Title "Meritorious Rationaliser Of The Estonian SSR".

[new world]

Rare badge from Estonian SSR - Honored Rationalizer/Inventor.
Note low serial number - numbered N 280.
Diameter of a medal - 26 mm.

[Tal Inbar]

What exactly is written on the medal?

[Tretov]

Eesti Noukogoude Sosialistemaaks Vabariig - For Distinction/Excellence in Rationalization.

My estonian friend explained the text like this:

"it mean like somebody worked a lot [in making things run smoother and easier in production] and he is got some medal
like you work, work, work, and get it". :)


/Patrik

[Keith]

The medal says Estonian SSR Honored Rationalizer. The award was initiated in 1960 and there were about 400-500 issued. There is a flood of these in Tallinn now, many with asking prices of less than $2. This is not the official award, the official "honored" badge of the ESSR is a small, well designed pin that just says ESSR on it. This small ESSR pin is the official award of all the honored titles of distinction in ESSR. There are also alot of the Estonian SSR Honored Builder unofficial awards that can be had for the same price in Tallinn. There is a similar badge, Estonian SSR Honored Inventor, which is identical to this rationalizer badge, but gold in color, which I have seen only once.
Based on conversations with collectors in Estonia, I suspect that these unofficial Honored badges were issued subsequently, perhaps by the ministry or union which had jurisdiction over that particular profession. How so many of these became available is a complete mystery to me, I would be surprised if fakers would make this to sell it for $2. Perhaps there was a reception for all Honored Rationalizers in Estonia to receive this unofficial award, and all the ones for the people who could not receive this award have been dumped in the public markets.

I have to correct what I wrote earlier....I found this today looking into the ESSR law:

36. Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu Presiidiumi 1961. a. 25.
novembri otsus "Rinnamärkide "Eesti NSV teeneline leiutaja" ja
"Eesti NSV teeneline ratsionaliseerija" kirjelduse kinnitamise
kohta" (ENSV Ülemnõukogu Teataja 1961, 47, 159).

37. Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu Presiidiumi 1961. a. 23.
detsembri otsus "Rinnamärgi "Eesti NSV teeneline ehitaja"
kirjelduse kinnitamise kohta" (ENSV Ülemnõukogu Teataja 1961,
51, 176; 1962, 13, 32).

These are acts establishing separate official badges for the three badges I mentioned, Honored Inventor, Rationalizer, and Builder. I also found this establishing a badge for honored Athlete:

40. Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu Presiidiumi 1964. a. 25.
jaanuari otsus "Rinnamärgi "Eesti NSV teeneline sporditegelane"
kirjelduse kinnitamise kohta" (ENSV Ülemnõukogu Teataja 1964, 5,
28).

These are the only ones I saw, there was nothing on the other 43 titles of distinction for ESSR. I will research these more and find the full law when I go to the Estonian State Archive in June.

Keith

[Lauri]

Hi,
this rationalization medals is possible to get in Tallinn very large quantities. Price less then 1 usd. All are serial numbered.

[Tal Inbar]

Well, either the Estonians were VERY good at work in the Soviet times, or, those badges are being faked..........

T

[Lauri]

not faked, they are just left on someone's hands from soviet times. Who want's to fake such a thing ?
Oh my god, i can't still believe my luck, i bought yesterday from one old man a medal booklet to Estonian Captain of KGB irreproachible sevice medals, containig two entries of 1958 II and 1962 I class medals and booklet cost to me 15 usd... :)

[Keith]

Lauri,

I have a couple questions about the Teeneline Ratsionaliseeria medals:
1. Was this the badge awarded by ülemnoukogu with the title "Teeneline Ratsionaliseeria" or was it the blue ENSV badge that was awarded with almost all the other ENSV Teeneline titles?
2. Aside from Teeneline Ehitaja, Ratsionaliseeria, and Leiutaja, have you seen any other badges for ENSV Teeneline workers?
3. What is the story with the guy in Jaamaturg that has about 30 of Teeneline Ratsionaliseeria and 15 of Teeneline Ehitaja? There is no way one person would have so many if they were all authentic, and awarded at the time the person was granted the title. Is it possible that these were awarded subsequently and these awards were from a batch that was unissued? Are you sure these are not fakes? But it does not make sense to fake this and sell it for $1.

Thanks,
Keith

[Lauri]

1. This is not the blue badge, i even think that this ratsionaliseerija badge was possible to get even from factory, if this was big factory, like it usually was in soviet times. In soviet times this razionilization was some how very importent and common.
2. There was many more Teeneline titles in estonia, for example Eesti teeneline kunstnik ( can be artist, singer ) who got badge what was made from silver ( red enameled square, with letters ensv on the bottom and a silver leaf as but separately on top of the badge ), kind a rare badge.
3. This awards are not faked, these awards were from a batch that was unissued.

[Keith]

Lauri,

When I wrote the blue badge, I was thinking of the red square you wrote about that says ENSV with the leaf. Which leads me to more questions for you:
1. Have you noticed that some of these red ENSV badges with the leaf have gold plating on them? What is the difference between the silver ones and the gold ones?
2. Was this red ENSV badge with the leaf awarded for all of the different ENSV Teeneline workers? I think there were 47 different types of aunimetused. Do you think the rationalizers got both the red badge and this black badge?
3. There is a list of all recipients of ENSV Teeneline aunimetused in the book "Noukogude Eesti" from 1978. Do you know if there is a more up to date list available anywhere? "Eesti ä-ö" has some updated totals in the 1980's, but no complete lists in any of the editions that I have found.
4. Have you seen any other ENSV Teeneline badges that are not mentioned in this thread?

Thanks,
Keith