Advice on Soviet Militaria

[adlerfan53]

Hello everyone. I took my son to a show and he just couldn't stop looking through the Soviet stuff. He came home and started researching Soviet badges and the like. I have only ever focused on WW2 German and some American....what is the best stuff to start him off collecting? I don't want anything too expensive in case this turns out to be a phase. It really doesn't matter to him, so far, if it is WW2 or Cold War era stuff. Are there any good places to look for this militaria that is not called e-bay?

[Komandir RKKA]

Hello, I think postwar and Cold War era is good - not expensive - for beginer.
Most places you are asking about are on russian speaking sites.
What does your son interested in - badges, uniform, photos?

[Greg Collins]

I agree the post war stuff is a good place to start. One of the first awards I recommend is the '85 version of the Order of the Patriotic War... it's solid silver with gold plating and hot enamel. Looks great and has a nice, heavy feel to it. These can easily be gotten for between $20 and $40 (for a first-class). The earlier versions are considerably more expensive but, as supplies dry up, the '85's are bound to escalate in value. The '70's saw the use of aluminum, which is not my favorite metal (although there are some pieces of it in my collection); the '80's saw a return to brass and bronze and there are some beautiful items from this period to be had at reasonable cost- and, again, as time passes they are bound to increase in value. Just type "soviet awards" into your browser and go from there.

[adlerfan53]

Thanks for your help so far. It looks like the boy wants to get into medals and flags. He really liked the look of the heavy enamel and I got to admit that they don't look half bad either. Era doesn't matter to him as of yet. I'll try and keep this updated as to his first aquisitions and see where it goes from there.

[Ralph P]

Glad to read that your son is interested with militaria collecting. The other posts for sure give you some direction for your son. Another thing to consider before your quests begins with your son would be to get reference books. Good luck and have fun...

[Eric Gaumann]

The medals for the anniversary og the Great Patriotic War are available dirt cheap on eBay (and through some dealers) as are jubilee medals of the Soviet Armed forces. And there's plenty of others up just a step or two in price.
PM me if you'd like a website for a first class dealer.

[juoneen]

You live in one of the best places in the usa for auctions. One almost every day. Take him to some local auctions,and estate sales . Encourage him to learn about stuff hes interested in before just going out and buying, thats whats so good about today , when we started there was no where to learn except to hang with the most educated that were dealers, and even then they were not as smart as they thought. It stimulates the mind to think, and why should he collect what you collect, Its just smart to collect, collect something ..and to collect smart. Once he learns about things, he will do as we all do, and change interests as we go along, to seek the tougher conquests. He got that desire from the best around....you. start him here: http://soviet-awards.com/orders10.htm#order12 Hope he someday puts your own collection to shame with his competitive spirit, as you know he could be doing worse. Ill bet you may even bond over collecting, and hopefully he will have advice and information you dont know at times when you need help deciding on a buy. Agreat concept, to have a son that has similair interests is a plus. take him to pikesville, baltimore, and allentown beltsville etc. He'll have a blast, and so will you..He also may want to earn money so he can spend some, so thats also encouraging as when i started i worked doing yards at 1.00 an hour so i could buy things for my collection. Good luck ..he may turn out to be the smartest one in his fourth grade class.