10-18-2010, 04:03 PM
There are food products of various types that the DPRK exports. It made a decision that the export of certain food products, and the hard currency that it receives for it, is more important than getting those same products to its own people.
As for values or prices, I did not mean to suggest that no DPRK award, other than Soviet-made examples, should not be valued at over $100. My point was simply that there really is no appropriate gauge for values at this point in time other than, as always, what someone is willing to pay. It seems to me to be difficult to ascribe great value to a current Order of Freedom and Independence, first class, when they have been repeatedly appearing on Ebay and the prices realized have been steadily dropping.
On the other hand, there are still a number of more recent DPRK awards that have yet to appear for sale (anywhere that I have looked) and which I would certainly value at in excess of $100. These would include the Order of Friendship, the Orders of Freedom and Independence or National Flag in their versions as a neck decoration with collar; as well as the Order of Kim Il Sung (first or second version) the Order of the Anniversary of the Chosun Soren Foundation, and a number of others.
But the bottom line with the DPRK awards is the same as with any type of collectible of any kind:
They are worth only what someone is willing to pay for them, nothing more.
If you have a Soviet Hero Star that you paid $5,000 for, and you take it to a car dealer and offer it to him for a $5,000 credit on a new car, will you get it?
The only real, tangible benefit to collecting anything is the pleasure that it gives. If at some point we can sell something from out collection for more than we paid, all the better.
As for values or prices, I did not mean to suggest that no DPRK award, other than Soviet-made examples, should not be valued at over $100. My point was simply that there really is no appropriate gauge for values at this point in time other than, as always, what someone is willing to pay. It seems to me to be difficult to ascribe great value to a current Order of Freedom and Independence, first class, when they have been repeatedly appearing on Ebay and the prices realized have been steadily dropping.
On the other hand, there are still a number of more recent DPRK awards that have yet to appear for sale (anywhere that I have looked) and which I would certainly value at in excess of $100. These would include the Order of Friendship, the Orders of Freedom and Independence or National Flag in their versions as a neck decoration with collar; as well as the Order of Kim Il Sung (first or second version) the Order of the Anniversary of the Chosun Soren Foundation, and a number of others.
But the bottom line with the DPRK awards is the same as with any type of collectible of any kind:
They are worth only what someone is willing to pay for them, nothing more.
If you have a Soviet Hero Star that you paid $5,000 for, and you take it to a car dealer and offer it to him for a $5,000 credit on a new car, will you get it?
The only real, tangible benefit to collecting anything is the pleasure that it gives. If at some point we can sell something from out collection for more than we paid, all the better.
