Visiting And Shopping Inside And Outside The Former Soviet Union.

[CtahhR]

Heights of Alma for anyone with any interest in 1854.

[Tommy]

Hi all,

I hope you're all well.

I will be taking a holiday in Florida in May with my family, mainly Orlando and Tampa to enjoy your line amusement parks .

Is there anything else you guys recommend to do while im there? Any good places to eat?

Thanks!

Tom

[CtahhR]

For supping you can get 2 pints of superbrew type wetness called "St. Ides" or similar in 2 pint bottles for about 30 Bob. Then you get generic spirits by the litre for a fiver or just over.
They have the full array of junk fast food places selling all the usual suspects for peanuts if that's your bag.
The main problem in the US is the price you see isn't the price you pay. They add their VAT at the till and not before sticking the price tag on. If you're looking to buy something for $9.99 and have a tenner you need to think again.
Service in most places is very "in your face" and pestering in comparison to English custom. A tip is almost always expected too even though that is against Yorkshire custom (try tipping someone at Wetherspoons!).

You will probably be able to pick up a Mosin-Nagant rifle for 60 quid or less and Chinese made rounds for about 8p a shot. Since they fall under "antique" status seeing as they were design in or before 1898 there are minimal restrictions on purchase. You can pretty much shoot yourself your fill (at a designated range or on private property you have permission to) for a minimal outlay. When the holiday is over you can pawn, dump or give away the rifle and you can't say you've lost out.

I have two of the Mosin-Nagants and leave them safely stored between tours.

Best advice though is always befriend the locals and carry paperwork.

[Eryk]

I don't believe a MN is an antique under Florida law, if manufactured after 1918. Date of design has nothing to do with it.

As well I'd advise against any foreign national purchasing a gun in the US unless you do it through an FFL holder. They know the laws (state, fed, local) and won't let anything illegal happen. Picking up a gun from that freindly guy at the flea market won't have that protection.

[Bob]

I don't believe a MN is an antique under Florida law, if manufactured after 1918. Date of design has nothing to do with it.

As well I'd advise against any foreign national purchasing a gun in the US unless you do it through an FFL holder. They know the laws (state, fed, local) and won't let anything illegal happen. Picking up a gun from that freindly guy at the flea market won't have that protection.

I had that exact issue when on vacation in Yemen in 2009. A dealer in antiques and all kinds of other interesting things in Sanaa was very pushy when I was admiring a beautifully engraved Smith & Wesson pistol which he would have loved to sell - he insisted he could bring me to the airport and would ensure I'd be able to pass security with his assistance and would be able to bring the pistol with me onboard the plane. I wasn't so sure whether security in Istanbul or Brussels would have also been so flexible and customer friendly if they found out though so decided to decline the offer...

By the way - highly recommend Yemen for vacations, although it may be a bit too "hot" right now.

[Tommy]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to Budapest in October for 5 days and was wondering if there are any issues with bringing medals out etc if I find any.

Is there much chance of finding some intetesting Soviet stuff there?

Cheers,

Tom

[CtahhR]

As previously stated today the Communist Hungarian awards can be picked up in number for minimal layout. Postage is usually the killer.

As for Soviet Union items. It doesn't look very good. Certainly don't expect heaps of 1956 awards....

[USSR]

Hi all, I visited (surprisingly safe) Belarus this summer which was an amazing experience! Lots of Soviet memorabilia and very friendly people. In Minsk there even was a huge flee market with many Soviet orders and medals! Unfortunately they weren't really bargains although still cheaper than on E...

This what I saw for sale (for people who would like to visit Minsk and buy Soviet Orders):

ORS's: ~$50
OL: $1700
ORB's: ~$200
Order of the October R.: $350
OG's (3rd): ~$60
Defence and Capture Medals: ~$15-$35

[CtahhR]

I hear OGIIIs go for $50 each in Melbourne, Australia.

What were the prices on documents? Recently a large wave of Minsk region awarded Jubilee Medal (1965-88) documents have come onto the market for 20 to 50 cents each. Not the sexiest of high end items but not to be sniffed at for the price.


With the digital communication revolution prices will be very similar wherever there is internet. Long gone are the days where you can get a box full of awards down a back alley in some backwards nowhere for buttons then fly it to another nation and through middle men before finally arriving at the collector with profits all round. Now the marketplace is far more global and people far closer to the source can offer the items to the global market. This improvement in communication negates the need for middle men and has a large effect on prices. If a dealer has to purchase their stock in the same way as a collector as soon as the dealer has paid for postage to break even (let alone adding a profit) the item is already equal in cost to what the collector could have purchased the item for - then the dealer will want to add profit and probably postage again. Why would a collector want to have the item they want to buy go through an extra set of hands with extra mark up when they don't have to?

There's the internet being a real leveller.

[Bob]

Despite the internet increasing prices for high end items and decreasing for low end items, especially in orders/medals area relationships are still very important.

After all, sources of many items are shady at best...