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Democratic People's Republic Of Korea 조선민주주의인민공화국 9th September 1948 -

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Old 05-31-2011, 03:50 PM   #1
CtahhR
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DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay".

Here is a list I have compiled of prices you should be expecting to pay to be able to include DPRK items into your ever growing collections. I have spent a considerable time studying and participating in the market and I believe the prices I have put to items are very reasonable. Sometimes things will sell for more than the price I have stated and some times far less but these are what I believe to be very sound prices for the items. The prices I have put on as what I have paid are all prices within the last 10 months, it would be easy for me to say "you could get a double digit Hero star for 3 Mars bars and a carton of smokes in Pusan in 1952" but the market is a changing beast. These prices as also taking in to consideration that the DPRK currently has an isolated market, when (and I don't mean if) the market of northern Korea is open to the whole world and can freely trade with all nations most prices will collapse. Photographs and Films of DPRK parades certainly suggest that there are considerable numbers of awards out there - just not on the open market yet. Currently most DPRK awards and other items finding their way onto the market come from the northern North Pyongan Province as this province shares a border with China. Of all the 900+ DPRK items in my collection nearly everything has come from addresses in the People's Republic Of China within an hour's travel from the Yalu river. Less than two dozen of the items have come from elsewhere in the world. I have obtained a large sum of knowledge on the trade of items out of the DPRK which I am keeping under my hat but I know that many people would not be so happy with their DPRK items if they knew their history. As with the rest of the world, the right money can buy you anything you want as long as you don't ask questions. As discussed before animal blood on the awards is maybe one of the least "troubling" concerns.
I have not listed prices for everything as I either don't feel the need to put a price or I have not experienced the item on the open market and therefore am not in a place to make comments on prices. Middle men can REALLY hike prices up and if you are not vigilant you can be taken for a ride. There are also fakes out there and where I have noticed fakes on the market of a particular item I have mentioned it by the price. I'm always looking to buy DPRK items for FUN and not only do I never buy any awards for "investments" (as I don't sell anything), I also strongly advise everyone to NOT make "investments" in DPRK items as it will not end well. There are lots and lots of DPRK awards locked up to keep prices inflated - Buyer Beware!


Hero Stars,
Hero Of The Republic Numbered $400 (Gold plated silver)
Hero Of The Republic Unnumbered $120 (None are for combat) (Fakes on market)
Hero Of Labour Numbered $350 (Gold plated silver)
Hero Of Labour Unnumbered $110 (Fakes on market)

Orders,
Order Of Kim Il-Sung Type 1 $300
Order Of Kim Il-Sung Type 2 $200
Order Of The National Flag 1st Class Screwback Soviet production $200
Order Of The National Flag 1st Class Screwback Non-Soviet production $100
Order Of The National Flag 1st Class Pinback Numbered $25 $30
Order Of The National Flag 1st Class Pinback Unnumbered $12 $20
Order Of The National Flag 2nd Class Screwback Soviet production $120
Order Of The National Flag 2nd Class Screwback Non-Soviet production $80
Order Of The National Flag 2nd Class Horizontal Pinback $50
Order Of The National Flag 2nd Class Vertical Pinback Numbered $7 $12
Order Of The National Flag 2nd Class Vertical Pinback Unnumbered $4 $7
Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class Screwback Soviet production $30
Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class Screwback Non-Soviet production $20
Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class Horizontal Pinback $6 $8
Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class Vertical Pinback Numbered $3 $3.50
Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class Vertical Pinback Unnumbered $1.50 $3
Order Of Korean Labour (Soviet Design) Soviet production $120
Order Of Korean Labour (Soviet Design) Non-Soviet production $75
Order Of Korean Labour (Korean Design) $4 $7
Order Of Freedom And Independence 1st Class Soviet Production $300
Order Of Freedom And Independence 1st Class Non-Soviet Production $200
Order Of Freedom And Independence 2nd Class Soviet Production $120
Order Of Freedom And Independence 2nd Class Non-Soviet production $25
Order Of Soldier's Honour 1st Class Soviet production $80
Order Of Soldier's Honour 1st Class Non-Soviet production $8
Order Of Soldier's Honour 2nd Class Soviet production $40
Order Of Soldier's Honour 2nd Class Non-Soviet production $2 $3.50
Order Of Military Service Honour 1st Class $12 $18
Order Of Military Service Honour 2nd Class $5 $8
Order Of Military Service Honour 3rd Class $1 $2.50
Order Of Military Engineering Service Honour 10 Years $4 $8
Order Of Military Engineering Service Honour 20 Years $6 $12
Order Of Military Engineering Service Honour 30 Years $8 $15
Order Of Fishery Service Honour 1st Class $18
Order Of Fishery Service Honour 2nd Class $12
Order Of Colliery Service Honour 1st Class $6 $8
Order Of Colliery Service Honour 2nd Class $5 $7
Order Of Colliery Service Honour 3rd Class $4 $5
Order Of The Banner Of The Three Great Revolutions $2.50 $4
Order Of Railway Service Honour 1st Class $30
Order Of Railway Service Honour 2nd Class $25
Order Of Railway Service Honour 3rd Class $20
Order Of DPRK Friendship 1st Class (Complete with neck and breast stars and cased) $300 $500
Order Of DPRK Friendship 2nd Class (Complete with neck and breast stars and cased) $200 $300
Order Of Education Service Honour 1st Class $30
Order Of Education Service Honour 2nd Class $25
Order Of Education Service Honour 3rd Class $20

