People who collect badges. How much do Soviet badges cost. Varieties of badges

Some people collect different things and objects for the sake of scientific interest, others - for profit or for some other reason. In this article we will talk about such a variety of similar activities as collecting badges.

Collecting as a hobby: causes of the phenomenon

So why are so many people so fond of collecting various gizmos (often completely unnecessary and priceless), turning them into huge collections?

Collecting is primarily a hobby. And any hobby, as you know, is a way to "escape" from routine, gray everyday life or uninteresting work. A person, spending his free time looking for this or that rare thing, first of all, rests and is distracted from his daily worries. Indeed, in this matter, he can become a real king, an expert. And thus realize his own which he cannot fully disclose at work.

Psychologists argue that the main reason for striving for this activity is purely psychological. At the heart of any collecting is the desire to accumulate something. Any person always wants to own something substantial.

One way or another, but for any collector, rather, the process of collecting is important. Finding a new item for your collection and carefully studying it brings great pleasure.

Collecting and its main types

Each collector in his own way, depending on his status. Someone hunts for beer caps, and someone collects paintings by certain artists, each of which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Collections are private, museum, state and the like.

The word itself comes from the Latin collectio, which means "gathering" or "gathering". Collecting - human activity, which consists in collecting certain items, united by some theme or specific features. And it's not just a collection. Any collecting involves a detailed study of artifacts, their description, as well as systematization.

What types of collecting exist today? There are a lot of them:

• numismatics (collecting, as well as the study of coins from different regions and historical eras);
• bonistics (collecting paper notes);
• philately (collection of postage stamps and postcards);
• bibliophilia (collecting books, including rare ones);
• peridromophilia (preservation of transport tickets);
• memomagnets (collecting fridge magnets is an extremely popular hobby today) and others.

Icons. Collecting badges

Faleristics means collecting not only badges, but also orders and various medals. The term itself comes from the Latin word "falera" - a metal chest decoration that was awarded for military merit.

A badge is a small product (most often made of metal) with a specific pattern and inscriptions. Very often it is an attribute of honor and is awarded to certain individuals for specific merits or successes in a particular activity. Collectors are especially interested in badges and medals of the state standard. In addition, individual firms can also produce badges.

Collecting badges was especially popular in Soviet times. Then almost every third person did it.

Varieties of badges

In faleristics, everything is divided into several types:

• for graduating from a particular educational institution;
• badges of specific organizations;
• badges of distinction;
• anniversary;
• official badges;
• military.

Collecting badges: prices and features

Probably, every family has preserved badges issued in the Soviet era. As a rule, these are aluminum products that are not of particular interest to collectors and falerists. Their real cost does not exceed 20 rubles apiece.

Collecting badges is a tricky business. Here you need to clearly understand what the real cost of a particular instance is.

The price of badges depends primarily on four factors. This is:

• year of issue;
• edition of the series;
• the metal from which the badge is made;
• condition and appearance.

Usually, soviet badges, issued after 1960 and marked with a price, are not of particular interest to collectors. But the badges made earlier than this date may potentially be of interest to the falerist. Especially if their circulation is less than one million pieces.

The price of many small circulation badges that have interesting story can be several thousand dollars. And for some exclusive copies, collectors are ready to pay solid sums at all - about 10,000 US dollars.

There is one on the Internet useful resource, which can be advised to everyone who is interested in collecting badges - "Hammer". The site molotok.ru looks like an online auction, where various lots worth from one ruble to several thousand dollars are raffled off.

Finally

Collecting badges is an interesting hobby that brings together an increasing number of people. You can start to collect a collection of simple aluminum badges of the Soviet period and gradually move on to the search for more expensive and rare items. Either way, collecting badges is a fun and highly educational activity.

During the years of the Soviet Union, a large number of badges, medals and commemorative coins. That is why collectors are trying to replenish their collections with rare items that are highly valued at auctions. Despite the fact that Soviet badges previously cost a penny, over time they have risen in price dramatically. See all the most expensive badges USSR photo price catalog.

It is no secret that many Soviet people loved to collect important and rare items. The propensity to collect valuable things was both among young people and the elderly.

Most often, the following items were collected: stamps, holiday cards, product labels, original envelopes and badges.

In the USSR, you could buy a badge or a postcard in any tent at a relatively low price. Those who could not afford to buy such things often exchanged them for their old stamps. Soviet citizens rarely thought about the collection value and age of certain items. Most likely, it was like a favorite hobby that fascinated millions of people.

In addition, this activity was attractive because it was inexpensive and varied. Stores offered customers wide selection assortment. To get this or that badge, schoolchildren gave away whole lunches and breakfasts. At that time, many did not suspect that the USSR badges were the most expensive.

Variety of icons

The authorities of the Soviet Union liked to reward workers for conscientious work, presenting them solemnly with badges of various subjects. As a rule, the following topics were depicted on the icons: space, transport, politics, history, architecture, heraldry and much more. To produce such a huge number of badges, several dozen factories were involved. Over time, icons began to be included in a special catalog and systematized. That is how the column "The most expensive badges of the USSR photo prices" appeared. Now the price for some varieties of badges reaches $ 2,000. This means that falerists are actively showing interest in Soviet badges.

