Oviet Order of the Red Banner, #287919. This is GUARANTEED 100% ORIGINAL, WW2 era Soviet military award made at the Soviet Mint and officially bestowed by the Soviet Government – Not a replica or reissue! Made in SOLID SILVER with gold plating and beautiful quality “hot baked” enamels. The medallion measures 46.2 mm tall (including the eyelet), 37.7 mm wide, and weighs 26.3 grams not including the suspension and connecting link. The reference guide “The Order of the Red Banner” by Durov & Strekalov states that this piece was among the series manufactured in mid-1945 at the Krasnokamsk Mint (this was a major part of the Leningrad Mint which had been evacuated into the Soviet interior just before Leningrad was completely cut off by the Germans and continued to produce awards through the rest of the war). According to the Durov and Strekalov classification, this particular version of the order is Type 4, Variation 1. It features rounded overall shape and a single line mint mark with each word stamped by a separate stamp. Unlike many other Soviet awards, the Order of the Red Banner (sometimes called Combat Red Banner) was a strictly military decoration. Moreover, in the official Soviet award hierarchy it was second only to the Order of Lenin! Judging by the serial number, this particular piece was almost for sure awarded in late 1944 note that as was often the case during the war, this award was probably bestowed by an official decree well before it was actually handed to its recipient or even before it was manufactured! The award is in VERY NICE condition for a WW2 Soviet decoration! Looks great overall although there is damage to enamel visible in our enlarged photos: chips to the arms of the little star in the center, and also a small surface flake to the banner at the upper edge, above the first letters of the inscription. There are also some tiny flakes to the plaque with CCCP that are practically unnoticeable to the naked eye. The white enamel is perfect. Despite these relatively minor problems, most of the enamel is still intact and it retains very nice luster. There details of the wreath are perfect and crisp, and the fire gilt finish on the wreath is clearly visible. The order comes on Original suspension device, a WW2 double-layered model in steel with self-locking pin. The ribbon is relatively recent (Soviet war veterans proudly wore their actual awards on frequent occasions not just the ribbon bars and therefore routinely replaced the ribbons). The connecting link between the badge and the suspension is original and hasnt been cut. All in all, this is a great looking historic WW2 piece and can be an excellent addition to a serious collection of Soviet awards or WW2 decorations in general. Dont miss your chance! – please don’t ask. The item “Soviet ORDER of RED BANNER Low#287919 WW2 ISSUE Russian USSR Military medal Orig” is in sale since Thursday, August 20, 2015. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\WW II (1939-45)\Original Period Items\Russia\Medals, Pins & Ribbons”. The seller is “wwwcollectrussia” and is located in Tenafly, New Jersey. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Country: Soviet Union
- Category: Collectibles
- Original or Reproduction: Original
- Region or Culture: Russian