Damaged, Repair, Clean, Preserve Soviet Awards And Documents.

[new world]

There's special acid for such purpose. Ask a jeweler, they should know.

William

[olezha11]

Thanks. Do you know what's the acid called?
PS: I need good jeweler, the one that won't mess up the order.

[Lapa]

Olezha,

Lead melts at a lower temperature than bronze, silver or gold. You can safely use a low-power soldering iron and a small vacuum desoldering pump to safely do the job.

Marc

[thenneberry]

What is the general effect on value for orders that have been repaired? For example, if you have equivalent orders, same type and variation, similar s/n and surface condition, but one has had the enamel professionally repaired and one hasn't, what is the general difference in value of the two pieces? I've searched the forum and found discussion on damaged enamel and cleaning methods for dirty medals but haven't found any discussion specifically on the effect on value ($$) of an order or medal that has had a repair done. Also, is it beneficial to have a cosmetic repair done as opposed to leaving an award in its original condition? I know that repairs in the world of antique furniture can have a dramatic negative effect on a piece's value (not that I own any antique furniture ). Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom

[Christophe]

Tom,

IMHO and as a collector only, (i.e. only buying an item for keeping it as part of my collection and not as an aim for selling it and taking profit); I would keep it in the condition I have found it, as this condition is generally part of his history. Of course, some repairs are fully acceptable... if they have been done by the veterans himself. I don't see the interest of buying an order fully restored... which coudn't be always the position I would take for an antique furniture .

Cheers.

Ch.

[thenneberry]

Thanks Christophe.

Perhaps some other folks might have some comments/opinions as well?

-Tom

[HuliganRS]

Tom,

It depends on the piece. Most collectors want the medal/order to be as close to mint as possible. If it's a rare piece, most collectors will settle on the best they can afford which may have damage.

Is there a particular order/medal you have in mind? What kind of damage are we talking about?

Rusty.

[Dave]

In my personal opinion (and I'm in the minority, I believe) I prefer my awards to show some wear on them. If a piece of enamel has been broken, and it's an old break (e.g. it has a dark patina on the silver where the enamel should have been) that's a-okay with me. There's not much better than getting a group with photos and seeing the veteran wearing that exact award with the broken enamel! That really connects you to the vet, in my opinion. Anyway, recent breaks are a different matter. Unless an award was in a group, I'd tend to stay away from them, unless it's a really rare award that you just have to own (if I found a posthumous OGPW with recently broken enamel, for instance, I'd still go to any length to buy it!)

About professional repairs... I'd personally rather see an award with the broken enamel than one professionally repaired, but that's just my opinion. I think it devalues the award a bit, and I don't think I'm alone in that opinion. At the same time, I found that orders that had other issues repaired raise up in value. For instance, I once bought a group that a previous owner had cut off the hanging loops on the awards. No clue why! I had all the loops repaired professionally and made an additional 25% when I sold the group simply because of the repair.

Just my opinion... I'd bet that if you put 5 Soviet collectors in a room together, you'd probably get 6 opinions on this subject....

Dave

[Christophe]

Hi Dave,

I globally agree with the points you stated.

Cheers.

Ch.

[ekclete]

Hello,
I have to agree with Dave. I like the items in my collection to show honest wear. In the circle of friends I collect with we refer to pieces with wear as salty.

I like to see wear patterns, nicks, dings, minor enamel damage are fine to me. In particular if I can trace the wear patterns to how it would have looked on a uniform. Like when medals are mounted on a ribbon bar; I like to see the medals a little marked from the natural clanking of the medals as the wearer walks.

Then again what Dave said, "Put five collectors in a room..."

Happy Hunting! Clete