My Soviet Patch Collection

[pastfinder]

Originally Posted by Ser-g

what are those patches for ,

I'm not known with patches in any way.
but I'm always willing to learn.

Border Troops Foreign Observer (I think) patch, Border Guard Civil Defense, Red Cross.

I'm NOT 100% sure on what they mean since I don't have reference material...I'm going off what I have been told about them.

[DougD]

The patches are yours and you are the ultimate authority on what you are comfortable with. In my opinion the CCCP patches were made of original material but are totally for the bulk sales / fantasy market. I have never seen any reference to them other than on Ebay and other such outlets. I can find no mention of them in the Stepanov Guide, even though he covers UN observers and Border Troops patches; no where in the guide is there these 'CCCP' patches. They may have been real, but I'd like to see some support for them.

I am not sure why the Soviet Union would have a load of enlisted men foreign military observers for? Also, I am not sure what the source is for this? Perhaps it is true, but I have never heard it from a non-selling source.

As for the stamps, please see the thread about Fakes that I started and pasted; there is a lot in there about the use of stamps on reproduction items.

DougD

[pastfinder]

Originally Posted by DougD

The patches are yours and you are the ultimate authority on what you are comfortable with. In my opinion the CCCP patches were made of original material but are totally for the bulk sales / fantasy market. I have never seen any reference to them other than on Ebay and other such outlets. I can find no mention of them in the Stepanov Guide, even though he covers UN observers and Border Troops patches; no where in the guide is there these 'CCCP' patches. They may have been real, but I'd like to see some support for them.

I am not sure why the Soviet Union would have a load of enlisted men foreign military observers for? Also, I am not sure what the source is for this? Perhaps it is true, but I have never heard it from a non-selling source.

As for the stamps, please see the thread about Fakes that I started and pasted; there is a lot in there about the use of stamps on reproduction items.

DougD

DougD,

What's the link for the thread? Stepanov's book is great, but it has nothing on naval patches and is not as all-inclusive as we would like sadly. I don't disagree on the number of patches produced, I just have found that I have never seen a fake stamped on the back with production information. I realize the people making fakes are getting better and better (Third Reich decorations are getting near impossible to collect) but why fake something that sells for only a dollar or two? Hell, some of the patches people claim to be fakes can be bought for only $1 or two. Why fake something if you can't make any real profit on it? It just doesn't make sense.

I try to base what is real and not real on the reference material I can find, but also by comparing thread count, material, quality, back stampings, and price when determining what is real and fake. I acknowledge a few of the patches displayed in the original images are fake (and they have been removed) but in a way it's handy to have a fake for reference itself.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have answers on some of my questions as well as IDs on a few patches if they are real or fake.

[centaur32]

Gentlemen,

The markings, usually white, on the reverse of Soviet patches are prices, in Kopeks, and the number indicates the price. The hand-applied stamp, "ЦЕНА 0р - 19к", translates to, "Price 0 rubles - 19 kopeks". (See Attachments) Not all genuine patches are price-marked. I've never seen any other kind of stamp on the reverse of a Soviet patch. I, like Pastfinder', have never observed any repro Soviet patch with any kind of marking on the reverse.

Best regards and thanks for your attention,

Jim

[centaur32]

Gentlemen,

Here's some more current repro and fantasy Soviet patches. These patches do not conform to the "regulation", or standard size of Soviet patches. Unlike genuine Soviet patches, which are usually backed with khaki (OD), black, or grey fabric, these repro/fantasy patches are generally backed in either a very thin, cheap white synthetic fabric, or the very same type of black paper that backs most current RF patches.

Пока

Jim

[centaur32]

And more;

[centaur32]

Still more:

[54Bty]

Information please.

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by 54Bty

Information please.

Looks like an RusFed or Ukrainian unit patch.

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by Tretov

Looks like an RusFed or Ukrainian unit patch.

Agreed. Soviet it isn't.