Order of the Red Banner of Labour

History Order of the Red Banner of Labor

The award was established as a labor analogue of the Order of the Red Banner to distinguish labor exploits from combat ones. As an order of the RSFSR, it was established on December 28, 1920, in addition, its analogues existed in some other union republics. On September 7, 1928, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor was established as a single All-Union Award, on September 15 of the same year its charter was approved. Later, a number of changes and additions were made to the charter, decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR of 7.05.36., 19.07.43., 28.03.80. and 18.07.80.

The creator of the design of the first version of the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR became S.Kuklinsky. After his establishment as an all-Union award, in 1928, the design was finalized by V.Kupriyanov, and the designer of the 1935 model was the Leningrad Mint medalist V.Golenetsky.

According to the charter, the citizens of the USSR, enterprises, institutions, organizations of union and autonomous republics, as well as citizens and enterprises of the institution of the organization of other states, for outstanding achievements in labor can be awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

List of recipients Order of the Red Banner of Labor

The first awarded Order of the «Red Banner of Labor» of the RSFSR was a peasant from the Bykhov district of the Gomel province, Menchukov Nikita, who was awarded this award by the Resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR of July 28, 1921, for his self-sacrificing protection from the ice break of the Chigirinsky Bridge.

It is interesting to note that military units also received this purely peaceful order, for non-combat merit. For example, for the shown heroism in the fight against the flood of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the RSFSR were awarded, the 2nd Priamursky Infantry Division, the 220th Slavyansk Regiment of the 74th Infantry Division and the 19th Air Squad «Far East Ultimatum»

Despite the establishment of the All-Union Order in 1928, the medal badges for him were made only in 1931, and Order of the Red Banner of Labor USSR awarded signs of labor orders of those republics in which they lived and worked. In the future, most of these decorated republican signs were replaced by all-Union ones.

Mechanics of the Air Force Fedotov V., Shelagin A. and Kwiatkowski M. became the first awarded Order of the Red Banner of the USSR for active participation in the rescue expedition to search for the airship «Italy», which had an accident near of the North Pole.

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the USSR No. 1 was presented to the staff of the Putilov Factory in Leningrad.

In connection with the fact that the statute of the award allows re-awarding, for new labor merits, there are multiple holders of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. The maximum number of awards given to us by this order is six. Six orders of the Red Banner of Labor were awarded Nikolai Nikolayevich Smelyakov. During the Great Patriotic War, he worked as deputy chief metallurgist, shop chief and chief metallurgist of the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in Gorky. After the war, Nikolai Nikolayevich worked in many positions of responsibility: the director of the Krasnoye Sormovo factory, the chairman of the Gorky Economic Council, the USSR machine-building minister and, for more than a quarter of a century, the deputy minister of foreign trade of the USSR.

The last awarded Order of the Red Banner of Labor in the history of the USSR was Joachim Georgievich Sharoev, head of the department of the Russian Academy of Theatrical Art of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR. He was awarded in accordance with the Decree of the President of the USSR of December 21, 1991, «for merits in the development of Soviet musical and variety art.»

Over the course of its existence, more than 1224590 awards were awarded to the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Prices for Order of the Red Banner of Labour

To date, prices for the Order of the Red Banner of Labour start from:
1928-36 Type 1 «Trigon» ≈1680 pcs. - 5000$
1936-43 Type 2 «Screw» ≈16700 pcs. - 2000$
1943-52 Type 3 «Big Oval» ribbon bar ≈110000 pcs. - 200$
1952-60 Type 4 «Medium oval» ribbon bar ≈230000 pcs. - 50$
1960-68 Type 5 «Small oval» ribbon bar ≈205000 pcs. - 40$
1968-91 Type 6 «Reverse with groove» ribbon bar ≈595000 pcs. - 25$
The price has been updated on: 23.03.2024 yr.

