Relatively common Imperial Russian awards 101

[EricFG]

This is my first attempt at listing some common later-era Imperial Russian awards.
Any corrections and/or additions are actively sought.
Here goes....

1) The Order of St. George, Imperial Russia's highest exclusively military order, was instituted in 1769 and came to be considered among the most prestigious military awards in the world. The order was awarded to officers and generals for special gallantry, such as, personally leading his troops in rout of a superior enemy force, or capturing a fortress, etc. Before membership in the Order could be granted, a candidate's case had to be investigated by a council composed of Knights of the Order.
1st Class worn on sash across chest, with breast star. 2nd Class worn at neck, with breast star. 3rd Class worn at neck, w/o breast star. 4th Class worn as suspended medal on chest.

The Order of St. George's distinctive ribbon -- three black stripes on an orange background -- was so familiar and carried such prestige, that Stalin borrowed it for the Order Of Glory during World War II, despite the fact that these were the traditional colors of the Romanov family. The order came in four classes, awarded sequentially for individual acts of gallantry.

2) The Cross of Saint George.
Founded by Alexander I in February 1807 as St George Cross was originally in one class to reward non-commissioned officers and enlisted men for bravery performed in action against the enemy. In February 1856 to mark his accession, Alexander II decreed that the St George Cross should be in four classes to reward bravery performed by other ranks. Associated with the Order of Saint George, the St. George cross was awarded for acts of distinction under arms. An enlisted man or NCO would be awarded the 4th class cross for his first brave act. A second notable act could then bring him the 3rd class cross, etc. The first class and second class were in gold, the first class with a bow on the ribbon. The third and fourth classes were in silver, the third class marked by a bow. The ribbon was the same as for the order of Saint George.
This medal is the a rough equivilant of the Soviet Order Of Glory as it was exclusively for enlisted men and NCOs, and especially because "cavaliers" of the Cross were heroes by any definition.
Over two million Saint George Crosses were distributed during the Great War and before the abdication of the tsar., going to soldiers, nurses and members of the Red Cross. Commanders in the field could award the St. George Cross on the spot.

3) The St. George Medal for Bravery. Awarded for merit in combat. Instituted in August 1878 in four classes as the Medal for Bravery awarded to non-commissioned officers and enlisted men for bravery during peace or war. In 1913 the title of the medal was changed to "St George Medal for Bravery". The medal can be awarded to civilians for bravery during times of war.
Associated with the Order of St. George, but ranking below that of the the St. George Cross.
The St. George Medal came in four classes, like the cross. Gold medallions for 1st and 2nd class. Silver medallions for 3rd and 4th. A bow on the ribbon denoted 1st class and 3rd. The 1st and 3rd class medals were 50/51mm while the 2nd and 4th class were 28/29mm. At one point late in the 19th century these medals started being awarded with a serial number. Late in WW1 the gold was replaced by bronze and the silver with a silver colored alloy (nickle silver or "German" silver?).
The medal was awarded for merit to other Allied soldiers as well as Russians. Obverse shows the bust of the reigning Emperor with his title. Reverse center in two lines the wording FOR BRAVERY, below that the serial number followed by the class of the award.
During the time of the Provisional Government (March - November 1917), the bust of the Emperor was replaced by St George slaying the dragon.

4) The St. Anne's Medal for Soldiers was a separate medal for enlisted men and NCOs. Evidently the Order of St. Anne was for officers and dignitaries. Foreign military personnel also received St. Anne's Medals for action in service to Russia during WWI, showing up among both Allied and German soldiers' awards. Evidently it was serial numbered.

5) The Medal for Zeal was awarded for meritorious service to the Russian government, in times of war and peace. It came in 4 classes: the large gold medal, small gold medal, large silver medal, and small silver medal. The Medal for Zeal was first instituted in December 1801 during the reign of Tsar Alexander I. After the death of Tsar Alexander III the Medal was redesigned and issued around 1894 bearing the semblance of the new Sovereign, Tsar Nicholas II. The Medal was awarded to civilians that had shown exceptional zeal in the trade, production and social fields as well as to military personnel for zealous service.
SIZE: 28 mm & 50/51mm and then smaller sized at 44/45mm. Unauthenticated 51mm silver medal (3rd class)weighed at 60 grams

6) The Medal for Mobilization in World War I: the only medal instituted by the Russian Empire specifically for World War I. It was awarded for general meritorious service in connection with mobilization for the war. Instituted in early 1915, it was a small bronze medal with a blue ribbon.

All of the images here are unauthenticated (although the images attributed to "Durov" come presumabley from the Order Of Lenin State History Museum and should theoretically be solid) and are presented for identification purposes only.

Much of the text here provided byTim Tezer and Micheal Shackelford.
It's my intention to add all corrections to this thread over the course of a short period of time as well as adding images, with the unannouced ambition of making this a "sticky" header to this sub-forum.
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[EricFG]

2
The first image is an example of a cavalier set of the St. George Crosses; First through Fourth Class.
Note the first two in gold and the second two in silver.
Also note the first and third crosses have a bow on the ribbon.
Image from Durov - Russian and Soviet military awards


The next two images are examples of the Third and Fourth Class crosses, obverse and reverse. Note the serial number on the left and right arms of the cross and class designation on the lower arm. The difference in color of the medal's metal, it should be silverish, might be attributed to either lighting or authenticity or material.

[EricFG]

4
Examples of the St. Anne's Medal. Note the serial number on the reverse fo the medal in the upper right of the image.
This medal should not be confused with the Red Cross medals issued as the St. Anne's Medal has a Maltese-type cross on the obverse as opposed to the straight arms of a typical 'Red Cross' item.
Image from Durov - Russian and Soviet military awards

[EricFG]

1
An example of the Order of St. George, 4th class.
Image from Durov - Russian and Soviet military awards

[EricFG]

3
Two images of the St. George Medal for Bravery. The first is presumably in gold, either a 1st or 2nd class variation but at the present I cannot explain the lack of class designation on the reverse.
The second image is of a 4th class example, with class designation and serial number

[EricFG]

5
Three images of a Zeal Medal.
I've yet to find a serial numbered image, and the medals don't seem to have a class designation on the reverse as well.
I'd guess that one would use the size and medal material (gold or silver) to determine class ranking. All images look to be of a silver color and therefore either 3rd or 4th class examples.

The desciption of these medals on the internet described the first as being 31mm and made of silver, the second as being 30mm and made of white metal, and in the third image the larger being 51mm(?).
Again, none of the medals have been authenticated; images used for reference to design only.

[EricFG]

6
An example of the Medal for Mobilization in World War I. test