The badges were not only politically oriented, enterprises also issued symbols for public organizations. For example, the Octobrists received a badge in the form of a beautiful star with a portrait of Lenin. After that, children were accepted into the pioneers, which also had its own symbolism. But the Komsomol badges were given to those who were able to join the ranks of the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union.

As for members of the voluntary people's squad, deputies of people's congresses and shock workers of standards, they were given badges of honor of a political orientation. Although these types of badges are not of great interest to collectors at auctions.

In large batches in the Soviet Union, badges were issued on the theme of politics, statesmen and significant dates. Almost every Soviet person could buy them in a stall for a relatively small fee. However, some badges were not sold: “Drummer of Labor”, “Drummer of the Five-Year Plan”, etc. There were other badges that were simply issued under a certain number.

Dear badges

The category of the most expensive badges includes rare and valuable metal pieces. At the auction, these products go for a round sum. But in order to determine the valuable USSR badges prices and photos are the most expensive, the following factors must be considered:

1. Type of metal.
2. Year of manufacture.
3. Circulation.
4. The presence of engraving.
5. Status of the badge.
6. Historical facts.

Usually falerists prefer those badges that are made of heavy metals. For example, on the market, aluminum badges are valued low.

Age affects the final cost of the product. The earlier the icon is created, the more you can get for it at the auction. Rare badges are highly valued by collectors, especially those issued at the beginning of the last century.

Of course, if a small number of badges were produced during the years of the USSR, then the price at the auction will most likely be high. Collectors love to collect rare items.

If there is an engraving on the badges, then they are immediately classified as rare items. Those badges that are poorly preserved or have some defects are not particularly popular with falerists. Thus, at the auction, first of all, market players pay attention to the condition of the product. Professional collectors recommend studying the catalog of USSR badges with prices to watch to always be in the know recent changes On the market.

Soviet badges have been valued since their history. It happens that the former owners of the rarity were celebrities or heroes of the USSR.

rare specimens

Rare badges are products that were released in a small edition. It is this factor that increases the value of copies. Recall that such badges during the years of the Soviet Union were awarded especially distinguished people in their studies, at work or in military service.

Collectors refer to rare coins the following metal products:

1. Excellent miner.
2. Excellent student of the Navy.
3. Excellent torpedo.

The cost for these badges sometimes rises to an unprecedented amount, since some of the rare badges were made of silver and bronze.

For labor success, the government of the USSR also adequately rewarded:

1. Excellence in social competition.
2. Excellence in Economics of the Moscow Council.
3. Drummer.

Some badges were made of silver with gilding and enamel.

According to many collectors, rare badges are copies that were issued before the Great Patriotic War. For example, badges "Dobrolet", "Friends of Radio", "Osoaviahim" cost more than one thousand dollars on the market.

In other words, rare items were produced in the 20s. Then the equipment of tsarist times functioned in the country, so most of the work was done manually. In this regard, the state produced a limited number of badges. However, today the price of such badges has skyrocketed.

In any case, the most valuable badges of the USSR, prices and photos can be obtained from an expert who has been engaged in this activity for more than a year.

Collecting chest icons and signs as well as various tokens, formedinto an independent industry in faleristics in the 60-70s of the XX century.
Collecting badges became popular in the first half of the century due to the expansion of international relations, the development of tourism and the mass production of various souvenir, commemorative and other badges by both national and private enterprises. The direction in this type of phaleristics usually has a thematic character: heraldry, history, sports, transport, architecture, and so on.

The collections of some major falerists include hundreds of thousands of different icons from different countries. Scientists in many countries are still arguing about when the first badges appeared, maybe when a person learned to forge things useful to him from metal, or maybe later, when he discovered the process of hardening, melting, casting and smelting.

Having occupied a niche between faleristics-gathering and the study of awards, visual agitation and folk culture, badge collecting has become one of the most massive and democratic hobbies, drawing into its environment hundreds of thousands of people united in clubs, and proud single collectors, connoisseurs of their favorite subject. Collecting badges can intersect with fanaticism, falerists, football fans collect badges on a given topic, hockey fans on their own topic. Meetings are held at various Olympics and other world competitions where badge collectors show their collections and exchange items of interest with each other.

Of course, within a huge family of collectors there are clans and differences. And those who collect badges on the topic "Religions of all times and peoples" look down on the collector of sports or rock music badges. This world is also immense because the issue of badges (not counting those made at the Mints) high resolution not required.