Commemorative Orders,
"Anniversary Of The People's Army" Screwback $18
"Anniversary Of The People's Army" Pinback $10 $12
"20th Anniversary Of The Foundation Of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea" Numbered $12 $14
"Foundation Of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea" $6 $8
"40th Anniversary Of Fatherland Liberation War Victory" $4 $5
"5th March" $30 $40
"Capital Construction" $20
"30th Anniversary Of The Agricultural Presentation" $60 $80
"60th Anniversary Of The People's Army" $7 $10
"50th Anniversary Of The Foundation Of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea" $12
"60th Anniversary Of The Foundation Of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea" $30

Medals,
Medal For Military Merits Numbered $12
Medal For Military Merits (Standing Soldier with flag type) unnumbered $2 (Fakes on market)
Medal For Military Merits (Top half of soldier type) $1 $2
Medal For Merits $1 $2
Medal For Military Service Honour $3 $5
Medal For Agricultural Merits $5 $7
Medal Of DPRK Friendship $40 $70

Commemorative Medals,
"For The Liberation Of Korea" $30
"Great Fatherland War 1950-1953" $12 (Fakes on market)
"Participation In The Fatherland Liberation War 1950-1953" $7 $12 (Fakes on market)
"20th Anniversary Of The General Association Of Korean Residents In Japan" $30 $80
"The Foundation Of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea" $2 $4
"Fatherland Liberation" $2 $4
"40th Anniversary Of Korean Liberation War Victory" $30
"Capital Construction" $8 $12
"Pyongyang-Nampho Highway Construction" $8 $12
"60th Anniversary Of The People's Army" $12 $15
"Kumgang Power Plant Dam Construction" $14 $20
"Military Parade" $12

Sports Medals (Such as the 65th Birthday Of Kim Il-Sung race etc.) $7 each

Badges,
Guards Badge Type 1 $15
Guards Badge Type 2 Screwback $6 $8
Guards Badge Type 2 Vertical Pinback $5 $6
Guards Badge Type 2 Horizontal Pinback $4
Cholima Honour Badge $30
Cholima Badge Numbered $8
Cholima Badge Unnumbered $1
Kim Il-Sung Universary Graduation Badge Rhomb $1
Korean People's Army Paratrooper Badge $6
The DPRK Central People's Committee Kim Il-Sung Guard Badge $5
"Exemplary Soldier/Police" Badges $4 each
"Kim" Badges (Flags, circles, etc.) $8 each
"Banner Unit" Screwback $7
"Banner Unit" Pinback $2 $4
"Flower" Badges $1

Cases,
Basic plastic cases $2 each
Custom fit cases (wood or plastic) 10% of the value of the award to a minimum of $8.

Award Documents,
Any document with any sort of modification $1
Unmodified documents without photograph $5
Unmodified documents with photograph $8

Uniforms,
Army Enlisted $15
Army Officer (Up to and including Major) $20
Navy Enlisted $25
Navy Officer (Up to and including Commander) $30
Belt Buckles $5 $8
Cap Badges $1 $3
Collar/Shoulder Insignia Badges $1 (Pair)
DPRK Helmet (Different rivets to the Soviet helmet) $25
Order/Medal ribbon bars $1 $2 per ribbon.
DPRK Award watches $25 (Fakes on market)

Any items not mentioned, feel welcome to ask in this thread.

