Finnish militaria

[dastier]

A couple more Finnish items from my small collection:



Finnish identity disc and German 1916 ammo pouch used by the Finns.

[meyle77]

Yes it sure can. I'd rather spend what a deactivated Maxim costs and buy a Polish Vis 35 pistol. But I'd probably have to double that to get one.

Anything Polish is expensive to collect - if you can even find it. I'm pretty leery of EBay as there are so many fake medals out there. Even reputable sellers can get hoodwinked and pass along fakes - happened to me a couple of times.

But sometimes you luck out. I bought a tgf 50 K98 and in conversation the seller mentioned he had a Polish bayonet. Said I could have it for $35. So I figure what's $35 for any bayonet. Turned out to be a very nice German captured wz.28 with waffenamt 77 on the spine.

ebay has some decent items from time to time, allegro is ok but buyer beware.

- - Updated - -

Here is The Commemorative Medal of the Continuation War 1941-45 - Swedish and Finnish version.

[Stinkpotpete]

I really like the Military Police Badge, I've never seen that or the medals before. I used to collect Finnish too, but I always drift back to the Brit stuff, so I ended up selling most of my Finnish collection. I had 2 M39s, 1 was a Sako, a captured M91/30 and a M91. Now I'm down to a helmet, a flashlight and a spork lol and a beat up M27 bayo

[dastier]

Thanks Paul. The Finnish field police badge is the real deal but I paid too much for it. I was told, after I bought it, that a seller had apparently stumbled upon a whole pile of them. I know is that as a soon as I bought mine, the same seller put another one up for sale for the same price. So not uncommon apparently.



The trouble with Finnish medals and awards is the same as Nazi, German, Polish, Freikorps, etc medals and awards - lots of fakes so its caveat emptor. That's where good references books and experience come into play. I was fortunate to buy some of my Finnish medals and badges from a former collector who was getting out of Finnish militaria. But you have to do your research, know the going prices and how much you're willing to pay - especially on auctions.

[dastier]

Here's a common Finnish award that was given to Civil Guard members that fought for Finland's independence. Given that Finland's independence happened in 1918 you'd think this was fairly rare. Its the real deal but...

(click on links please)

my Finnish Blue Cross front.jpg

my Finnish Blue Cross.jpg

These were made in the 60s and awarded retroactively to Finns who participated in the Civil Guards during the liberation period. It is awarded to all former members of the Civil Guards and Lotta Svärd organization, from 1918 to 1944. I see these often overpriced.

[lithgow]

Finnish militaria is very rare here in Australia, apart from some of the rifles and pistols, bayonets and slings (I have an m/91 and an m/39 myself) but Polish stuff is sometimes seen here as many Poles moved here after WW2, often as Displaced Persons (refugees).

[Stinkpotpete]

That's another cool medal, makes me wish I still had my nagants so I could put one with them lol That's the problem with auctions, and people who don't do enough checking, they think, oh, ww2 it has to be original. The Russians did the same with some of their medals, I'm glad I found that out before I bought any.

[dastier]

There's a fairly new reference book out on Finnish medals and awards but its pricy and printed in Finland so shipping would be expensive. If I was to seriously collect Finnish medals again, I would probably purchase it. I haven't bought any Finnish medals in years.

For any interested this book can be ordered from Finnmedals. I have used that site as a reference and have bought from the owner. (hope its OK to say so here)

Also here are a few interesting sites on Finnish (and other) medals:

Finland's WW2 Medals

Hendrik Meersschaert does a great service in my opinion, by differentiating between military and civil versions of the same awards, gallantry and commemorative medals, how medals were earned and when they were given.

Some Finnish awards were not issued until many years after hostilities had ended. Unscrupulous sellers suggest they were wartime issues or awards for valour when they were not.

"AXIS & LEGION MILITARIA"

This is a really well done site and very interesting with emphasis on awards of Nazi Germany and its allies - but covers the relevant Finnish awards.

Basic Hallmarks Identification
This site covers hallmarks of various countries. Its good for identifying when an award was minted and confirming if a hallmark is authentic.

The Honorable Finnish Swastika
This last site offers a history of the swastika in Finnish use. Its good for putting the Finnish swastika in context. Finns weren't the only ones to have an 'honourable' swastika, it was used by native Americans, I believe its also a Hindu religious symbol (its etymology is Sanskrit) and was used in the prewar Polish Army by the Podhale Rifles (Polish Mountain Troops). And others!

I also have an excellent site for Swedish medals which I'll cover when I post about the SFK volunteers.

There used to be an excellent Finnish forum on collecting Finnish awards and medals but its disappeared!

[dastier]

Finnish militaria is very rare here in Australia, apart from some of the rifles and pistols, bayonets and slings (I have an m/91 and an m/39 myself) but Polish stuff is sometimes seen here as many Poles moved here after WW2, often as Displaced Persons (refugees).

lithgow, I must say though that sometimes I really envy Australian milsurp collectors. I had noticed that one of your dealers had Lahti L35 pistols for sale. WW2 copies if I'm not mistaken. I was sorely tempted to inquiry about them but I thought it would be very expensive to ship in addition to the actual cost of the pistol. Too rich for me.

And I have viewed an online Australian firearms auction catelogue that just amazed me with the firearms for auction.

On the other hand, purchasing and shipping medals could be possible. Would you mind if I PM you about the availability of these?

[Stinkpotpete]

Those are great links, thank you for sharing them