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Chris,
As I mentioned, I understand your feelings. I do not think you were having a tantrum but rather expressing a valid point of view which I fear much of the "new blood" in the hobby shares. (And without "new blood" this hobby is doomed.)
I also fear that we are heading down the same road as the German items. Too many fakes, too many crooks. But to combat this, we need a two fold attack from both dealers and buyers. You have to have both of these people for the hobby to grow. The bad dealers need to be pointed out, and the buyers need to stop spending their hard earned money on them just because they think they are saving a few bucks, as they "know the difference between a real and a fake." Support the honest dealers, even if it seems like it costs a few more dollars. In the long run you will save a ton of money and have a beautiful collection to be proud of.
Good luck,
Ed
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Ed
Yes I agree, if you are going to buy from a dealer make sure its one you have built up a trust with and who has a distaste of fakes as well.
Fortunetely for this hobby there are a good few Soviet specialists who provide an unscrupulous service.
The German collecting community has that well know guy from Hamburg.
From what I can see for the Soviet collectors we have a fair share of honest dealers thank god.
With forums like this any new ones out to copy the more unscrupulous German dealers will get caught out quickly
Living in the Baltics I get to see some great stuff but I now see everything and I mean everything! copied.......it has to go some where...............gulp
Regards Chris
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Oh and of course Ed.......I think the bad guys read forums like this, I mentioned it in the fake section but the Uzhakov medal is now made in two piece due to public demand LOL.
At the moment it is very crudely done but it shows that they wise up
Chris
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Chris,
As long as the medals have value, the fakes will continue to get better and better. That is the nature of the beast. Only things with no value are not faked. We just need to keep sharing information and buying from those we trust.
Take care,
Ed
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My two cents for the organizations...
I am a member of OMSA, and have been for a few years, but it really hasn't benefitted me much. I keep all the issues of their publication I get, and the one time I actually did use of of their issues (to ID a Chinese award) I was relatively pleased (it saved me a day or so of searching for the medal on the internet!)
I have used their ribbon bank on occasion, and must say that I have been very pleased with that!
My thoughts are this... The 'old time' collecting organizations have lost a little of their relevance with the advent of the internet. Back in the day when I started collecting, and my main source of information came from s-mail and the occasional show, I could learn a lot reading the periodicals from OMSA, ASMIC, etc... Now, however, I can go onto the 'net, find a forum such as this, and get my questions answered in a day or two at best, rather than searching through a pile of backissues of the "Journal", "Trading Post" or what-have-you.
Perhaps if the organizations became more-web friendly, put up backissues of their publications on the web with a search engine (make it accessable to members only, if they should so desire) have discussion forums, etc, I could see them becoming a more effective force than what they are today. This would also allow better policing of fellow members with complaints being taken in real-time intstead of by s-mail if at all.
Of course, there is still a great portion of our population (which includes many collectors) who aren't yet into the 'computer age' (believe it or not!) that really may benefit from the organizations. However, as time presses on, and more and more people get on the 'net, the organizations will need to evolve or eventually die out.
Just my thoughts...
--Dave
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Gentlemen,
I am not an OMSA member, but couple of years ago I was considering becoming one. After reading a collection of their journals and especially some articles that were unpofessional to say the least I've decided against it. This was the same reason I've discontinued my membership in the Russian Numismatic Society. I believe the goal of such organisations is to exchange information about the hobby, and I think Art's forum does it better.
Alexei
but nothing there has excited me enough to want to join. It seems like an old organization with old members publishing an unexciting journal with lots of information I don't want to read. How's that for candor 
