WW2 Soviet Order of the Red Star #440670 EARLY 1944 ORIGNL Military Medal SILVER

Description

Soviet Order of the Red Star, #440670, circa early 1944 issue.
This is GUARANTEED ORIGINAL Soviet award made at the mint and officially awarded during WW2 – NOT a replica or a post-WW2 issue.
The order is of beautiful quality standard for the high Soviet decorations made by the Mint. The star is in STERLING SILVER (925 parts of pure silver out of 1000). The beautifully translucent “hot baked” red enamel on the arms of the star is of the highest quality typical of relatively early issues, nicer than those produced later during the war or after the war. Note also that this version of the Order of the Red Star has pointy arms of the star in comparison with the later issues.  It also features characteristic “wrinkles” on the reverse.
The center medallion with the Soviet soldier holding a rifle is a separate part soldered to the star base. The badge weighs 26.9 grams not including the screw plate and measures 46.2 mm in height, 48.4 mm in width.
The serial number is hand-engraved below the screw post in style standard for the Soviet decorations of the period (even now, this award can be researched by its number through the military archives in Russia!) Judging by the relatively low six-digit serial number, the order was bestowed at some point in early 1944 or possibly even in late 1943. The likely early issue date is very important: it virtually guarantees that this particular piece was awarded for combat rather than length of service. Later, starting from November 1944, hundreds of thousands of the Order of the Red Star were issued to military officers simply for 15 years of uninterrupted service in the military. Of course, the later issues are therefore more common and less interesting historically. Earlier issues such as the example offered here were much harder to earn.
The order is missing most of the enamel on one of the arms of the star, a common occurrence with Soviet awards of early period. The enamel on the other four arms however is intact, free of significant wear other than a few tiny contact marks, and still shows beautiful luster. The enamel on this piece is completely original, has not been repaired or replaced. The details of the center medallion are well preserved. The reverse is practically pristine, with no wear visible and beautiful toning to silver. The screw post is of full length, over 12 mm, and includes a screw plate of late-war model that fits the screw perfectly (unlike the badge itself, the screw plate is made in white metal rather than silver).
Overall, an imperfect but very attractive piece with a good research potential
.
FREE SHIPPING
(USPS 1st cl. Mail) WITHIN USA ONLY!
We WILL NOT ship our eBay items outside USA.