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+---- Thread: When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? (/Thread-When-did-you-start-collecting-Soviet-Awards)
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Christophe - 02-01-2004
In this poll, a simple question : when did you start collecting Soviet Awards ?
Whatever you have personally been awarded Soviet Awards or not, you can answer this question, the 3 first options being dedicated to those having themselves been awarded Soviet Orders or Medals.
I personally began in 1992, my first Soviet order being a Red Star Order.
Ch.
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Tretov - 02-01-2004
I started in 1992 or 1993, with a cap and some badges. Then I stayed low with some more caps, a few medals until 1998-1999 when I started really serious collecting of medals, orders and uniform sets.
/Patrik
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Dat Nguyen - 02-02-2004
Fellow collectors,
Back in the summer of 1991, I went to a fleamarket in Wiesbaden, Germany and saw many vendors selling millitaria items from former Soviet Blocks...much much happiness
. Almost all the vendors would have a banner with tiny soviet plastic/alluminum/brass badges attached. It was fairly cheap between 10-50 pfennig. I started to collect Lenin badges. After a few hundred, I couldn't keep track of which one I have and which one I don't so I started to collect Soviet medals/orders/and badges. There were many fleamarkets, I concentrated mostly in the Frankfurt/Mainz/Wiesbaden area.As early as 1993, I remembered seeing fakes medals and badges at the flea markets...good quality fakes. A Polish vendor/friend told me that the fakes were coming out of Russia. It was somewhat humorous to see every vendors selling hard to find badges/medals/orders as if they all received the fakes at a central distribution point at the border crossing. One guy had a box with over 20 medal of the 20th Anniversary of the Red Army; just the medals no pentagonal hangers. I've stood and watched as my Polish vendor sold an Order of Alexander Nevsky w/doc to a German. As soon as the German walked away, he pulled another Nevsky w/doc out of a plastic bag and placed it on his table for the next "sucker". BTW, nothing against the Polish people, everyone Russian/Germans/American were buying/selling fakes either out of ignorance or greed. Everyone was trying to make a buck/DM, selling everything they can drag down to the fleamarkets. Sadly, by the time I left Germany in 1997, the fleamarkets in Germany were full of fake soviet militaria.
Now back in Germany again, one can hardly find any russian militaria at the fleamarket. It had simply dried up...much much sadness.
Dat Nguyen
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Taz - 02-02-2004
I started collecting the same way as Dat,
Also in Germany and at Flea Markets, although a lot later and in the Bielefeld, Herford and Minden area.
I brought my first Medals for 5 DM a piece, 5 in Total. That was in 1998 or round that time,they were only anniversary Medals but I liked them so much it got me hooked. and I,ve been collecting ever since.
Eddie.
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - otlichnik - 02-03-2004
I started "collecting" in 1988. But all I got at that time were fake, not actually fake but Western copies in Germany and USA. I got my first genuine Soviet stuff around 1990-1991.
In my begining days I bought stuff from East European immigrants in Canada.
Shawn
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Al-muell - 02-04-2004
For awards, I have started about 1997-1996 with Lenin's birth 100th anniversary (price was about 1$ for current prices) bought from an accidently met street seller, but for soviet militaria in general it was late 80's, if gathering everything I could find in the nearby soviet training grounds can be called collecting... Unfortunately most of this stuff has drowned during flood in 1997
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - dannybou - 11-22-2004
Started in 2004.
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - ericlida - 11-22-2004
I started in 2002.
My wife awarded me with Order of Victory (copy
) on my B-Day. I am not sure if she is happy with her choice of the present now.Eric.
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Nack - 11-22-2004
I started in June of 2004, although I would classify myself as a collector of Soviet militaria, not just awards. I bought a couple of M44 carbines, and then it escalated to all kinds of Soviet stuff from there.
When did you start collecting Soviet Awards? - Dolf - 11-22-2004
I started in 2003.
My first Medal was a Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad and my first Order was a Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Class Type 2 "concave reverse" (Thank You Alexei).
Since I was a teenager that the WWII is a subject that fascinates me, so apart from the books and the reading, my first hobby related to WWII was the assembling and painting of those plastic kits, mainly airplanes, but also 1/32 scale dioramas. I still have quite a few unboxed kits for when I retire I guess
Then I discovered wargaming, collected a lot of games and played a few (my only visit to the USA was mainly for taking part in the biggest international convention there was those days, back in 94) but among all my games there is one that is still my favorite, "Turning Point: Stalingrad". Even if the game favors the Germans I always preferred to play the Russians/Soviets.
I guess that's how my interest for the Eastern Front and my sympathy for the Russians started and never stopped growing.
From there until I started collecting Soviet Military Awards it was only a matter of time... and the next logical step on my interests.
Today I have about 120 Soviet Orders and Medals (a few Badges included) + a few hat pins + a couple of helmets + almost all Soviet action figures from Dragon...
I guess and fear my Soviet Awards collection won't grow much more given the fact of the raising prices discussed on another thread, and the fact that most of the Awards I still don't have are high end Awards
Will have to rationalize and take some hard decisions I guess.Best,
Dolf