Strange Overcoat....

[Will]

Just acquired this at a flea market for very little money.
The seller said that he brought it out of the former Soviet Union in 1992. I do know that he traveled back and forth to the FSU several times in the early 1990's.
He thought that it had been used in one of the anniversary parades to represent some kind of early Red Army soldier.
It might well have been, since it definitely seems to be a modern re-creation of an early overcoat, but it looks to me as though it was "tarted up" with the Lenin pins on the collar tabs, the stars on the shoulders, and the big sickle and hammer on the front.
I would also note that it has the ribbon for the 20th anniversary of the 1945 victory sewn to the coat in a bow.
Any thoughts on this thing, guys?

[Will]

Three more photos....

[ph3s]

overcoat is OK i believe, rest and I mean absolutely everything is for Brazil carnival

[Esteban_cool]

Take off all the red stuff and badges from that overcoat and you may even raise its value! :D

[Jeffrey Meffert]

I agree with esteban. You could get some H&S buttons online and turn it into a proper enlisted overcoat. Or you could leave all the red stuff on it and wear it to parties. The Marshal size stars on the shoulders are especially impressive.

[deValcourt]

I've seen a similar coat on ePay but the only "clownish" item on the one I saw was the ridiculous H&S near the bottom of the coat.

To me, this means that somebody is making (or made) more than one of these.:(

Phillip

[Will]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Meffert

I agree with esteban. You could get some H&S buttons online and turn it into a proper enlisted overcoat. Or you could leave all the red stuff on it and wear it to parties. The Marshal size stars on the shoulders are especially impressive.

Well, I've never been one of those who think it amusing to wear a uniform as a costume.

A friend of mine just saw the coat. He told me that when he was in St. Petersburg several years ago he saw a theatrical troupe conduct a comedy performance in which a "Soviet" character wore a coat very much like this one. That may explain the exaggerated sickle and hammer and shoulder stars: bigger and more obvious is funnier.

Now, having confirmed the theatrical nature of the thing I will most likely strip it, replace the buttons with Imperial-era, and use it on a mannequin display for the representation of an early bolshevik, Moisin-Nagant in hand.

[Tretov]

Is the hammer and sickle painted onto the coat or sewn?

[Will]

Originally Posted by Tretov

Is the hammer and sickle painted onto the coat or sewn?

They are separate pieces of fabric sewn to the coat.