"Honest Deed" Medal.

[medals73]

Created 24 February 1959 for life saving and the protection of public property from fires, floods, and other natural disasters as well as for fighting crime and the preservation of the public order. The first award went to an eleven year old schoolgirl who saved three children from a fire.

(Unrukh, pp. 168-76)

It is one of those medals where knowing the stories behind them would be absolutely fascinating.

Strangely, for a socialist, athiest, and in any case non-Christian State, the first type of this medal had an obverse dominated by a red cross on a blue background.

Urnukh's research has revealed the initial order (1-500) of these medals in 1959. In 1964, an additional 100 medals were ordreed from Moscow (501-600). Within these orders, however, there seems to have been considerable manufacturing and design variability. Urnukh has records of observed Type 1 serial numbers from 5 to 517, but these aren't broken down by variety (and his typology doesn't match mine). Tentatively:

Type 1.1 -- Cross design on the obverse, painted, stamped serial number (observed serial number range 10-76 -- #76 shown below) -- this is Urnukh's Type 1.2.

Type 1.2 -- Cross design, enameled, leaves enameled green, stamped serial number (only one specimen observed, 13) -- this is Urnukh's Type 1.4.

Type 1.3 -- Cross design, enameled, stamped serial number (observed serial number range 249-381) -- this is Urnukh's Type 1.1.

Type 1.4 -- Cross design, enameled, hand-engraved serial number (I have no reports of this one, but I would guess it might be the 501-600 batch?) -- This is Urnukh's Type 1.3.