Collecting v. History

[DougD]

Just curious ( have a break here at work); did you get into Soviet collecting ( medals, orders, uniforms, etc.) and then get into Soviet history, or were you into Soviet / Russian history first, and then get into collecting 'evil empire' items?

DD

[ericlida]

I came from former Soviet Union to the US 14 years ago. I lived in the USSR for most of my life (37 years). The history of this country is a part of my life. I studied it at the school. I lived there and was a part of this country and life. For me collecting Soviet medal, orders and badges it’s a reminder of my previous life, learning more about this country (the information I was getting in 70-80th was different).

Eric

[Mozzabloke]

hmm..... which came first the chicken or the egg?

I have always been interested in WW1 & WW2. But I think I was hooked onto medals when I got My Great Grandads WW1 medals (he died in the somme). One day I was looking around ebay and the Soviet awards grabbed my eye and I havent looked back since. I didnt realise at the time but Soviet ww2 orders are the only researchable orders from that period...bonus!

Collecting Soviet awards has definately made me study ww2 even more particularly the Eastern front.

Curious to hear everyone elses comments.

Mark

[Stephende]

In grade school ( 3rd or 4th grade I think)we were asked to write what we thought the newly released Simon and Garfunkel song "sounds of silence" was about. My reply talked about the enslaved people behind the Iron Curtain trying to be free. I only got a C - never did forgive that teacher either. I guess you could say that I have always been interested in geopolitics and history. I came to medals via my interest in the language and literature.

[HuliganRS]

Since I had 3 members of the family fight in the war naturally I was interested. One of my grandfathers burned alive in a tank and the other two came back so I heard stories since as long as I can remember. WWII history and pride was also a part of everyone’s lives in FSU...

I like the history aspect and to me these awards are a way to connect to the past.


Rusty.

[Dave]

All of my relatives either fought on the US, British or German side during WW2, so I unfortunately can't claim "heredity" for my collecting.

Seriously, I had always had an interest in Russia, partially from my dad, who learned Russian from a former Tsarist naval officer who had escaped during the Revolution and ended up as a Russian Orthodox priest in the Aleutian Islands.

I jumped at my first opportunity to visit Russia in 1992, and seeing Soviet medals there on Izmailova created a perfect match! I could combine my interest in things Russian with my interest in militaria collecting (I had been collecting for about six years by then).

About this same time, I started to research my US uniform collection, and found out that that was quite interesting! I think it was back in 1994 that I saw an advertisement from a dealer (non-Soviet) that could get Soviet research. I had a whole pile of awards, but because of the cost, I only had one researched. It came back as a dead end, but that didn't stop me.

I believe it was in 1998 when I actually had my first group researched, and from then on, the rest is history!

So, a nice long answer to say: "I got into collecting the awards before researching them".

--Dave

[DutchBoy]

I have always been a history buff, but I took up and interest in Soviet medals and orders before Soviet history.

At first I was only interested in South African, Dutch, and British medals. Then this Russian friend of mine, who fled the USSR and moved to Canada with his family, told me that his uncle had earned a Red Banner of Labour for helping to develop a missile or something (he worked in the arms industry as a civilian). This uncle had died in Russia before they fled, and my friend's mother had kept his order. When they left the USSR in the '80s, however, they had to leave everything behind including the RBoL.
I told him I had seen something like that on eBay and he asked me to buy one for him so he could give it to his mother, which I did. When it arrived it was so well made and looked so good that I bought another one for myself, and soon I had a decent Soviet collection which I enjoy more now than my South African medals.

Once you have the orders, I guess interest in the history naturally follows for most people because you want to know the context in which those orders were founded and issued.

Matt.

[Bone Collector]

Well my grandfather left Russia in the late 30's (Stalinistic terror anyone?) for Sweden and years later when Stalin was dead he returned (only to move back here). When I was borned he gave me all pins, badges and medals (most crap) and that's how I got into collecting.

My grandfather is now 87 years old. Born in 1916.

[otlichnik]

Militaria first. Then Soviet history. Then Soviet militaria.

I collected some militaria before high school - patches, helmets, etc, mostly Canadian and US. I then lost interest through high school. In university I studied Soviet history and worked as a researcher at the Canadian Institute for Strategic Studies on the USSR military.

When I began to see Soviet militaria availbler I started collecting it. It also kept my interest in Soviet military history focussed so that I ended up doing my masters in it.

Shawn

[Henry Sakaida]

I became interested in Russia, the Soviet Union, and the GPW history because when I was 8 or 9 years old, I saw the black and white Soviet film called BALLAD OF A SOLDIER. It's funny how such a film would impact a small kid! None of my family was involved in WWII.
So in high school (1969-70), I elected to take a Russian language class. This was at the height of the Cold War, and no high school in California offered such a class! My teacher was born of Russian parents in China, attended a French missionary school, and married an American pilot! So she spoke Russian (of course!), Mandarin, French, and English! She was our high school's French teacher. On a lark, she asked the administration if she could teach Russian, and they told her: "Work out the curriculum!" They approved! The hardest part was recruiting students...everyone was scared about the backward "N's" and reversed "Rs" and some weird looking symbols! But I was one of 12 brave souls to take a chance! It was fun! I never became fluent though. I can speak a few words.
In high school, I saw a photo of a female Soviet soldier with a chestful of medals and a HSU Gold Star! And I thought, "Wow! How gorgeous!!! Someday, I have to write a book about them!" But it was only a dream. But I did it!
Ever since I was in high school, I was interested in the HSU Medal. In college, I made 2 of them, using melted fishing lures, plaster to make a mold of a plastic red star from a Chairman Mao cap that I had bought, etc. It looked real from a distance and I took a few photos of myself as a Twice Hero!
To answer your question, I am a historian first, and a collector second. I like to think of myself as a "forensic historian." I figure that having spent $$$ on the top end stuff, I'm going to get alot of fun and adventure out of it! After a thrill, I say, "OK! Thanks for the thrill, time for you to go home!"