In brass; 32.1 mm wide; weighs 16.2 g not including the suspension and connecting link. Features a separate eyelet soldered to the medallion.

In very fine to excellent condition, way above the average and very respectable for a medal as scarce as Defense of Odessa. The obverse shows almost no wear detectable to the naked eye, only a few minuscule dings to the raised edge that are mostly invisible without magnification. The reverse has some very tiny scratches and contact marks, no significant wear. The raised details are perfect and exceptionally crisp on both sides. The medal is completely free of bumps, edge knocks or pitting. The toning to the brass is overall uniform and attractive, although there are some areas of light tarnish on both sides. Some of the original "gilt" mint luster is visible in recessed areas on the obverse.

The medal comes on an early post-war suspension, a single-layer model in brass. The nicely preserved ribbon is old, although not as old as the medal itself. The connecting link appears to be original, and its ends are still joined with solder.

Being the hardest to find of all Soviet campaign medals of WW2 (there were just slightly over 30000 ever awarded, many of them relatively early in the war), the Medal for the Defense of Odessa is rarely available in anything like decent condition. This piece is among the better examples we've handled in the past few years.