East German Interior Ministry Gold 20-Year Service Medal with Ribbon
In stock
- SKU
- S19448120
- Material
- Steel
- Style
- Military, Vintage
Description
GDR Interior Ministry Medal
This is the gold grade of the East German Interior Ministry long-service medal, awarded for 20 years of faithful service. The obverse reads "Für 20 Jahre Treue Dienste" around a faceted star carrying the state emblem of the GDR (German Democratic Republic). It comes with its folded red ribbon, a matching ribbon bar and a fitted presentation case, which makes it a complete set for collectors of Cold War German awards and for anyone researching or displaying East German service history.
Features
- Gold Grade, 20-Year Award — The gold finish marks the 20-year level of the service medal series, stated in the inscription "Für 20 Jahre Treue Dienste" (For 20 Years of Faithful Service).
- Steel Construction — The medal is struck in steel with a gold-tone finish and a suspension loop at the top.
- Faceted Star Obverse — A raised multi-pointed star sits inside a wreath border, with the GDR hammer-and-compass emblem at its center.
- State Emblem Reverse — The back carries the full GDR coat of arms, a hammer and compass ringed by rye ears, framed by a laurel-style wreath.
- Folded Ribbon Mount — Red ribbon with yellow edge stripes is folded into the pentagonal shape used across Eastern Bloc awards, with a brass pin on the back for wearing.
- Matching Ribbon Bar — The small ribbon strip, worn on the everyday uniform in place of the full medal, carries a miniature gold rosette device and its own pin back.
- Presentation Case — Both pieces sit in a black-framed case with a cream foam insert cut to hold the medal and bar in place.
- Complete Set — Medal, ribbon and ribbon bar are kept together, so the full award can be displayed or stored as it was presented.
Issue and Specification
The Ministry of the Interior ran East Germany's civil security services, including the Volkspolizei (People's Police), and recognized long careers with graded service medals in bronze, silver and gold. This piece is original GDR-issue, carrying the state emblem on both faces and fitted with the standard folded ribbon and pin-back ribbon bar of the period. Because the GDR ceased to exist in 1990, these awards are a fixed, finite part of German history, and a cased set with both ribbon pieces is the most complete way to own one.
More Information
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Customer Reviews
Top customer reviews
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What a Serious DDR Collection NeedsBeen chasing a complete MdI service award set bronze (10-year), silver (15-year), and gold (20-year) for about two years now and this gold grade was the last piece i needed. The gilding on this example is crisp, no rubbing on the high relief of the police star or the oak leaf wreath, and the Volkspolizei-pattern ribbon is original and unfaded. At 34.5mm it's the full-size struck format, which you only get on the higher service grades, and that extra heft in hand tells you immediately this isn't a cheap copy. I compared several examples floating around on eBay from various DDR militaria sellers and honestly the condition on this one beats most of what i've seen listed over there sellers on eBay tend to offload the worn, ribbon-frayed examples without much disclosure. The DDR state emblem set inside the police star is sharp on both faces; no casting flaws, no soft detail. For a piece from a state that ceased to exist in 1990 and is increasingly scarce on the surplus market, the price here is more than fair. Highly recommended to anyone building a serious GDR award grouping.
Crisp, unfaded gilding with sharp relief detail on police star and wreath original Volkspolizei-pattern ribbon in excellent unfrayed condition
Supply is drying up price will only go up, so don't wait
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Finally found a good onSo after like three weeks of comparing every listing I could find, this gold 20-year DDR medal was the best deal for the condition.
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Cool commie collectible, wife hates itlol my wife thinks its weird that I collect this stuff but I dont care its history. Medal looks great on display. Customer service answered my question about authenticity real quick which I apreciated since I wasnt sure if these were repros or not. Theyre not, 100% genuine article.
Genuine surplus, not a reproduction
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East German 20 year service medalThis East German 20 year service medal is in unissued condition and is a must for any DDR collection. This is a very good price for this medal. Medal arrived quickly and packaged very securely.
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East German MedalThese East German medals are becoming harder to find. This one is in beautiful condition, and at a very good price. If you're a collector of DDR memorabilia, get them before they are gone.
Beautiful DDR medal, at a very good price.