Last edited by CtahhR; 08-13-2012 at 02:04 PM.
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Old 06-01-2011, 12:34 PM   #2
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

I'm not a DPRK collector but do have some items in my collection (at some point I hope to post a documented DPRK-USSR-Mongolia-Czech-Lao-Vietnam group i have). I'll be honest, i'm amazed at the low prices in your list (compare to e.g. new jersey dealers website)... not so much for the "low end" awards, but for the "top end" awards.

Example: "Order Of Korean Labour (Soviet Design) Soviet production $120"

If that's the order I think it is (the beauty! over 3k USD on jersey dealer site) - I'll happily offer 150 USD for anyone who wants to sell one!
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Old 06-01-2011, 01:28 PM   #3
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

Like I've said... "Middle man". I paid $200 for my Order Of Freedom And Independence 1st Class and on that page it's $6000, I could offer mine for sale at $6000 too but that doesn't mean that is a fair price for it. On average the prices on the site are 1000% the market value. If you shop around you will soon see this site is VASTLY overpriced on DPRK items. On everyone's favourite auction site I saw a Soviet made, cased Order of the National Flag 1st Class sell for a few dollars over $200 earlier this year - A fair price considering it had it's original case etc. on that site they want $6500 for one, once again not a fair price. If someone was willing to pay the prices there for my DPRK items I'd sell them all immediately as a job lot and buy up ten times as much direct from the Yalu river in person. Their Hero Of Labour is a type 2 and they want $2400 for it, Mine is a type 1 and I paid $324 delivered. Am I living in some fantasy world or are they? I wonder.... Just think how much money I've blown through if I've been paying those prices for the items attached to that display. Isn't it most likely I've been paying the prices I've stated? and if I can pay them anyone can.

As I have also said you will get the best deals "round back", many dealers do not like to "discredit" their name by overtly offering DPRK items for sale. Seek and ye shall find!

The prices on that site remind me of a Jamaican woman from Kingston who was on Antiques Roadshow a long time ago, She had this teapot wrapped up and was saying how she had never seen one before and how it was the only one on the island of Jamaica and it was so rare and valuable and the expert just said "Yorkshire Teapot - everyone in England has one - $10 Jamaican" and the woman was heartbroken. Just because something is unfamiliar doesn't make it rare or valuable.

When the situation in the Korean peninsula changes and not only does their market open up but the Chinese dealers open up their vast reserves of DPRK items you will be VERY familiar with DPRK items haemorrhaging onto the markets. Time will tell.
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Old 06-01-2011, 02:00 PM   #4
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob View Post
I'm not a DPRK collector but do have some items in my collection (at some point I hope to post a documented DPRK-USSR-Mongolia-Czech-Lao-Vietnam group i have). I'll be honest, i'm amazed at the low prices in your list (compare to e.g. new jersey dealers website)... not so much for the "low end" awards, but for the "top end" awards.

Example: "Order Of Korean Labour (Soviet Design) Soviet production $120"

If that's the order I think it is (the beauty! over 3k USD on jersey dealer site) - I'll happily offer 150 USD for anyone who wants to sell one!
That dealer is not precisely the most valid reference on prices, for it seems he lives in a parallel reality. :D

But I agree that some of the awards' market price (Ebay for me as I don´t have another source) is a bit higher. However, most of the prices for low-end awards I think they´re quite accurate.

Thanks CtahhR for the list!:thumbsup
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And the parting on the left
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Old 06-01-2011, 05:01 PM   #5
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

Quote:
Originally Posted by CtahhR View Post
Like I've said... "Middle man". I paid $200 for my Order Of Freedom And Independence 1st Class and on that page it's $6000, I could offer mine for sale at $6000 too but that doesn't mean that is a fair price for it. On average the prices on the site are 1000% the market value. If you shop around you will soon see this site is VASTLY overpriced on DPRK items. On everyone's favourite auction site I saw a Soviet made, cased Order of the National Flag 1st Class sell for a few dollars over $200 earlier this year - A fair price considering it had it's original case etc. on that site they want $6500 for one, once again not a fair price. If someone was willing to pay the prices there for my DPRK items I'd sell them all immediately as a job lot and buy up ten times as much direct from the Yalu river in person. Their Hero Of Labour is a type 2 and they want $2400 for it, Mine is a type 1 and I paid $324 delivered. Am I living in some fantasy world or are they? I wonder.... Just think how much money I've blown through if I've been paying those prices for the items attached to that display. Isn't it most likely I've been paying the prices I've stated? and if I can pay them anyone can.

