Guards Badge price inflation

**meyerse** · 05-10-2021, 01:51 AM

Is it just me or have wartime guards badges essentially doubled in price over the last 18 months?

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 05-10-2021 01:51 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**PapaStalin1943** · 05-10-2021, 02:06 AM

I have noticed this as well. On online sights, you could find wartime examples for around $25-30, but now they seem to be averaging at around $70-80. I also see an increase in price for both Order of the Red Star medals and medals "For Courage." I don't think I have made a post on this, but I actually called that the prices on these 2 specific medals would skyrocket, for certain reasons. I was going to buy a bunch of Red Stars and Za Otvagu medals en masse, but I instead bought my dream helmet (Imperial Russian Adrian) so I couldn't have gone through with my original plan.

**Spenwil73** · 05-10-2021, 03:16 AM

It's inevitable, however I picked up two originals on ebay for roughly 30 dollars each, The normal prices are still very much so out there.

**Marcel Banziger** · 05-10-2021, 04:53 AM

I also have noticed this yes. At dealers I bought these for $ 25-30. That is now doubled. On Ebay I could find Guards badges for $ 10-15. That is also doubled.
Bravery medals, as Nikita mentions are are also going up fast. I used to buy unresearched medals for $ 30-40. Nowadays they easily go for $ 60-100.

But I noticed the same with German awards. Look at the "simple", easy to find black woundbadges that were sold for $ 25-50 before. These same badges go nowadays for $ 50-100.

**PapaStalin1943** · 05-10-2021, 05:22 AM

I feel as though now is the very last time that you will be able to buy/find the lower tier soviet awards such as Red Stars and Bravery medals for cheap... get them while you still can, I know I will!

**Marcel Banziger** · 05-10-2021, 09:18 AM

I am doing that as well. Not because they were cheap (or still rather cheap). I buy them a lot because I simply love these medals. Both design and the citations that often go with these. I simply can't have enough Bravery medals

**Gerry C** · 05-10-2021, 04:42 PM

To All,

Not sure if my question is out of line but why all of the speculation on a rise of order availability, coupled with price increase? Just asking.

Thanks!

Gerry C.

From the High-Plains of the Midwest U.S.A.

**Marcel Banziger** · 05-10-2021, 04:55 PM

Not sure what you mean with speculation here?
The Order availability is not more or less than before. There's a constant flow or awards being offered the last couple of years. The same for Guards badges. They also come in a constant flow. Prices however went up a lot. Perhaps because more and more people start to collect these?

**Gerry C** · 05-10-2021, 06:24 PM

Marcel,

Sorry, probably read more into the post than necessary. Just read a spirit of questioning why orders and guards badges were increasing in value. For me gave an air of speculation over future availability and prices. Whatever the case just glad I started collecting Soviet items when I did.

Gerry C.

**Asjemenou** · 05-10-2021, 08:28 PM

by meyerse

Is it just me or have wartime guards badges essentially doubled in price over the last 18 months?

In the 1990s, communist regimes in Eastern Europe disappeared. The people there had had enough of communism. Anything with a communist star or a hammer and sickle on it went to the trash can.
Local antique shops did not lose their merchandise due to the high inflation. How happy they were when such a crazy Westerner came to visit their shop. It was a golden age for Soviet WWII collectors.
Those days are over. Now the dealers set the price and as long as we keep giving it for it, they will keep pushing up their prices.