Victory in WW2 Medal

**avenger** · 03-07-2015, 01:05 AM

Ordered this from ebay. It's not quite what the pictures on the auction looked like, but it is the same medal. Just lighting changes what it looks like so much, and in particular I'm talking about how shiny gold parts of it is. The back is pretty golden, and the bottom and left side of the front and on Stalin's chest is as well, which shows a little better in the second photo below. The rest of it is more brassy looking. I don't quite know if I have a good medal or not here. I think the document is okay. It's pretty fragile, but also has that old paper smell.

Other than the golden contrast on parts of the medal that look really shiny and new, the medal itself looks too good compared to the brass frame the ribbon is wrapped around, which is pretty dirty and aged looking. I have a capture of Berlin medal as well, which I was told has a replacement ribbon, and I think this one is probably a replacement as well. Not sure what I have here, but my gut is a bit of a Frankenstein medal, which may or may not be all original parts. If not, I guess it's not a huge deal. The whole set cost a whopping $15.

Am I close? Thanks guys, as always!

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 03-07-2015 01:05 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Leaftree** · 03-07-2015, 02:49 AM

avenger,

The medal looks good to me.
As for the document it also looks good to me, but I am a novice with documents.
The medal is not commonly faked, neither are the documents for it. My concern would be about someone trying to embellish the document, adding a famous unit or signature to it.

Regards,

**Nathan362** · 03-07-2015, 04:05 AM

Perhaps the medal was heavily cleaned, but all together as original? I know nothing about these medals, so I can't help other than that theory.

**avenger** · 03-07-2015, 04:20 AM

I don't think it's due to cleaning. It's more like a gold plating that is wearing off. I don't know if they were ever plated though.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 03-07-2015, 08:11 AM

There is a gilt finish applied to these. It does come off with age. The wartime brass suspension is a bonus. A replaced ribbon is no big deal.

No worries on either item.

Cheers, Ade.

**Bill Garvy** · 03-07-2015, 01:24 PM

Both are original, replaced ribbon and flaking gilt finish notwithstanding, issued to Senior Sergeant Danil Mitrofanovich Vasil on February 26th, 1946 by a Regional Military Commissariat. Can not make out the stamp or handwritten issuing body, but it appears to have been signed by a Major (?) Kalinin.

**avenger** · 03-07-2015, 05:13 PM

Thanks Ade and Bill! That info helps, and I really love the soldier info. I'm going to write that down to keep with it.

**Auke** · 03-08-2015, 01:50 AM

The recipient's last name is Vasik and the document is signed by Major Kalyony, the military commissar of the Oktyabr ["October"] District of an illegible city.

The medal itself is completely original, and could well have been issued together with this brass suspension (sometime in the late 1940s I'd say). The ribbon is a recent replacement, but replacing ribbons was and still is a very common practice in the Eastern Bloc.