Judging by documents and excavations, badges in Europe already existed in Ancient Greece in the form of insignia of clan and army. Following the family coats of arms, there are emblems of cities and heraldry with its own language and symbols, which the Christian world has been following for centuries. Thousands of enthusiasts are keen on searching for badges with coats of arms of countries, clans and cities.
Every competent collector will tell you that in classical heraldry there are seven colors - according to the color of gold, silver and enamel (black, purple, azure, green and scarlet), expressing a spectrum of qualities. That gold is a symbol of wealth and generosity, azure - softness and grandeur, and red - fearlessness. That an important place on the coats of arms is occupied by animals. That the oldest coat of arms are (three leopards in a scarlet field) is the coat of arms of England, introduced by Richard the Lionheart upon his return from the crusade. That the modern heraldic sign of Moscow (a scarlet background and St. George on a white horse slaying a dragon) is based on the design of 1781, approved by Catherine II. And on the badge with the "young" coat of arms of the Jewish autonomous region the wavy lines mean the Bira and Bidzhan rivers, and the Ussuri tiger turned against the canon indicates the unusual origin of the region, created by Jews and prisoners deported by the Stalinist regime to the Far East.
Here you can note the presence of badges with Masonic heraldry.The Masonic museums in Scotland, Germany, and the United States store not only ritual objects and thousands of folios dedicated to the history of Freemasonry, but also hundreds of unique badges that testify to the scale of the movement that has penetrated all continents. A large collection of Masonic badges and tokens is among the 25,000-strong collection of badges in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

In addition to badges of institutes, military academies and insignia issued by mints, the Hermitage collection contains unique icons issued after the October Revolution.
Having made them a propaganda tool, the Soviet state issued hundreds of thousands of propaganda and award badges. Among them were not only badges of "social competition skirmishers" miner A. Stakhanov and others, but also thousands of others, whose plots would seem strange today.

Worth paying attention toUSSR badgesissued before the middle of the 20th century, among them there are interesting specimens that, due to the small number of issues, can be estimated at a pretty amount.
For example, take the icon "Excellent Road Worker"

The sign "Excellent road builder" was produced in 1943-1957 and has three varieties, slightly differing in design. In particular, we are talking about differences in the drawing of individual elements of the token - ribbon, leaves, working tools. There is also a difference in the spelling of the name of the sign and the size of the product itself (about three millimeters wide). In the manufacture of yellow metal, oxidation, enameling and silvering technologies were used.

Today prices for USSR badges on average from 3 to 5 rubles per copy. Such a small price is explained by the fact that the circulation of these products at one time was very, very large. Fans of phaleristics, those who collect badges, generally prefer badges issued before the fifties and acquire them with great pleasure.The excitement of such demand is that until the fifties, only heavy metals were used in the manufacture of badges, and their number was not significant.

There are several factors affecting the price of badges, the first is how the badge was preserved, then how many of them are on the market, the presence of engraving is of great importance, the brand of the manufacturer, and so on.
In total, six main groups of badge evaluation can be distinguished:

1. Circulation from 10,000 thousand pieces; Simple design. The price for such badges is about $25.

2. Circulation from 10,000 thousand pieces; With a complex design, the price will be approximately $75.

3. Small circulation pins can cost $100.

4. Rare space or other themed icons with interesting designs and great information can cost $150.

5. Badges with documents in excellent condition and excellent design with their own history, the price of such comes to 500 dollars.

6. A rare exclusive badge can cost upwards of $1,500.

Not the last place among the large and interesting collections is occupied by badges different types relating to different time intervals.
Collecting badges has its own name - phaleristics. The earliest appearance of this type of collecting refers to the period ancient rome. It was there that the tradition arose to reward outstanding commanders and soldiers with badges. Warriors were awarded with medallions depicting gods and heroes. They were called "falers", hence the name faleristics.
The appearance of badge collections in Russia dates back to the end of the 20th century. At this time, collections of not only breastplates, medals and orders, but also badges issued for the anniversary of an enterprise or holiday began to spread. There were badges that were the hallmark of individual balls, circles, state organizations. The presence of such a variety of icons was explained by the existence of a socialist society. The badges were his symbol.
The creation of badge collections is associated with an increase in international connections, travel. Badges were issued not only in Russia, but also in other states. The more interesting the badge was, the stronger the desire of the collector to get it became.
Some people are into collecting badges for fun and entertainment. But there are also those who collect collections with commercial interest. Many unique badges that are in the collection in a single copy are of material value and are highly valued.
Many icons have a thematic focus. They can characterize the achievements of the country in sports. By the icons you can read the history of the state and its most important figures.
Collecting badges is one of the mass hobbies. It took into its ranks great amount of people. This is due to the fact that the release of badges does not require permission from government agencies. But this does not apply to badges issued by the mint.
Badges issued in small quantities are of great value. You can buy or sell such an icon at an auction for a lot of money. The cost of the collection will depend on the type and theme of the icons in its composition.
The artistic and material value of badges can be determined by the material from which they are made. Plastic and aluminum badges have less value and cost compared to metal or silver ones. The most expensive badges were decorated precious stones and border.
The most valuable are the badges that existed in Tsarist Russia. Their cost is high both artistically and materially. The collection of icons is stored in special albums for falerists. In order for the badges to be well fixed, they were pricked on a sheet of foam rubber, or a synthetic winterizer sheathed with fabric was used.
Collecting badges is an interesting hobby that brings together a huge number of people. It is also a fascinating activity that provides the necessary knowledge about the history of the state, its holidays and outstanding people.