The star medallion is in solid 23 K gold; measures 32.1 mm in height incl. eyelet, 30.2 mm in width; weighs 16.8 g not including the suspension device and connecting link. Overall weight of the medal including the suspension and screw plate is 30.4 g. The suspension is in gold-plated silver. Note the extremely low serial number and its font which is noticeably larger than on the later issues. Only 1000 specimens of this early variation were made (including some 20-30 pieces that came on a Type 1 suspension), and only a small fraction of them were ever offered for sale.

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The star medallion is in solid 23 K gold; measures 32.1 mm in height incl. eyelet, 30.2 mm in width; weighs 16.8 g not including the suspension device and connecting link. Overall weight of the medal including the suspension and screw plate is 30.4 g. The suspension is in gold-plated silver. Note the extremely low serial number and its font which is noticeably larger than on the later issues. Only 1000 specimens of this early variation were made (including some 20-30 pieces that came on a Type 1 suspension), and only a small fraction of them were ever offered for sale.

The medal is in very fine to excellent condition, far better than the average even for the far later issues. There are a few small nicks near the tips of the lower and upper right arms and several tiny contact marks elsewhere, but all the raised details including the ridges and edges of the star are beautifully defined and crisp. The reverse shows only tiny traces of wear, and its stippling is nearly pristine.

The suspension is original and complete, including the rectangular back plate, hexagon retaining nut, and an appropriate early-style screw plate with the mint logo. All parts of the suspension have a matching amount of the original gold plating. The perfectly preserved, clean old ribbon appears to be of the period and is probably original to the medal. The silver connecting link likewise appears to be original; its ends are still joined with solder.

The Order Booklet, Series B #677314, was filled-out on 26 February 1948. It shows only the entries for the Gold Hammer and Sickle Medal #614 and Order of Lenin #67287 issued with the medal (a requisite part of the Hero of Socialist Labor set), no other awards. Unlike most documents of its kind, the booklet contains a nice photo of the recipient - obviously added at a later date but accompanied by the proper Supreme Soviet verification stamp - wearing her decorations, including the two awards listed in the document and two USSR anniversary badges.

The order booklet is in excellent, near mint condition, and shows only a storage age. The cover in particular is exceptionally well- preserved with its gold lettering and state seal perfect and bright. The internal pages are practically pristine, having only some minor wrinkles and the usual stains from the slightly rusted staples.

Aleksandra Khorbut (née Kishkan) was born in 1925 in a village of the Chernovtsy (Chernivtsi) region, then a part of Bukovina province of Romania. Starting from the age of 12 she worked as a hired hand on a farm of a wealthy landowner. In 1940, the northern part of Bukovina including Aleksandra's native village was annexed by the Soviet Union in a bloodless campaign that followed similar annexations of the Baltic states and the invasion of Poland. Still only 15 years of age at the time, she was promptly given a job at a newly created village Soviet (council). Following the Barbarossa offensive, temporary return of the area to Romanian control, and the subsequent Soviet reoccupation, Khorbut became a collective farmer and soon headed a Komsomol youth beet growing team. Despite the adverse weather conditions of the 1947 growing season that saw a severe drought followed by torrential rains, her team achieved a harvest of 603.8 centners of sugar beets per hectare (roughly 12 tons per acre). This result set a record for the Chernovtsy region, and on 16 February 1948 Alexandra Khorbut was made a Hero of Socialist Labor by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Remarkably, 22-year-old Khorbut was the first citizen of the Chernovtsy region to receive the highest Soviet civil title of recognition. Moreover, her Gold "Hammer and Sickle" Medal was among the first few hundred awarded immediately after the end of WWII, following the 200-odd wartime issues. The timing of Khorbut's award is very important: in 1946-47, the Soviet Union was experiencing severe shortages of food, and much of its population was on the brink of starvation. The industries in the European part of the country were still largely in ruins - meaning that the necessary amounts of fertilizers, agricultural tools and machinery wouldn't be available for quite a while. Moreover, the Lend-Lease supplies from the West had come to an abrupt end, replaced by the ever-increasing Cold War hostility. The bountiful harvest achieved by Khorbut could not have come at a more critical time.

Research Materials: photocopy of the relevant page from the serial number reference guide Heroes of Socialist Labor by Vadim Latysh, C. 2020, Moscow (which further confirms the identity of the recipient). A biography of Aleksandra Khorbut and a photo of her at a young age are available on a number of Russian-language websites such as https://warheroes.ru/
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