Odds of receiving an order as a civilian

[PaulR]

I was just doing some thinking...

What were the odds of the average worker receiving an order at some point in his/her career? When someone received an ORBL or OBH, was it considered to be a pinnacle event in one's career, or were award ceremonies where these were presented fairly commonplace?

Regards
Paul

[CtahhR]

When you think about the Lenin Commemoratives, Socialist Competitions and Orders being awarded for long service it becomes highly likely that one was coming their way at some point. Just like civil servants in many other nations, Loyalty and reaching quotas usually gets rewarded.

When you get long service awards for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 (and more) years service you can soon get weighed down.

Opinion about them will be down to the individual as anywhere. Some will think it is the greatest thing that ever happened to them others will have just seen the award as something else cluttering up a drawer.

[PaulR]

I was thinking the same until I looked at the serial numbers on the backs of these orders and starting thinking about numbers. IF everyone received at least one, there would be tens of millions of OBH and ORB... In the Soviet Union, could people move around from job to job or did they have to stay in the same career field for a lifetime? Unless certain individuals were total dirtbags, just about everyone would make a significant contribution at some point eventually.

[Tretov]

The fairly common "Veteran of Labor" was issued in about 36 million pieces - but how many were eligible to receive it being part of the labor force during the time? Quite often, when at military fairs and other occasions where more or less educated people gather, Soviet awards are looked upon as nicknacks that everyone got. I usually laugh it off, but to be honest, this general opinion is annoying and degrading to the recipients of the awards as well as to the serious collector. Considering the number of citizens in the USSR over the years, everyone did certainly not get a medal.

[CtahhR]

Indeed they didn't (well state award at least) but if you look at percentage of the population that received an award it is higher than outside the Soviet sphere. If in one state 0.1% of civilians receive an award they will be seen by the collecting community as a whole usually as a "rare" award compared to a nation where 1% got "showered" with awards.

It has to be remembered that as well as the State Orders and Medals there were ministerial Medals and Badges that often negated the need for a state award.