02-14-2008, 03:17 AM
To get such a badge is a real matter of longevity. There were several "thinning of the ranks" (not purges) in the 20's and early 30's where members were questioned about what they had done to further the party "recently" and if not sufficiently bold, had their memberships cancelled. Happened to Yeshov's wife if I recall, but she was reinstated for a while. Then there were the purges. So the badge shows up in approximately 1978. I have photos of Brezhnev receiving his as well as photos of his documents. (Maybe real?)(I will scan and photo when I can.) I stayed with photos on that one, because how many Brezhnev documents are out there? More than he ever had. The badge should be relatively inexpensive (except for his) - buy if it is, and may come with a document. I got one of those. Get one if you can, and like I did, buy interesting odd ball pieces.
