Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad, Variation 1, 1940s issue.

In brass; 32.1 mm wide. First variation of the medal featuring separate eyelet soldered to the medallion.

In excellent condition. The raised details are perfect and crisp on both the obverse and reverse. The obverse is practically pristine, with only a microscopic contact marks completely invisible without magnification. The reverse has some tiny dings and a couple of miniscule scratches that are not detractive, no significant wear. The medal is completely free of any bumps or edge knocks. The brass shows very attractive mild toning throughout while good amount of the original "gilt" mint luster is clearly visible in recessed areas on the obverse. There are no noticeable blemishes or oxidation spots.

The medal comes on original suspension, a WW2 two-layer model in steel with self-locking pin. The perfectly preserved, immaculately clean ribbon is old although probably not of the same vintage as the medal itself. The connecting link appears to be original although its ends are not soldered. Overall, this Stalingrad medal is one of the better examples we've handled in recent years.

Item# 36246

$130.00