I have compiled information on hundreds and hundreds of RF awards so far but they seem to come out faster than you can acknowledge them.
One of the "Organisations" that has one of the greatest variations within their awards is the Russian Orthodox Church but they are only following in the footsteps of the Russian Empire where an award could have all sorts of official ribbons.
If anyone wants to help in a (as full as possible) comprehensive ribbon guide I'd appreciate assistance. Using expertise in specialised nations will certainly increase the accuracy of such guide rather than being jack of all master of none...