01-11-2012, 05:00 PM
Greg Collins Wrote:I'd add Ralph Pickard's masterwork (volume 2 on the way).
It's taken a while, but Ralph Pickard's second volume is finally here:
Frontline Historical Publishing - Cold War & Militaria Books
I received an early issue just today and am taken aware by the comprehensive nature of the volume, photography, and explanations of material presented.
Pagination on the book continues from the first and goes through 597 pages - more than anyone would want to know about Stasi collectibles. This volume features DDR and foreign award documents, the Dzierzynski Wachregiment, other DDR organizations such as FDJ, Juridicial school of the MfS, Dynamo, KGB badges (YES KGB BADGES AND DOCS AS WELL AS OTHER SOVIET AND WARSAW PACT FOREIGN AWARDINGS), wax seals, retirement documents, Soviet veteran badges, and Mouseketeer stickpins (kidding on the last item). Additionally, there are lots of period photos obscuring former Stasi members' identities and background information such as organizational charts to put the organization and era into context for all you young whippersnappers who don't remember the Cold War or what evil bastards the Stasi actually were.
Elements of Ralph's collection were displayed at CIA HQ and with sensational items like Mielke's Karl Marx Orden (KMO) and document, a better survey would be hard to find, even in the former DDR.
In short, if you are smitten by the DDR, Stasi, or even Warsaw Pact items in general, this is the book for you. My hat goes off to Ralph and I want to encourage you budding Ralphs out there who have written me with ideas to get off your tuckusses. Seize the moment!
**For purposes of full disclosure, I was unexpectedly and graciously included in the initial acknowledgments, however this reflects my personal review and was not prompted by the author.
