Rare miniature of Medal for the Victory over Germany

[Kjetil Kvist]

Hi all!

I just want to give you some information about an unpublished rare norwegian made miniature of the Medal for the Victory over Germany.

Those of you who know your books will remember that Norway was attaced by german forces on April 9, 1940. The country was quickly overrun by the superior forces and our king and government fled to exile in London. Before the occupation was ended on May 8, 1945 the northern part of Norway was liberated by soviet forces. (They later withdrew and in 1949 Norway became a member of Nato). This and other factors is the reason that a few norwegian sivilians, sailors and military personell was decorated with various soviet orders and medals. One of these was of course the Victory medal.

For many years I have heard about a dress miniature of this medal being manufactured by the engraver H. Rui jr. Now I have researched his arcives and studied a large collection of his medals and can publish some facts about the medal as well as a picture of it.

The dies was engraved by H. Rui jr The firm H. Rui was started by his father in 1898. Quickly after Norway became a independent kingdom in 1905 H. Rui sr was engaged in engraving dies for the Order of St. Olaf. These dies was made for another important norwegian firm; that of the jeweller J. Tostrup. Tostrup was the official maker of orders and medals, and was the natural place for decorated norwegian to place their orders for dress miniatures. In the period 1905 to 1940 most of the dies for these dress miniatures was engraved by H. Rui sr or H. Rui jr. Many important medals and miniatures of them continued to be engraved by H. Rui jr in the years from his fathers death in 1941 until the company closed in 1978. Some of these miniatures was manufactured on demand from decorated norwegians.

It was probably private demand that secured the engraving of this medal. The arcives states that the dies was ordered by J. Tostrup on december 5, 1950. H. Rui delivered the dies shortly after that. It is possible that the dies was machine-engraved, but it is also possible that the dies was engraved by hand. It is difficult to determine.

I have never seen this miniature mounted with ring and ribbon. The specimen I have studied was minted bu Rui himself in copper - 15 mm in diameter. It is covered in fingerprints. Only 2 specimens are known at the present time. Probably there was minted a few more by Rui - I would guess up to five in copper and a few in pewter or lead.

It is not uncommon to manufacture dress miniatures of medals like this. I have not been able to find any information about official use of this dress miniature, and as I have said it is rare.

Now I hope to hear from you other researchers and collectors of soviet orders and medals. Are there other examples of dress miniatures of these orders and medals? Have you examples of official use?

Take care!

[REDMAXIM2001]

Welcome to the Forum, & thanks you for this nice info.

Truly it´s a very small item.

I can´t imagine how (grrrrrr) it could be weared ¿?. I suppose your pic´s model is a fabric archive unit, but obviously the final model should need any kind of suspension & ring. Or... it was a legal course money in Norway???

Regards from Santiago de Compostela

Red Max

PD: I´m sure other members can ask your questions much much better than me. I´m truly a little beguinner, They are great.

[Nota Bene]

Kjetil Kvist,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for this very interesting information. Wow! Do you know what was the idea behind this medal? Obviously it doesn't have any attachements. A test strike for future miniatures?

Alexei

[Kjetil Kvist]

Thank you for your replies.

The specimen illustrated is positively a collectors specimen or an trial strike. The engraver - H. Rui jr - was a coin- and medalcollector. Many of his medals is preserved as trial strikes, original issues, later issues, afterstrikes and so on. He traded medals with other collectors.

This Stalin-medal is rare. H. Rui delivered the dies to J. Tostrup so he had no opportunities to strike specimens later on. Today it is impossible to find out how many - if any - specimens that was struck by J. Tostrup. This firm went bankrupt and the archives was not kept intact.

Dress miniatures is worn with other miniatures of orders and medals on formal occations. Weddings, state dinners and so on. As a rule they are made by demand, and only rarely given with the original award.

I guess that the only way we will be able to find out if this miniature ever was worn with other medals is to contact the officials of the order of St. Olaf. I have written a letter to them, but have not received any reply yet. Normally a wearer of foreign medals have to get permission from these officials if he is to wear the original medal or dress miniature with norwegian medals. I am only guessing - I have no first hand experience with this as I not decorated with any medals - but I will keep you updated when I receive a reply from them.

But I am sure that an original mounted dress miniature with ribbon and all is quite rare!

[Art]

Kjetil,

Excellent..thanks for sharing it!


Art

[Tal Inbar]

A different use of this medal design

[Nota Bene]

Kjetil,

This is great information! Thanks!

Alexei

[Eugene]

Kjetil,
Do you have information regarding other Soviet awards manufactured in Norway or Scandinavia? The reason I'm asking is a while ago I came across Patriotic War order with pin instead of screwback, without any mint marks, except one which by some sources is jeweler mark for gold in Scandinavia.
Thanks
Eugene

[REDMAXIM2001]

Eugene,

This is interesting...Can you to send a pic?? Thanks you so much

Red Max

[Kjetil Kvist]

Sorry - I don't know any other soviet orders or medals made in Norway. (Several norwegians was decorated with order of the patriotic war 2nd class - but I am quite sure they received the soviet model). I can really not answer for other nordic countries. If you send me a scan or a drawing of the makers mark I will probably be able to tell what it is - those makers mark will be published in handbooks.