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Originally Posted by Texashorselady
For those of you going to Russia anytime soon (TerilynnS!) I just thought I'd share this photo I scanned of one of my favorite souveniers.
I would have happily paid a few dollars each for some of these pins...some of them are really special. But the entire hat loaded with pins was only ten dollars. What a bargain! We bought a few of the hats and gave them away as gifts when we got home and people just loved them. I take a pin off the hat now and then and wear it as a brooch, and they always get lots of attention. I even wore the big dangling medal (the one that's on the back) on formal night one time on a cruise...on a black velvet jacket. It looked great and people were asking me where I got it!!
I'd just be careful where you wear some of them...especially if you visit a former Soviet country... 
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Hi TexasHorseLady Thank you for the photos. The awards and medals you wear are becoming quite popular with collectors in the west with trading clubs and swap meets held through out the US. They are of couse copies since the originals are limited for export without a license because they are historical artifacts valued by the Russians. The originals represent every period and major event during the Soviet Era and were generally worn with pride, as they still are by older people on holidays. There is an interesting booklet available from larger books stores here such as the famous Dom Kinigi (House of Books) on Nevsky pr. for about 30 rubles($1.10) that describes each one and its history. Several of these pins I recognize as being significant honors from that period and are featured in the book. If you have a cruiser friend coming over to the Baltics have them bring a copy of that book for you, I am sure you would appreciate learning the connection between the city and these medals.
As far as being careful wearing them, most people would see them as colorful pins and no more but those who know them would probably appreciate that others knew what they were and that they represented important events in the lives of people during that time.
There is no mistaking the originals with these copies, the originals were made to fine jewelery standards so no one is going to stop you from taking these from the country. I think these medals represent a closer connection to St Petersburg than the usual tourist purchases of nesting dolls and lacquered boxes which are not related to St Petersburg at all. Other appropriate gifts would include original art since this is the art capital of Eastern Europe and if not the whole of Europe, fine jewelery, quality china(the Lomonosov factory and museum is here), photobooks of the palaces and museums, and fashion furs are all closely related to St Petersburg. |