The medal "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy" is well known especially to domestic falerist. The value of this award cannot be evaluated only in direct monetary terms. Its significance has a completely different meaning. He can only be understood by one who has lived in this country for a long time and has felt the brunt of the war. Only people born in the Soviet Union can understand the sense of pride in the greatness and strength of their army that our citizens have.
A bit of history
The victory in the war of 1941-1945 was not easy for our people. Many soldiers remained on the battlefields. And those who returned were considered real heroes. By tradition, our state has always tried to somehow distinguish people for their outstanding services. In this case, everyone did the victory, without exception. Therefore, in February 1948, on the eve of the holiday, the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces established a special medal “30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy”.
This was a recognition of special heroism and dedication in a difficult time for the country. The government decided to remind people of what it was they who defended in the long bloody struggle. The medal “30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy” became a recognition of the enormous contribution that the soldiers made to the cause of the common victory over the enemy. After awards for specific military merits, she became practically the first of those that were awarded in peacetime. It reminded the soldiers of their great feat. Of course, the heroism shown in a single battle is worthy of respect. But the essence of this award was to show all the surviving warriors how much the whole nation appreciates what they did. A special honor to present the medal “30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy” was given to the heads of the respective institutions and the commanders of military units. This usually happened at the place of their immediate service. In the case when a citizen departed to another locality, this honorable duty was transferred to the head of the commissariat at the place of residence.
List of worthy
All details regarding this award were set forth in a separate Regulation approved by the same Decree. In accordance with it, a list of persons for its delivery was determined. According to estimates made later in January 1995, there were just under four million worthy ones. By decision of the Supreme Council, the jubilee medal “30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy” was awarded to almost everyone who, as of February 23 of the same year, consisted of personnel of the Armed Forces, as well as the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of our country.
Certain award rules were established. First, an order was issued to organize or military units. A list was attached to it separately. The medal was awarded to soldiers of all ranks in the presence of the entire team on behalf of the Supreme Council of the country. A special note was made about this fact in the personal file of the awarded. After the death of a citizen, the medal had to be returned to the state. But in 1951, the Decree of February 5 introduced a corresponding change, which allowed the families of the deceased to keep this award as a keepsake.
Detailed description
Now many faleristi in the collection have the medal "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy." Photo award allows you to better see it from all sides. In addition, it is easier to notice some of the features made during casting. The medal is a blank of regular round shape, having an outer diameter of 32 millimeters, and made of brass. On the front side there is a relief image of the two most important personalities of the state: Lenin and Stalin. Below them is the inscription "", indicating the digital value of the anniversary. On the back, at the very bottom, there is a five-pointed star.
Further in a circle - an inscription made in capital letters, which indicates the purpose of creating the product. Two more inscriptions are placed in the center: the name of the country's armed forces, as well as the time period "1918 - 1948", located in three lines. A small side is made along the edge. On top of the blank there is a round eyelet, with which it is attached to the pentagonal block in the form of a festive red-white ribbon. Such a reward should be worn on the chest on the left side. If a person has other anniversary medals, then they should be arranged in the order of delivery.
Unique features
At the time of manufacture, two versions of such an award were made. The difference is in the casting of the abalone. In one case, it is flat and evenly ground. In the second, the fastener is also fully stamped, but already round and convex. A little later, the brand of the Leningrad Mint “LMD” began to be put on it. In addition, when presenting the medal, a certificate is required. It was made three times and each time when printing certain adjustments were made:
- The front side of the coin depicted on the left side was black and white, and the numbers “194” were pre-printed in the text at the place of issue date.
- The image of the award has become color.
- The text on the right side has been changed again. In the year of issue, the numbers were replaced by “19”.
A similar award is evaluated by the phalerist at auctions of not more than $ 10, subject to the availability of documents. It is clear that it is impossible to get rich through such an acquisition. Therefore, some collectors acquire dummies for themselves. In principle, this is the same medal "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy." The copy differs from the original only in the composition of the pad and the absence of supporting documents.
For the manufacture of dummies, material is used from synthetic silk, which is a fairly high-quality copy of the original tape. It is often sold in the form of a blank 15 centimeters long at 110 rubles. If a person collects awards only for studying the history of the country, then for him this does not really matter.