02-14-2002, 02:13 PM (This post was last modified: 06-09-2002, 12:03 AM by Tal Inbar.)
Hi
I know that the order of Stalin was planned and cancelled. I would like to know if there were some prototypes, what were the metals to be used, and what is the so called "prototype" piece that was recently posted on ebay (see attached pic)?
The book of Shishkov have photo, but it is unclear - it looks like art work and not the "real thing".
As far as I know prototypes were created in a few variations. Dozen members of Politburo (Goverment)received those prototypes to review and approval. They were slightly different in design.
The one on Ebay is a modern copy of the prototype. I saw a few of them on the market within last couple years.
I also have an Order Of Stalin, I brought it off a guy who reckoned it came from a batch of 12, the guy he got them from used to work in the mint (he had 4)
I know what youre thinking..hey great story, and hey, you are probably correct.
But until I see more than 12 for sale I am not going to panic to much.
I will get a Russian book and post the article that talks extensively about this Order
I still have the article you sent me..Here it is. This is from the book "Ordena CCCP" by Anatoly Kuchenko.
THE ORDER OF STALIN (PROJECT)
A special page in the history of the USSR orders is the unsuccessful attempt to institute the Order of Stalin. Institution of this reward was regarded by the closest encirclement of the father and the teacher as a natural thing and the aim to glorify his name even more.
The spade work of creating the new order began on April, 1951. The Government Commission created especially for this purpose was headed by N. SHVERNIC who was the Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet at that time. The Commission worked out the technical quota which was handed
over for the execution to the leaders of the Leningrad Mint.
The creative group, charged with creation of the project of the Order of Stalin, consisted of the most experienced people of the Mint. The artists N. Sokolov and A. Plastinin, the engraver A.Kozlov were not only to prepare different variants of the Order insignia but also to embody the image of the generalissimo of the Soviet Union in metal. The order of Stalin was supposed to take the place of the highest military award in the USSR rewarding system, substituting the Order of Victory during peace time.
With that the project of the Statute of the Order of Stalin did not exempt the possibility of awarding this Order to the big leaders of the national economy.
The creative group worked for about 4 months. At last ready samples of the Order were transported to Moscow. The director of the Mint P. Pirogov presented the new reward to J. Stalin himself. He liked the Order. As Pirogov recollected later, Stalin said: "Don't produce it now, and when I die - its up to you".
According to A. Kozlov, there were made several samples of the Order of Stalin all in all. They differed from each other only by there base relief of the leader. The samples of the award were made of gilded bronze.
After Stalins death on March 5 1953, the nortex of inner-Kremlin life events overwhelmed the Generalissimos associates. Fight for power, intrigues-they didn't care for the Order, it was simply forgotten.
The report by N. Khrushchev on the closest meeting of the XX-th CPSU Congress. On the cult of personality and its consequences. finally put the end to the project of this reward.
Art,
It’s easy. If you see on Ebay Order of Victory, how would you know if it’s original? Number of prototypes made was less than number of Orders of Victory.
Mint–mark means “copy”.
