Spanish volunteers in rusia. Fake or real?

[THETHEO]

Hello,

I have adquired a award of Spanish volunteers in Rusia 1941 (Spanish version). I don't are a expert and don't know if it is fake or real. Please can somebody help me?
observe:
http://cid-1d56d7f88c538faf.skydrive...s/P1230538.JPG
reverse:
http://cid-1d56d7f88c538faf.skydrive...s/P1230540.JPG

Thanks,
Theo.

[Gregorio Torres]

I´m very happy when the interest on spanish medal is increasing day after day.
This is a very late original replacement issue, made in the 60´s. It was the last model of this medal made for veterans before General Franco´s regime was finished. The following were made to fool collectors and very good copies of this issue do exist made in brass in a smaller size and with painted crosses.
Regards
Greg

[THETHEO]

Hi Greg:

Thanks by your answer. I adquired this awards two year ago to a dealer in Madrid. I thought that it was original since the award have stunning and crispy details. The dealer tell me what he had found the award in an office of the "falange" militia, and he gave to me the award together a carton box of the Egaña factory.

It will hoped that you saw the thread and that answered to me, because I have seen yours interventions about this decoration that demonstrate a great knowledge on the same.

Sincerely thanks very much.

Teo.

[Gregorio Torres]

Not at all.
Some questions about your comments:
- To have stunning and crispy details, as you said, are not the correct test for originality in many cases. So, the copy of this model made in the 90´s is for me nicer than the original, and even the hardware is better.
- These repalcement medals were made to be sold to veterans in military effects shops freely, not to be distributed trough Falange. At the time when this exact type of medal were made, in late 60´s, it didn´t have any meaning to spread them throug the offices of Falange, and there aren´t any kind of "Falange militia" in those years.
- This exact medal were not made by Egaña, but by a workshop in Madrid. I prefer don´t tell the name at the moment. I know that many of the Blue Division medal were kept by their holders in cases made by Egaña, but this is cause this cases are quite common in Spain and a lot of them are available in the hands of the veterans of our Civil War or in the shops where the veterans bought their medals. In my knowledge, Egaña never made Blue Division medals, as never made any other medals without a government contract, but the MMI only. On the other side, some modern dealers put the medals in old but cheap Egaña cases to increase the worth of both items and make them more desiderable for the buyers.
- A final warning. You must buy items, not stories. Dealers in general tell a lot of stories about the items to sell them easily.
Allways a pleasure helping people.
Greg

[thale]

Greg,only an appreciation, when THETHEO speak about the "Falange militia" I can understand that he is speaking about an office of the Falange "Flechas y Pelayos" not really a real militia. Is well known that Falange had offices in all provinces and much young boys dressed the blue shirt in Spain in those times. I think this can be understand as a "Militia" in any way.

[Gregorio Torres]

Thale, I suppose you are speking about OJE (Spanish Youth Organisation) when you said "Flechas y Pelayos". I can´t cosider them a militia. They are just like Scouts, and in late 60´s they didn´t wear blue shirt yet, but a khaki one.
People who are in the late 60´s in the OJE were not born when the Blue Division was in Russia. Why did they need this medals in their head offices?
On the other side, as I said, this medals were made just to be sold to private customers and not thru a contract with Falange.
Kind Regards
Greg