State of the hobby.

[CtahhR]

I personally only really got into medals last January ('07) but I'm no novice to collecting as I've been collecting Coins since '86 Stamps since '91 and WW2 British/German Militaria since '93. I'd bought various medals here and there in job lots and the such and just thrown them in a drawer for years and then one day whilst looking for Foreign Volunteers of the Wehrmacht/SS Armshields/Tabs one of the sellers I was dealing with offered me a Red Star... Until that point I'd never thought of collecting Soviet awards in any way (Even though I had a Mosin Nagant and various other Soviet items) and just out of the blue I started reading up on Soviet awards online and got hooked I'd bought up 200 Soviet/RF Medals and Orders within the first 3 months (never mind badges etc). and even during that short time I noticed prices starting to grow on a weekly basis (which is why I threw so much money at the collection to start before I was priced out of the market). The hobby is far from stagnant as the prices would die overnight if that were the case but it seems to be far more of an "elite" hobby... certainly not something you want to looking into if you're only getting $20 pocket money a week although even $20 a week even in this market could provide a starter collector with a nice array of solid items. Here I am only 17 months in to my collection and so far I've only managed to fall upon 3 fakes and the only campaign medals I need are Odessa and Belgrade. I'd suggest to anyone with a few spare bob to get in at the lower level of collecting but before parting with a penny to take some serious time and effort to familiarise with what is real what is not and basically what there is and what there isn't. After 16 months of research and hard cash I now have 1150 Medals/Orders of which 330 are Soviet/RF and if I had any more money I'd have spent it on this addiction already! I got a very nice 13 medal documented group to a Guards Senior Sergeant in the post today so I'm happy! and it cost less than a week's income!

Don't be intimidated by vast collections costing vast money start small and build up.... It may take time but it's all worth it! and remember you won't be getting a Brezhnev's chest full in the first month.


Have fun!

[Lapa]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

...and remember you won't be getting a Brezhnev's chest full in the first month.

Or ever, for that matter

Marc

[CtahhR]

Well pretty much but I wouldn't say that... I've got a few things that many people would say it's impossible for me to have..... I have Brezhnev's Autograph I can't be too far from his medals..... do you think $600 000 would cover it?

[Nack]

I bet $600,000 wouldn't be close. Our NJ friend has had groups in the $100ks. Keep in mind Brezhnev had the Order of Victory and 4 HSUs, along with like a hundred other awards. The oil oligarchs would be fighting each other to shell out a million bucks or more I bet. The OOV is the top of the top.

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

Well pretty much but I wouldn't say that... I've got a few things that many people would say it's impossible for me to have..... I have Brezhnev's Autograph I can't be too far from his medals..... do you think $600 000 would cover it?

Your collection sounds really exciting, it would be great to see some pics!

[CtahhR]

Unfortunately my Soviet Union Collection is just high in number not high in interest but I collect all sorts.... Yesterday I got some BIGOT paperwork from ww2 which I seriously need to take somewhere special and get scanned in.... Music is one of my main interests and it's also somewhat of a living.... Still looking for an original Paul Robeson Hymn Of The Soviet Union 78! I'll have to see about what I can do about taking some photographs of my collection it's been something I've been wanting to do but I don't really have the backdrop.... and yeah the Order Of Victory is rare but it's not like it's non-existent.... I managed to get a Botev Prize and only 12 were awarded..... and in comparison to other things I own it's rather common place..... All I can say to everyone is just live in hope...... noone can ever say you'll never own something unless it's something that doesn't exist....... so if not $600 000 for Brezhnev's own medals how about $600 000 to get all the medals he had but awarded to someone else? 7 hero stars for a start......

[Lapa]

CtahhR,

Have a look through this forum for various threads about the Order of victory, and you'll see that, eve if 20 were given out, you have as much chances of landing one as a snowball flying through Hell.

Oh, and your $600,000 would probably just about cover the finder's fee!

Marc

[Tretov]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

so if not $600 000 for Brezhnev's own medals how about $600 000 to get all the medals he had but awarded to someone else? 7 hero stars for a start......

OK so this $600.000 ... what's the fuzz? Is this a budget you have to spend or an amount taken just from clear skies? If you want to get rid of it; I can sure help

[CtahhR]

$600 000 is the amount that must be hidden from the tax man each year by a relative of mine each year and with the state of the hobby how can anyone lose? Then again I'm sure you could pay someone less than that to go a rob a museum but that's just not so ethical..... another option would be to bung Ms. Umalatova the cash and she can issue me with piles of her knock offs with her paperwork.... It's certainly not so black and white out there.....

[jefflgarrison]

I've got $100,000,000 Zimbawean dollars I can pay for that Order of Victory of you can find the seller.