Varieties of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor

Type 1 «Triangle»

Dimensions: width – 38 mm, height – 43 mm.

Numbers: 26-2748

The first type was made of silver, in the form of a gear, the edge of which is decorated with wheat ears. A red triangle is placed on the pinion, a medallion with a picture of a hydroelectric power station, a gold-plated sickle and a hammer, and a red banner with the inscription «Workers of all countries unite.» At the bottom of the sign is a shield with an inscription USSR, divided in half by a small gear, entering the hook with the main gear of the sign.

The sign itself was made in the form of two parts, the first, directly a medallion in the form of a gear, with enameled elements, the second - a gilt hammer and sickle, attached to the mark with the help of two rivets.

The reverse of the sign has a round-shaped recess and a threaded screw in the center, for attaching the sign to clothing. In the lower part of the reverse, there is a rounded stamp «МОНДВОР», (MINT), made in convex letters. The order number is located below the circular recess, and is made by stamping. The size of the nut of the early signs is 28mm, later 32mm.

The first batch of 3674 Order of the Red Banner of Labor was produced in 1931 on the Mint. Until 1936, and accordingly the appearance of the second type of order, about 1,500 more characters were produced, and less than 2,000 orders were awarded. All of the unfortunate orders of the first type were subsequently returned to the Mint, where they were replaced by signs of the second type, with the corresponding serial numbers. As a result, there may be signs of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the second type, with the numbers characteristic of the first type of order.

Type 2 «Screw»

Dimensions: width - 38 mm, height - 43 mm.

Numbers: 2068-13250

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 7.05.36 the description of the sign was changed. The new sign was also made in the form of a gear. The inscription «Workers of all countries unites» is on the bottom edge of the gear. The inscription in the lower part is divided by a shield with a five-pointed red star, from the shield to the right and to the left come the gilded short wheat spikelets. In the center of the order a medallion wrapped in a wreath of oak leaves, in the center of which there is a hydroelectric power station and running water, covered with blue enamel, a gilt hammer and sickle is placed on top of them. From the inner left side of the medallion, with the gilded flagpole, the Red Banner, covering the upper part of the medallion and gears, is developing on the banner of the gilded inscription of the USSR.

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the second type consisted of five separate parts, connected by rivets. The first part, directly medallion, in the form of gears, 2 - Red banner, with the inscription «USSR», combined with a gilded oak wreath, 3 - gilded ears of wheat fastened at the bottom, 4 - red enameled star, 5 - gilt hammer and sickle.

The reverse of the award is smooth, slightly concave, with eight rivets connecting the elements of the order and a threaded pin in the center. The stamp «МОНДВОР» (MINT) or on the later signs «МОНЕТНЫЙ ДВОР» (COIN YARD) is located above the rifled screw. The number is located in the lower part, most often between the rivets holding the enamel star and the oak wreath, although there are also variants where the number is located slightly higher, between rivets fastening an oak wreath and a sickle with a hammer. Threaded nut, for attaching the order round, diameter 33 mm.

Type 3 «Big Oval»

Dimensions: width - 37-38 mm, height - 47-48 mm.

Numbers: 21016- 135151

The appearance of the third type of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor is connected with the decree of June 19, 1943, according to which all the orders, having a round and oval shape, were now worn on the left side of the chest, on a pentagonal block covered with silk moire ribbon.

The Order acquired an ear in the upper part, through which, with the aid of an additional ring, was fastened to a pentagonal block, covered with a silk moiré ribbon 33 mm wide. The ribbon is blue, with blue stripes 4 mm wide along the edges. Also, instead of the order, they allowed wearing a lath covered with a ribbon.

The appearance of the obverse of the sign did not change. The main changes concern the construction of the sign. Now the order was made not from five, but from three parts: 1 - directly the sign itself, 2 - the enameled star in the lower part of the order, 3 - the gilt hammer and sickle in the center of the order.

