10-18-2008, 12:18 AM
Re collection of Imperial awards and disposal, there are two versions of disposal. Some Imperial items were sold by the Soviets. In DC there is the Hillwood Museum, former home of Marjorie Mariweather Post, wife to the US ambassador to the Soviet Union, Davies from the 30's, former wife to E.F. Hutton the Wall Street Gazillionaire, and also heiress to the CW Post fortune. She as wife to the ambassador was able to get licenses for export (for a fee) of imperial "stuff" that she liked, including Faberge and other material. They have on display two imperial eggs at the museum, and a nice collection of imperial orders. They have a quite impressive collection of the plate settings from the imperial order dinner services made for each of the orders for Catherine the Great.
M.M. Post also had a number of orders that she obtained in a similar fashion including Vladimir, George et al. SO orders might be melted or made available to the international market. It is known that Armand Hammer (head of Occidental Petroleum) obtained licence to manufacture pencils in Soviet Russia and in return also obtained license to export "unwanted" materials that could inprove the Soviet coffers.
So the orders collected were originally largely destroyed. But when it became known that they had international value, they also were sold into the international market.
There is a wonderful, cartoon from that era of a street sweeper sweeping up imperial orders. But if you have someone willing to pay you to haul away your "trash" well the Soviets were certainly willing to accept hard currency for what they considered trash at the time.
M.M. Post also had a number of orders that she obtained in a similar fashion including Vladimir, George et al. SO orders might be melted or made available to the international market. It is known that Armand Hammer (head of Occidental Petroleum) obtained licence to manufacture pencils in Soviet Russia and in return also obtained license to export "unwanted" materials that could inprove the Soviet coffers.
So the orders collected were originally largely destroyed. But when it became known that they had international value, they also were sold into the international market.
There is a wonderful, cartoon from that era of a street sweeper sweeping up imperial orders. But if you have someone willing to pay you to haul away your "trash" well the Soviets were certainly willing to accept hard currency for what they considered trash at the time.
