07-25-2015, 05:49 PM
That is a very difficult question to answer simply.
There are original and awarded items, unissued accidental overstock, unissued deliberate overstock and complete fakes.
As the production of Russian medals have been opened up to contracts for a great deal of the awards there is of course a vast variation in legitimate items. One very quick and easy way to tell if an item is a "deliberate overstock" piece it will have a "Chelznak" Kolodka. Almost all officially produced Commemorative Medals (and many other Medals) can be purchased from the officially contracted company without blank documents for ~$3 and with the blank document for about $1 more.
There is no decisive answer to this question but the best way to know an item is really the real deal is to get an awarded piece. Although there are many cases of the overstock documents being filled in to order.
Be careful and don't waste your money is pretty much the advise here. Certainly don't part with more than $10 for anything "overstock".
A very complicated yet lucrative issue.
That's without going into fakes or "organisational awards".
Here is an example of the official contract http://soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-bl...post249912. The later Variation with a rather different finish and different size emblem on the reverse were made just for collectors and could be bought from a losing contract bidder for ~$3 each.
There are original and awarded items, unissued accidental overstock, unissued deliberate overstock and complete fakes.
As the production of Russian medals have been opened up to contracts for a great deal of the awards there is of course a vast variation in legitimate items. One very quick and easy way to tell if an item is a "deliberate overstock" piece it will have a "Chelznak" Kolodka. Almost all officially produced Commemorative Medals (and many other Medals) can be purchased from the officially contracted company without blank documents for ~$3 and with the blank document for about $1 more.
There is no decisive answer to this question but the best way to know an item is really the real deal is to get an awarded piece. Although there are many cases of the overstock documents being filled in to order.
Be careful and don't waste your money is pretty much the advise here. Certainly don't part with more than $10 for anything "overstock".
A very complicated yet lucrative issue.
That's without going into fakes or "organisational awards".
Here is an example of the official contract http://soviet-awards.com/forum/soviet-bl...post249912. The later Variation with a rather different finish and different size emblem on the reverse were made just for collectors and could be bought from a losing contract bidder for ~$3 each.
"Signed with his own rubber stamp"
