Hammer and Plow star - original?

[caiogc]

Hello, Dear fellow collectors!

I wanted to ask your opinion about this RKKA hammer and plough star I would be on the brink to buy.

It is owned by a digger who specialises in objects from previous periods (mostly half 19th century); all what he displays seem to be original.

To me the star looks like genuine and original, but I am defiantly no big expert on such early period stars, and I wanted to ask your opinion.

Here come the photos. Sorry but I am writing you with a portable connection, which refuses to open the images uploding page of the forum, I put the photos I have of the star on my Picasa Web albun and here I post the links!




Thanks!

GC

[RichieC]

These have been made and fake aged for quite a few years now. They were only used between 1919 and 1922, so if this one was "dug" from a real Russian Civil War battlefield, it has a chance...

[caiogc]

Had additional talkings with the seller and viewed all the items he sells.

He digs in Crimea, mostly Sevastopol area.

Finally I bought it (the price was btw really yummy).

Might be childish.. but I feel so excited about my first hammer and plough hat badge!!..

[caiogc]

Dear RichieC and fellow collectors.. I don´t want to abuse of your patience regarding this topic, but given my poor knowledge in terms of originality of of Civil War soviet cockades..I would like to ask you once more a comment on the hammer and plought cockade that I post here..

I do know that Russia and the west have been floaded of copies of this type of hat badge, but the seller of this one seems reliable and given the conditions of this hat badge I would..be very happy to buy it (if original).

But I do not have any idea about details on which I should base my opinion regarding the originality of the hat badge.

Given the fact that this one has prongs, maybe this could help in defining its nature..

Thank you very much once more!

[RichieC]

I doubt it's originality. I have seen similar examples for sale, the (same) seller (in all the eBay listings) claiming they were found in Southern Crimea - along with examples of relic 1922 pattern stars with what seemed the same composition and same patina.


Smells like fish to me. However, I am no expert...

[caiogc]

Thank you very much Richie for the comment!

With this type of stars it is always so difficult..the point is that I have no direct and trusted contact in Russia or ex USSR, which could buy for me such a hat badge which originality I'd not doubt..

I'll keep in mind what you said about this seller. It makes also few sense to write to the seller himself..I doubt he'd say he's not 100% sure about the originality of the star..

[caiogc]

Here I am once more with another model of early RKKA star.

This should be a 1922 commanders and commissars' one.

I saw once a copy at an exibition and I believe it was true, if I remember correctly it was painted in red, but with no enamel.

This is the first example of star I see on sale, besides the ones sold on molotok.ru and naturally I do not have any idea whether this is an original or faked.

Could be produced down the road and "aged" in the garden of my neighbours..but in this case it would be the first faked star of this type that I find .

Opinions/impressions?

[RichieC]

IMO, it is a artificially aged fake.

It seems quite fishy that all of a sudden more than a few have been offered for sale in recent months...

[caiogc]

I agree. Sounds fishy also to me, but fakers are getting more sophisticated I have to say!

Besides 50s pilotka stars damaged and "rusted" some fakers are effectively copying real models, besides hammer&plough ones.

What a sad thing.

[RichieC]

No bother at all, dear associate.

This is an original example. However, it is non-military - but a great addition to a star collection.

These also came in clear glass, and the opportunity to obtain a specimen of this type has eluded me for many a year.