Fake Order And Medal Booklets

[desantnik]

No, entry corresponds with medal "For Valiant Labor".

[MONDVOR]

Oh, I think I found what is the problem. Did you mean the right side of the book? OK, just turn few pages and there would be a description for Valiant Labor. The regulations and statutes are described one after another and started with Valor.

[Sergei]

MONDVOR, of course you are right. I forgot these are not single-medal books :banghead Sergei.

[UQWozza]

I picked this order booklet up quite cheaply with a guarantee of return if unhappy.

I would value your expert opinions as to whether this looks OK.

The book is a 1946 model, quite tatty and smells old.

Thanks,

Simon

[desantnik]

Simon, I don't like it. The entries look like they could possibly be bleached. The Lenin should have been awarded in the early 50's, and at that time, more than likely the recipient would have received a new book for the Lenin - not just a new entry in an old award booklet. I also don't like the appearance of the Order of Lenin stamp - letters look a little strange.

Any other opinions?

Also, in the off event these are both long service awards, a Red Banner would have been awarded after the RS, about the early 50's, and thus the Lenin would have been awarded even later, with presumably a higher s/n.

[Soviet]

Does this order book looks legit to you?

Some entries look fishy to me. :thumbsdown

[Lapa]

Soviet,

If you like them wet... ;)

Marc

[desantnik]

At a minimum, the last two Red Banner entries definitely look false.

[Soviet]

I thought the 2 entries written in "black" were fake as well. The CSM and one of the the Red Star.

[Eryk]

Getting small, wartime groups I’m always suspicious of multiple inks in a single medal or order book. Of course some vets had their documents updated over time, but: a) many were mustered out after the war, and their book had no call to be updated because they never received any more awards or b) new documents were issued instead of updating the old.

Of those that were legitimately updated most follow a distinct pattern – either long service awards (in the proper order) or post-war wound awards. (Which this does for award 2 and 3, though the s/n range should be checked to see if they fall in the long service range.)

The multiple ink weirdness for multiple awards in order books, of which this is a great example, mean that, if legitimate, the vet:

1) Got the initial award, and had the book filled out in 1946.
2) Got another award, but didn’t bother to have the book updated.
3) Got a third award, and then went in to have the book updated.
4) Got the fourth and fifth awards, but again couldn’t be bothered to get the book updated.
5) But when he got the sixth award, then he went in and had the book updated.

Granted anything could have happened – the 2nd-3rd award and 4th-6th awards may have been issued at the same times, he really did wait to get it updated as above, etc, etc, etc. But possible does not mean probable. IMO it’s probably bogus.