I joined the phalerist world nearly 9 years ago, encouraged by Vasilij and Victor, two experts who really know their stuff and were generous enough to advise me and got me started. I am not a dealer but wish to share with other collectors. Each of my awards can be viewed from the above pull-down menus - then click on thumbnail for detail of avers/reverse! I try not to duplicate commonly available wisdom - for more see Links to other reputable sites.

For info on Prices on Ukrainian market from last year and awards I need or for my own collection and my duplicate items - see Awards for exchange - make me an offer! YOU CAN CONTACT ME THROUGH THE GUESTBOOK.

I focus almost exclusively on Soviet awards and try to collect all types and variations of awards and have by now many variations and subvariations. Exceptionally I also have awards of other countries (Czechoslovakia, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine or another really interesting place - an unrecognised statelet the "Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic" (Transdniestria). Not the most stunning awards but they are special and include rare Cossack awards.

Any info on "Lenin armoured train" pin (revolutionary wars 1918-21), St. Petersburg (Putilovski later Kirov plant)?

Has anyone seen the Russian medal commemorating Napoleon's crossing of the Berezina (1812) !

Does anyone know about "FSB" badges - see Interesting?

LAST NEWS

The news section continues to suffer - I am just too busy. See veterans of WW II from 60th Anniversary of Victory Day in Chisinau Moldova (1 May 2005). To watch first download and install the VP7 video codec and then click on VIDEO.

PLEASE NOTE : The video file shot by Mr. Nik Ionascu is 8.65MB! Depending on your download speed/connection and successfull installation of the codec file it should work - but cannot be guaranteed.

I also include my publications, including some of my earlier works like 'After the Velvet Revolution' or 'An Atheist Joins a State Church' and a selection of lawyers jokes ... and articles from the Encyclopedia of Public International Law (see Torture and Trafficking). See also Human rights in Transdniestrian schools - in Helsinki Monitor - Quarterly on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Beware: Zeige Auction House has no money back guarantee - but sells fakes and refuses responsibility!

Visit also the Forum (also in Russian) !

December 2007

Nothing much new except that the demand is clearly oustripping demand, even the latest forthcoming Auction in New York of the Galerie Numismatique (Lausanne) has only a few pieces on offer.

October 2007

I have recently travelled through Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus much and discovered that the only medals for sale are either all fakes (including declared copies) or just simply suspicious and outrageously priced pieces... . The collector clubs still deal in coins and stamps but good medals and orders are kept in pockets. In Belarus the subject is totally taboo and the only place to see medals are on chests of veterans or in Musea. Gone are the days of buying. On 9 September 2007, I saw and spoke to real veterans - celebrating the day of tankists! Nice event, chatted to a fellow, must have been 90, now a colonel with several orders of Bogdan Chmelnitski (two awarded by Ukraine in recent years), three Red Stars, three orders of the Great Patriotic War etc. who vividly remembered the battles for Konigsberg and Kharkov. For photos click here.

April 2007

Nothing new to add except perhaps that the collectors club in Kishinev is grinding to a halt, several collectors have dissapeared - it is rumoured that they were either arrested or are in hiding after visiting Kiev with goods that included old swords...thus criminal liability for unathorised carrying of (cold) weapons! Prices have gone through the roof and fakes abound.

December 2006

Some news from Afghanistan: I visited markets in Kabul, Herat and Mazar and found very few awards from the Soviet days. In fact, apart from a few jubilee medals, the most common were orders of motherhood! I also saw a few orders of the Mother Heroin - but all had their gold star peeled off. Prices were phenomenal, for example the Medal for Bravery 70 USD.

March 2006

I have added some new variations of common medals and will add a Hero of the USSR.

July - November 2005

Kiev collectors meet every Saturday in the Expo plaza some distance from the Centre of town. Hundreds of dealers exhibiting all sorts of antiques, including awards from 5am in the morning till late afternoon. Prices are high and many pieces are fakes, often of a very high quality and very difficult to recognise.

Milano collectors meeting was interesting to visit, not much to exchange really, a lot of fakes on sale or very high prices. I did see a Order of Glory 2nd class with document for 2.500 Euros from an Italian dealer, very nice!

III Auction of medals and orders of the La Galerie Numismatique held on 3 May 2004 in Lausanne (CH) on News page.

Attended annual meeting of Swiss Phalerist Society, their website is still down and nothing much new. Updated information on Transdniestrian awards from a book published recently in Tiraspol (in Russian). Very interesting indeed as aside from "newly" designed orders and medals specific to the "Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic", it would appear that the old soviet issue "Bravery during a fire" and Russian issue for "Saving a drowning life" medals (both established in Soviet times in 1957) are still used. See News page for info on Transdniestria, photos from Tiraspol are on News 4 where you can also learn more about the history of the Transdniestrian conflict. For photos of Moldova see www.photo.md.

90 translations of Rilke's "Larenopfer" by Alfred de Zayas into English published by Red Hen Press. Illustrations by Martin Andrysek, architecture student (Westminster University London). If in Geneva go to "Literart", Bld. Georges Favon 15, tel. 022/3114080. For a signed copy, contact the author on his guestbook www.alfreddezayas.com.

Latest additions ... Great Patriotic War 1st degree on suspension & early Mondvor Red Star (type 2).

2004 earlier ...

V Auction of the "La Galerie Numismatique" was held on 29 November 2004 in Geneva (CH) see News page.

See many Great Patriotic War 2nd class variations and a Order of the Red Star no. 8282 (with Mondvor mint mark) and new variation of For Distinguished Military Service 1st class (variation 1 soldered screw).

During my visit to Baku (Azerbaijan) I finally found a collector (and not only a dealers). There is even a collectors club that meets on Sundays, must go and see it next time! Brought back a documented Ushakov medal with low serial number, a very rare Soviet Azerbaijani Order of honour (awarded only to a handful of people between March and December 1991) and completed my collection of Warsaw and Leningrad medal variations!

June 2004

Several new variations of the Order of Maternal Glory, the Red Star and two new Bulgarian distinctions added (Order of Georgi Dimitrov and Star of the Hero of Socialist Labour), an Order of Glory 2nd Class (border reverse). See also copy of a Service to the Motherland Order 1st Class and a duplicate of Medal for Bravery, the Transdniestrian Order "For service to the motherland" or the recently banned awards from Comrade Saga Umalatova (Post Soviet)! In Awards Groups see Award Group 17 that includes 5 Orders of Red Banner awarded to a fighter pilot (flying Migs in Korea?) and Award Group 22 (two orders of Badge of Honor, October Revolution and the Red Banner of Labour).

Unique museum piece of the Order of Labour 3rd Class with Supreme Soviet certificate rarely seen (not in in McDaniels), Medal of 100th Lenin Anniv. for Foreigners and 60th Anniv. of Leningrad blockade!

Falerists in Russia evidently under pressure not to trade in Soviet orders and medals - see to believe it!

Falerist society in Switzerland - more about it and recent Geneva auctions and prices on the Interesting page.

American arrested when leaving Russia - faced 7 years jail for Soviet medals see The Moscow Times.

A re-print of extracts of the Pravda (daily of the CP of the USSR) from 10 May 1945 given to surviving WWII veterans in Moldova. Also the "Decree" of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet instituted the medal Victory over Germany.

The "Gold Head" Lenin replaced Type 1, sometimes also referred to as the "Tractor Lenin" made from silver (1930). In 1934, the red star and flag, key symbols of the Soviet Union, were added, all from 650 proof gold more ...