How not to buy a uniform from E.

[vikingraider1]

I did contemplate putting this post in the Ebay Jokes thread but decided to use this as a case study on how not to buy a uniform from E, if anyone is interested.
Firstly the description by the seller is this:

“Good condition uniform of a 3 Star Colonel in Soviet Army - Justice Branch. Includes cap, tunic, trousers and shirt. Also includes the following medals;
Order of Patriotic War (2nd class).
Medals for 20th, 30th and 40th anniversaries of Victory in Patriotic War.
Medals for 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of Soviet Armed Forces.
Veteran Labour Medal.
Guards Badge (elite unit).
Lapel badges - emblem of justice branch of service.
Army Proficiency badge 2nd class - 1960s.
Extended service badge.
Parachutist - sportsman 3rd class.
I got this off a Russian in Poland in 1992, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. It is a genuine uniform - not a replica.”

Ok, that is the claim from the seller. Let’s compare this with the photograph.

Firstly the lapels on the tunic suggest that the uniform is in fact a conscripts M1969 parade tunic, not an officers tunic which has “V” cut outs rather than the “narrow slit” type lapels. There are no collar patches which heavily suggest that this uniform was never issued and the accoutrements have been added at a later date.
Secondly this uniform is supposed to represent a colonel of a justice formation. OK, presuming that this uniform is dated pre-1980, hard to tell as the date is not shown, the shoulder boards should have has white facings to signify an non-combatant unit. OK so let’s suppose it is later than 1980, the shoulder boards supplied with this uniform are in fact parade shoulder boards, worn only with the Wave Green parade uniform only, not this as it is supposedly a service uniform.
On the same subject, medals were not worn on any Khaki coloured uniforms after 1969, only medal ribbons so you can safely say that these medals were added to the uniform by the seller, not by the wearer.
On the subject of medals and badges, lets look at what is here:
Order of Patriotic War (2nd class).
Medals for 20th, 30th and 40th anniversaries of Victory in Patriotic War.
Medals for 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of Soviet Armed Forces.
Veteran Labour Medal.
Whilst not an unlikely combination there are some medals missing from there - notably the Victory over Germany or Japan medal. You can bet that the Order of Patriotic War (2nd class) is not original and has been added at a later date.
The badges on the left are also confusing. A Guards unit badge for a justice officer…unlikely to say the least. Extended service badge – not only in the wrong place but should not be worn on a (supposed) colonel’s uniform. Parachutist - sportsman 3rd class again for a justice officer – highly unlikely. Army Proficiency badge 2nd class - 1960s – never should be worn by an officer, it is for conscript NCOs and other ranks…a glaring mistake.
3 Star Colonel in Soviet Army- there was no such rank, the number of stars depicted a rank which in this case is simply Colonel or “Polkovnik” in Russian. The number of stars do not determine the rank title.
The cap bears a black branch of service emblem, totally conflicting with the Justice branch of service colour which was Red at this time.

This is just one example of a uniform being sold by an opportunist who knows little or nothing about Soviet Uniforms and proves that you have to be careful when starting out collecting uniforms. They can be cheap and there are bargains to be had but be careful. RESEARCH RESEARCH and more RESEARCH is the only remedy to not getting burnt when buying.
Oh and the asking price for the above lot? - £350 or £500 if you want to buy it now!!?? :confused: :(

[charlet]

what a price...another fooled guy trying to get rid of his stuff....