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Cold War Era MVD uniform

Article about: I just purchased a whole house worth of Soviet and East German militaria. I'm going through most of the items now and ran across this MVD dress uniform set. Just like any large collection of

  1. #1

    Default Cold War Era MVD uniform

    I just purchased a whole house worth of Soviet and East German militaria. I'm going through most of the items now and ran across this MVD dress uniform set. Just like any large collection of items you purchase, there will be some stuff that is bad, or messed with over the years. I would like to get your guys opinions on this MVD set. The visor is right as rain and dated '87. The tunic shows heavy use and wear to the inside lining. Not what you would expect for a parade dress uniform. There is wear to the neck area, armpits, etc. The shoulder boards are not dress style but everyday style. However, an inspection of the inside of the tunic shows no other stitch holes to the lining and the boards have been there for a long time. Also, there is an arm shield on the sleeve but it is in normal red not MVD rust color. I did not think this tunic would have had one on it. The patch has a thick backing material on it. The buttons are dated '78. It came with a dress shirt and tie too. Please take a look at the pictures and let me know what you guys think. Any help is appreciated!


    Thanks,

    Mark
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Cold War Era MVD uniform   Cold War Era MVD uniform  

    Cold War Era MVD uniform   Cold War Era MVD uniform  

    Cold War Era MVD uniform   Cold War Era MVD uniform  

    Cold War Era MVD uniform   Cold War Era MVD uniform  

    Cold War Era MVD uniform  

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  3. #2

    Default

    Such a strange mismatch tunic, the cap I can say is undoubtedly an authentic one. The Tunic has no makers mark? they don't always but majority of the time they are present. the sleeve patch looks like a recent addition. remember that the tunic could be tailor made as well.

  4. #3

    Default

    I would not say that the wear is unusual as these uniforms were worn a lot more frequently than Western equivalents.
    For example a service veteran would tend to wear his old uniform at every opprtunity such as national or war memorial parades / occasions. Also the owner of this one may have served in a role requiring the wearing of this uniform pattern on a daily basis (in the same way that many Western officers in major formations , NATO, AFCENT etc, wear service dress to the office.) which I think would account for the "everyday" pattern shoulder boards.

    However, I think you are correct about the arm of service patch. The symbol is correct for MVD of course but it should be brick red like the collar tabs, shoulder boards and hat band. The brighter red or scarlett is for Motor Rifle units (the same device is used in Cornflower Blue by KGB and Green by Border Guards). I don't think I have ever seen a patch that was sewn on (I've never seen MVD pers close up but I have seen thousands of Military pers and not one patch was stitched) let alone in such a sloppy manner. Also it appears to have a white backing which I have never seen before either. See the picture below of a genuine item and 99% of all soviet patches I have seen were like this.

    The way the collar tabs are attached may look odd to the uninitiated but it is correct. See the picture below of the reverse of such a tab showing the holes for stitching.

    As stated in post #2 these uniforms were often private purchase especially in organisations like MVD that were based by definition entirely within the USSR which explains the absence of service nomenclature stamps.

    I think all you need to do with this is to source the correct arm patch which should not be too difficult or expensive. Personally, given the period (ie made of modern materials not WWI wool etc) I would consider a dry clean as those arm pits look a bit "fruity" but that is entirely subjective, just ensure that if you do you remove the collar tabs and stars first on advice of the dry cleaner(the original owner would have done so) then it will display well.

    Regards

    Mark
    Cold War Era MVD uniformCold War Era MVD uniform
    Last edited by Watchdog; 12-27-2020 at 12:59 PM. Reason: Typo
    "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

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