37-mm Red Army star of 1918

An original and very interesting large-sized star in excellent condition. Very beautiful patina color. Bronze, stamping. The beam size is 37 mm. There are no fasteners, but we can install them for you for free if you wish. Guarantee of authenticity.

The cockade badge in the form of a red five—pointed star with a plough and a hammer is the first official distinguishing sign of the military personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Red Army), approved by order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs No. 594 of July 29, 1918. The emblem was used during the Civil War and lasted until its official replacement in the spring of 1922.

At the beginning of 1918, the emerging Red Army was in dire need of a single identification badge to visually distinguish Soviet fighters from opponents who wore the old royal uniform. On April 19, 1918, the newspaper Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published an article stating that the Military Commissariat had approved a badge for Red Army soldiers in the form of a red star with a golden image of a plough and a hammer in the center.

The five-pointed star ("Mars star") was interpreted as a symbol of protection of peaceful labor and a sign of unity of workers of five continents. The plough and the hammer represented the indestructible union of peasants and workers who stood up for the defense of the young Soviet Republic.

Despite the actual appearance of the star in the spring, legally its description and rules of wearing were fixed by People's Commissar for Military Affairs Leon Trotsky by order of July 29, 1918. The sprockets were stamped from brass or copper. The front side was covered with red (cherry) enamel. The plough, the hammer, and the edging of the beams remained golden (brass). On the reverse side, a copper foot ("mustache") was soldered to attach to the headdress. There were differences in size depending on the manufacturing factory. The standard size of a large cockade for hats (including the later Budenovka ones) was about 36-39 mm at the extreme points. Smaller "lapel" (breast) versions were also produced.

In the conditions of Civil War, devastation and shortages, centralized supply was lame. The stars were produced both in large factories (for example, in Moscow and Petrograd) and in private handicraft workshops. Because of this, many varieties have appeared.: Initially, there was no single standard, so in the photographs of those years you can find Red Army soldiers with a star attached with two rays up (inverted), which then did not carry a negative meaning and was the result of a banal confusion. Soon a strict rule was established: one beam is directed vertically upwards. The silhouettes of the plow and the hammer were noticeably different — from elegantly drawn to rough and schematic.

By the early 1920s, the sickle and hammer emblem had finally replaced the plough and hammer in the state symbols of the RSFSR, as the sickle was visually a more concise and versatile graphic analogue of the plough.

On April 13, 1922, by order of the RVSR No. 953, a new type of Red Army cockade was approved, where the sickle replaced the plow. The 1918 cockades were gradually withdrawn from use, however, due to the depletion of uniform stocks, they could be found in some parts until the mid-1920s.