Soviet Russian Medal for Restoration of the Ferrous Metallurgy of shops the South USSR Labor Award for post WW2 Rebuilding Efforts ORIGINAL NICE

Soviet Medal for Restoration of the Ferrous Metallurgy of the South.

This is GUARANTEED 100% ORIGINAL USSR medal made at the Soviet Mint and officially issued by the Soviet government in the late 1940s through early 50s - not a replica or a later reissue!

The medal is made in gilded brass, measures 32.9 mm wide. The obverse shows a foundry worker in front of a blast furnace. The Soviet iron and steel production was concentrated in the south of the European Soviet Union, mainly in the industrial centers of eastern Ukraine. Nearly all of these metallurgical plants were in ruins at the end of WW2, destroyed by the back and forth fighting throughout the war and especially by the Germans in 1943-44 during their retreat from the Ukraine. Because this industry was of vital importance to the Soviet Union, a massive effort was launched to restore the factories even before the war ended. The most distinguished workers were later awarded with the Ferrous Metallurgy Restoration shops Medal. This was one of only labor campaign medals awarded by the Soviet government: throughout the Soviet history there were many badges for good labor but very few awards of the higher, medal status issued for a specific field of labor. Being an important award, this medal would give its recipient various privileges for life!

The medal is in VERY GOOD condition. The raised details are extremely well preserved, show almost no wear. There are is a small blemish on the reverse and a couple of tiny oxidation spots, but the toning to the brass is otherwise even and very attractive. The medal comes on aluminum suspension device with immaculately clean, perfectly preserved old ribbon.

This attractive example showing age and real character can be a nice addition to a WW2 medal collection, since the medal is directly related to WW2.