East German Interior Ministry Bronze Merit Medal with Ribbon
In stock
- SKU
- S194570330
- Material
- Steel
- Style
- Military, Vintage
Description
GDR Interior Ministry Medal
This is the bronze class of the East German Ministry of the Interior merit medal. It was awarded within the ministry that ran the GDR's Volkspolizei, the People's Police. The obverse reads FÜR HERVORRAGENDE VERDIENSTE, German for "For Outstanding Merit." Collectors of Cold War and East German awards, reenactors building a GDR uniform, and anyone interested in the DDR's state institutions will want it alongside their other pieces.
Features
- Bronze Class Award — The bronze finish marks this as the bronze grade of the medal, which was awarded in more than one class.
- Steel Medal Body — The disc is struck in steel and finished in a bronze tone.
- Raised Star Obverse — A multi-pointed star carries the GDR emblem at its center, oak leaves sit below it, and the merit inscription runs around the rim.
- State Emblem Reverse — The back shows the East German hammer, compass and rye wreath emblem inside a full oak-leaf border.
- Trifold Ribbon Mount — A khaki ribbon with red edges and black-red-gold stripes is folded into the pentagonal shape used on East German medals, and the medal hangs from it on a jump ring.
- Pin-Back Clasp — A metal pin on the reverse of the ribbon mount attaches the medal to a tunic or display board.
- Matching Ribbon Bar — A short bar in the same ribbon pattern, with its own pin back, was worn on the everyday uniform in place of the full medal.
- Original GDR Issue — This is a government-issued East German award, not a later copy.
Issue and Specification
The Ministerium des Innern presented this medal to its own personnel for merit. The black, red and gold stripes on the ribbon are the GDR national colors, and the state emblem appears on both faces of the medal. You get the full medal on its ribbon and the matching ribbon bar, so a uniform or display can show the award the way it was worn for parade and for daily duty.
More Information
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Customer Reviews
Top customer reviews
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Clean bronze MdI meritBeen chasing the full bronze-silver-gold Interior Ministry merit set for my Volkspolizei grouping and this bronze finally showed up at a fair price. 34-ish mm struck medal with the DDR emblem in the police star and oak wreath looks correct, ribbon is the proper MdI pattern (a little flattened from storage but steamed out fine). Compared to random eBay lots ive bought before this one felt less sketchy on authenticity no weird casting bubbles or off-color plating you sometimes get from those Eastern brokers. Hangs nice next to my silver grade. Happy to cross another one off the list.
Authentic Cold War MdI piece
Ribbon arrived a bit creased
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AmazingPicked this up for my Cold War display, and it’s the real deal no repro here. The bronze finish is still bright, and the enamel on the police star is intact with no chips. The ribbon is original, and the suspension ring has the right maker marks for the period. Mine came in a simple plastic sleeve, but at $5, I’m not complaining. If you’re building a DDR collection, this is a must-have.
Unissued surplus
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Great Addition To My DDR CollectionGot this to round out my East German Interior Ministry medal set since I already had the gold and silver classes, so now I finally have all three. The bronze one looks really nice and the condition is better than I expected for the price. It sits perfectly on a ribbon bar in my shadowbox frame and gets a lot of questions from people who visit. My only real gripe is that I wish they included a little more info about the medal history or background, even just a small card, because guests always ask me about it and I have to look everything up myself. Still a really solid buy for anyone into DDR collecting.
Great condition for a vintage military medal
Looks impressive displayed alongside other DDR piecesNo background info or history card included
Bronze finish shows fingerprints easily if you handle it too much -
NiceMedal looks authentic and the ribbon is attached properly. Theres a couple small scratches on the back but honestly thats expected with surplus military stuff.
Good price for what you get
Minor scratches on back
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Great Piece of HistoryI’ve always been into Cold War era memorabilia, and this medal is a solid addition. The bronze has a nice weight to it, and the ribbon is in great condition.
Shipping was super fast too!