The reverse of the Order has lost the threaded screw, and maybe, as it is practically flat, and with a clear circular deepening. Rivets on the reverse three: two in the center, fastening the sickle and hammer, one at the bottom of the order, fastening the enameled star. The first version of the Order, made in the war years, did not have a stamp, the later ones received the stamp «МОНЕТНЫЙ ДВОР» (COIN YARD), located above the central two rivets. The order number was located in the lower part, above the lower rivet, fastening the red star.

Type 4 «Medium oval»

Dimensions: width - 38 mm, height - 46 mm.

Numbers: 134837-195912

The fourth type of order visually did not differ from the previous one, the third one. The only difference was the size of the sign, and its height was 46 mm, compared to 47-48 mm in the third type.

Type 5 «Small Oval»

Dimensions: width - 37 mm, height - 44-45 mm.

Numbers: 195049-386261

The fifth type of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor was even smaller, and besides it, minor changes in the design of the sign itself. This type is quite easy to distinguish from the previous two, by the size of the dam bulls, in the background. In the fifth type, the bulls are short and practically do not come out from under the handle of the sickle.

In addition, there are signs on which the cartouche, superimposed in the center on the ears of wheat, does not narrow up, but has the same size at the top and bottom.

Type 6 «Reverse with groove»

Dimensions: width - 37 mm, height - 44 mm.

Numbers: 368602- 1261201

The sixth type of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor appeared around 1966 and existed until the collapse of the USSR. The main difference from the previous types of the order was a ring-shaped groove with a diameter of approximately 20 mm on the reverse of the sign. Inside this groove are two rivets that fasten the sickle and hammer, and a stamp made in this type with bulging letters. The stamp «МОНЕТНЫЙ ДВОР» (COIN YARD) is executed in two lines, the word «МОНЕТНЫЙ» in the form of a semicircle, repeating the outline of the groove and horizontally written «ДВОР».

In the early versions of this sign, the order number was also located inside the groove, above the two rivets, later the number moved to a more familiar place, at the bottom of the order, just above the lower rivet.

In addition, collectors distinguish two subspecies of this type of order, the first, the hammer handle is located above the sickle blade, the second is under a blade.

Statute of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor was established to reward the Soviet State and society for their great work in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, art, public education, health care, state, public and other spheres of work.

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor is awarded to:

• citizens of the USSR;
• enterprises, associations, institutions, organizations, union and autonomous republics, territories, regions, autonomous regions, autonomous regions, districts, cities and other settlements.

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor can be awarded to persons who are not citizens of the USSR, as well as enterprises, institutions, organizations, populated points of foreign states.

The awarding of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor is for great achievements in the development of industry, agriculture, construction, transport and other branches of the national economy, in raising the efficiency of social production, for the highest rates of labor productivity growth, improving the quality of products, developing and introducing more advanced technological processes;

• stable high results in the fulfillment and over fulfilment of planned targets and accepted socialist commitments;
• major successes in increasing the yield of agricultural crops and the productivity of public livestock, increasing production and selling to the state agricultural products;
• the great merits in the development of science and technology, the introduction of their latest achievements in the national economy, for inventions and rationalization proposals of great technical and economic importance;
• great services in strengthening the country`s defense capability;
• particularly fruitful activities in the field of Soviet culture, literature and art;
• the great merits in the training and communist education of the younger generation, the training of highly qualified personnel in the field of health, the development of trade, catering, housing and communal services, consumer services for the special achievement and development of physical culture and sports;
• important achievements in the field of state and public activity, in strengthening socialist legality and law and order;
• great services in the development of economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the USSR and other states.

The Order of the Red Banner of Labor is worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other orders of the USSR is located after the Order of the Red Banner.

Awarding the Order of the Red Banner of Labor USSR is carried out by the Resolution of the Central Executive Committee USSR or its Presidium (now Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR) on representation of the central institutions and departments of the USSR, as well as all-Union centers of public organizations.