How to tell a WWII Soviet Hero Star from a fake, an intense study

Welcome Tubers and friends, a hearty Thank You for visiting! Our Proprietor Igor Moiseyev of CollectRussia.com DBA Atlantic Crossroads, Inc., once again out does himself in this no holds barred marathon YouTube epic on the award, Hero of the Soviet Union. This classic award is the holy grail for any Soviet military collection. Knowing what is real and fake is always the first indispensable step in any collecting journey. Igor will educate, inform and arm. And needless to say, the ending review of a 2019 vintage French is also of heroic proportions.

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Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:46 - Why were the Title of Hero and Gold Star Medal instituted?
08:27 - First Heroes of the Soviet Union: pilots who saved the crew of the steamship Chelyuskin
13:54 - Heroic female pilots are among the early recipients of the Title of Hero
15:47 - The Night Witches
17:22 - Transformation from civilian award to military
18:56 - Special status of a recipient of the Hero Star
19:54 - Military dress code for the recipients of the Hero Star
22-23 - Collector’s Tip: wearer’s copies
24:17 - First look at the medal: beautiful study example
26:48 - Discussion of the construction and materials (the medallion is in 23K Gold!)
28:17 - Collector’s Tip: the differences between original Hero Star and a fake
30:30 - Collector’s Tip: Checking the size of a Hero Star
32:47 - Collector’s Tip: Checking the weight of a Hero Star
35:16 - Construction of the suspension device
38:26 - Suspension device measurements
39:49 - Example of a common fake medal in 23 K gold
43:38 - Collector's Tip: apex of the original medal vs fake
45:43 - Reverse of the medal
47:44 - Important features of the original die
50:08 - Lettering real vs fake
52:30 - Suspension real vs fake
56:14 - Wearer's copy vs fake
01:00:00 - Documents: real vs fake
01:06:16 - What did it take to get a Hero Star
01:22:00 - The reasons the medals are rare
01:27:05 - Prices: now and in the past
01:38:47 - Wine Break