What is this large 8.5cm CCCP medaillion?

[dj_errant]

I recently purchased this 8.5cm medallion in Riga, Latvia. Rough translation of the phrases on the front and back are:
Front - "In honor of the 60th anniversary of soviet education"
Back - "III Vsearmeysky gathering of tourists"
Back Center - "Armed forces of the Soviet Union"
Back Bottom - "The management of tourism and excursions ?? Soviet Union"

I'm wondering if anybody can define "vsearmeysky" and if anybody can tell me about these large medallions (I assume there's many different ones for many different occasions)? I have a decent collection of medals and orders (fairly easy to find at flea markets in Europe) but this is the first I've seen in 4 years of collecting. Is there a website or forum where I can get more info about these?

I hate to assign a value (just knowing more about it is my primary goal), but a rough estimate would be informative.

Thanks in advance,
dj_errant

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by dj_errant

I recently purchased this 8.5cm medallion in Riga, Latvia. Rough translation of the phrases on the front and back are:
Front - "In honor of the 60th anniversary of soviet education"
Back - "III Vsearmeysky gathering of tourists"
Back Center - "Armed forces of the Soviet Union"
Back Bottom - "The management of tourism and excursions ?? Soviet Union"

I'm wondering if anybody can define "vsearmeysky" and if anybody can tell me about these large medallions (I assume there's many different ones for many different occasions)? I have a decent collection of medals and orders (fairly easy to find at flea markets in Europe) but this is the first I've seen in 4 years of collecting. Is there a website or forum where I can get more info about these?

I hate to assign a value (just knowing more about it is my primary goal), but a rough estimate would be informative.

Thanks in advance,
dj_errant

"Vsearmeiskii" could be translated as "All-Army" or "Army-wide". The medallion commemorated a gathering of Army personnel interested in tourism, presumably military organizers and participants of off-duty tourism, something akin to a morale and welfare program.

[Mahdi]

"tourism" is frequently used in Russian in reference to "wilderness tourism" (depending on context, of course). This could refer to an unofficial gathering of military personnel interested in hiking, mountain-climbing, etc.

[matteti]

Originally Posted by Mahdi

"tourism" is frequently used in Russian in reference to "wilderness tourism" (depending on context, of course). This could refer to an unofficial gathering of military personnel interested in hiking, mountain-climbing, etc.

Mahdi??? Long time no see!
I thought you disappeared to another planet!

Happy to see you back!

[Mahdi]

Yes, it's me indeed. I did disappear for a few years due to circumstances that were beyond my control. That said, my passion for this hobby has remained the same and I will try to be in touch with this forum as regularly as possible. It's very pleasing to see what has become of this phenomenal forum: it reflects the tremendous amount of work, dedication, and enthusiasm that Art and everyone else have put into it.

[Nota Bene]

Mahdi,

Welcome back!

Alexei

[Al-muell]

Originally Posted by dj_errant

Front - "In honor of the 60th anniversary of soviet education"

It's actually "In honour of the 60th anniversary of creation of the Soviet Union" In this case "obrazovanie" has nothing to do with education.