Matchbox holder (Спичечница)

[Asjemenou]

Recently bought this gem. It is a metal holder for a matchbox with the image of a Soviet soldier and tank in front of a factory building.
There is also a Soviet star depicted with red enamel.









The matchbox holder is in nice condition. I honestly do not know whether the matchbox holder is original.
The Soviet star is in any case inlaid with red enamel and not with red resin. In itself a good sign.
The only reference I can find is on the Russian WW2 forum; Спичечницы - Страница 2 - Частные коллекции - Форум и аукцион военной истории — WW2 .
This model matchbox holder was made in the period from 1935 to 1939 at FABMASS (ФАБМАСС) in Leningrad.

[Marcel Banziger]

Looks very nice....but I am always cautious with these items. They are massively faked and sold on ebay and similar auction sites. So I have no clue if this one is original. I really hope so. Myself I would only buy these with solid provenance.

[Woolgar]

I like it, would love it in my collection

Ick

[Asjemenou]

I consulted Ebay and see what I found there. Someone from Latvia sells the same matchbox holder; Vintage Antique Soviet Match Box Holder RKKA agitation Match Safe Case Stamped | eBay
This also differs from the models shown on the Russian WW2 forum. According to the collector there, there would be several variants because several stamps would have been used for the production. Does this mean that my copy and the matchbox holder offered on Ebay are counterfeits?
If the seller on Ebay offers the same matchbox holder for sale several times, you can wonder whether they are original.
I think the asking price is very high, even if it were original. Luckily I certainly didn't pay $80 for it.