Communist Chinese Badges

[torstenbel]

Hi Guys, I have got a nice little collection of chinese badges here. Were these given out on specific days or is this a series of some sort? Like maybe on every birthday of the great leader or on 1st May or...? Please help.... Cheers, Torsten.

[McCulloh]

Mao, Mao, Mao Tse Tung!

These are common "Mao" badges. Almost everybody had these during the Great Peoples Cultural Revolution and indeed, I have ex-Red Guard friends who collected these in the 1960s and early 1970s.
I brought a bunch back in the early 1980s, but these are still made (and collected) today.
There is some sort of "collectors' guide" ou there in chinese, but I have never seen it, only heard about it. I have no idea how to tell when these were made.

[torstenbel]

Hiya, could you show pics of yours ... the ones that I do have here certainly do appear to be of an older vintage to me and I do not think that these would only have been made recently...so, these are basically straight forward tinnies or sympathy badges and there was no special event or reason when these were issued? Cheers, Torsten.

[willie777]

Mine are in a safe deposit box somewhere along with my little red book. I have absolutely no idea why I put them there. When I have time Ill go and take pics.

[torstenbel]

btw, is the badge I am showing on the top left a pic of Mao as well? Cheers, Torsten.

[Segmund Tang]

Hi, Torsten

All in the badges are Chairman Mao. As McColloh said, Chairman Mao badges are made massively. Every province, cities, even every factory made their own badges. The figure in the top left is Chairman Mao too.

Tang Si

[torstenbel]

Hi, Torsten

All in the badges are Chairman Mao. As McColloh said, Chairman Mao badges are made massively. Every province, cities, even every factory made their own badges. The figure in the top left is Chairman Mao too.

Tang Si

Dear Tang Si, thank you very much for the info and confirmation...it actually looks like and sounds like an interesting subject to get into collecting...Cheers, Torsten.

PS: Does anyone out there already specifically collect these???

[Sonderkommando]

Hi Torsten,
I collect these and have maybe 100-150.
The standard, run-of-the-mill badges are worth nothing really, but there are a few rare variants which are valuable.
I collect ones made by PLA factories (Peoples Liberation Army), or ones which are PLA related in general along with ones with english writing on the back.


Cheers,
Brett

[Sonderkommando]

English writing...

[Sonderkommando]

Harder to find badge with Mao's right profile...

[Sonderkommando]

Mao full length....

[torstenbel]

Hi Torsten,
I collect these and have maybe 100-150.
The standard, run-of-the-mill badges are worth nothing really, but there are a few rare variants which are valuable.
I collect ones made by PLA factories (Peoples Liberation Army), or ones which are PLA related in general along with ones with english writing on the back.


Cheers,
Brett

Hi Brett, thank you for the additional info... mine all have Chinese writing on the back...how would I be able to tell one that was made by a PLA factory? Cheers, Torsten.

[McCulloh]

see here also:
http://museums.cnd.org/CR/old/maobadge/

[Sonderkommando]

Hi Torsten.
You have to be able to read Chinese....

But if you have any with the following writing on the back then they are PLA as this says "Chinese Peoples Liberation Army"

They can also have 4 digit numbers which are the PLA unit numbers, but not all with the digits on the back are PLA as some are work groups, etc.

I think this is why they are not widely collected by westerners as it is near impossible to know what they say unless you can read Chinese or know someone who can read Chinese.

I also have many other Chinese PLA items including medals, I.D. books, certificates, etc. and Red Guard items including armbands, plus numerous "Little Red Books" (most printed by PLA factories)

It is a very interesting sideline to the German militaria but a very lonely hobby as nobody I know collects the Chinese stuff.


Cheers,
Brett

[McCulloh]

Actually, the Red Guard stuff is getting huge in the PRC. they have been making "fake" red guard stuff there for over a decade.
Any thoughts on this photo perchance? Specifically the upper left hand Mao medal.