As I have also said you will get the best deals "round back", many dealers do not like to "discredit" their name by overtly offering DPRK items for sale. Seek and ye shall find!

The prices on that site remind me of a Jamaican woman from Kingston who was on Antiques Roadshow a long time ago, She had this teapot wrapped up and was saying how she had never seen one before and how it was the only one on the island of Jamaica and it was so rare and valuable and the expert just said "Yorkshire Teapot - everyone in England has one - $10 Jamaican" and the woman was heartbroken. Just because something is unfamiliar doesn't make it rare or valuable.

When the situation in the Korean peninsula changes and not only does their market open up but the Chinese dealers open up their vast reserves of DPRK items you will be VERY familiar with DPRK items haemorrhaging onto the markets. Time will tell.
Thanks for sharing much insight in this section, very much appreciated.

Just wondering, why would the chinese hold on to stocks of DPRK awards if they know it'll collapse in value once the source starts to leak massively?
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Old 06-01-2011, 05:30 PM   #6
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esteban_cool View Post
That dealer is not precisely the most valid reference on prices,
true, but i've found that applying a discount factor to his prices typically gives me a reasonable estimate of the real market price
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Old 06-01-2011, 06:05 PM   #7
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

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Originally Posted by Bob View Post
true, but i've found that applying a discount factor to his prices typically gives me a reasonable estimate of the real market price
Like, 100% or 150% to start? :D
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There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

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Old 06-01-2011, 06:07 PM   #8
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

So . . . he pays you to take his medals? That I could afford.
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Old 06-01-2011, 09:03 PM   #9
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

If I offer 1 item for sale at any one time, say for example a Soviet screwback Order Of The National Flag 3rd Class, I can say that it is the ONLY one I have ever seen and hurry and buy it because it is uniquely rare etc. etc.. This causes panic buying and I can charge almost anything for it. The reality is I have a stack of them, BUT if I offered them all at once and flooded the market I couldn't charge a king's ransom for it. This is why relativity few are offered at any one time. The Chinese dealers scooping up these awards as soon as they cross the Yalu know there are large quantities of the items and are manipulating the market accordingly. The former dealer I bought a large stock from was in a quite rush to dispose of the DPRK items as fast as possible, maybe they know something about the political situation that we do not. Now why can the Chinese dealers afford to sit on these items with the prospect of the market completely collapsing on them? Very easy answer, They have already profited on the "unique" items so much that they are WELL into profit and it is worth taking a chance that the DPRK's closed market will be closed long enough to sell another set of "unique" items. The political situation is complicated to say the least and the relationship between the PRC and the DPRK is different once again. The Chinese are very good at storing and saving and DPRK items are just another commodity in their vault as they have nearly a 100% monopoly on DPRK awards. ALL DPRK awards on any market today with the exception of; A, Awards awarded to Allied forces (Other than China who got the lion's share) and B, Awards "captured" by United Nations forces during the Korean war (Mainly before MacArthur was sacked as the KPA played a minor role to the PLA). That probably doesn't amount to 1% of the total awards. The Soviet made Orders were awarded after Chinese participation in the Korean War so are far less likely to be unmonopolised. Almost all of the Orders, Medals and Badges are out there somewhere usually not on display. I don't know how long we'll have to wait to see them all but we will one day no doubt. For now we can just enjoy the few items that we can get without being shafted by a middle man really upping the prices because frankly a dollar goes a LONG way. If there were a database for DPRK award numbers in "western" hands you would find that we have only just begun to scratch the surface.
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Old 07-19-2011, 05:41 PM   #10
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Re: DPRK Prices "How Much To Pay"

CtahhR, what about the award + case + ribbon bar sets? How much should we add to each award to know a proper price on these?

Thanks.
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There's nothing in the streets
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And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

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