Aluminum, "cold" enamels, lacquer; 47.2 x 27.0 mm. Soviet military insignia of red star with the hammer & sickle at the bottom. The black inscription on the plaque reads "МВОКОЛКУ им. ВС РСФСР", which stands for Moscow Order of Lenin Highest Combined Arms Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of RSFSR.

Excellent condition. The enamel and lacquer are perfect. The raised details of the state emblem show no visible wear. The screw post is full length, approx. 8 mm measured

Aluminum, "cold" enamels, lacquer; 47.2 x 27.0 mm. Soviet military insignia of red star with the hammer & sickle at the bottom. The black inscription on the plaque reads "МВОКОЛКУ им. ВС РСФСР", which stands for Moscow Order of Lenin Highest Combined Arms Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of RSFSR.

Excellent condition. The enamel and lacquer are perfect. The raised details of the state emblem show no visible wear. The screw post is full length, approx. 8 mm measured from its base. Comes with the original screw plate is maker-marked "Moscow ZSZ" (Moscow Sports Badges Factory). A very uncommon and interesting military school graduate's "rhomb" despite its simple construction.

Opened in December 1917, almost immediately after the November 1917 socialist revolution, the school was one of the first military education establishments organized by the new regime. Initially, it was named Moscow Revolutionary Machine Gunners School. Two years later, in the midst of the Russian Civil War, it took headquarters inside the Moscow Kremlin and was assigned the task of guarding it - which goes to show the level of trust given to its students and staff by Lenin's government. In 1921, the school was given an honorific title "Named after VTsIK" - i.e. the All-Russia Central Executive Committee, which years later was renamed the Supreme Soviet of RSFSR. The school was later awarded with the Order of the Red Banner, Order of Lenin and Order of the October Revolution and renamed several times. By 1965, the name of the school had become so long and cumbersome that even its abbreviation wouldn't fit into the name plaque on the badge - so the Order of the Red Banner had to be cut out from the acronym in favor of the Order of Lenin!

The school retained its elite status through the end of the Soviet era and beyond. It is still open in Moscow and even mostly retained its Soviet-era name - albeit without the "Supreme Soviet" part but with the Order of Zhukov added. Its 1970s "special" graduation badge was apparently issued to a very limited number of alumni and is very uncommon.

/Avers 8, Catalog of Soviet Badges and Jettons, 1917-1980, p. 489, fig. 2345/.
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