Commemorative badge "Khalkhin-Gol" of the 1940 model

The original sign is in excellent collector's condition. Neruchenka. Bronze, silver plating, enamel. The sign on the original twist. The sign has a round shape with a fragment of the banner protruding in the upper right part. In the center, on a blue enameled background, there is an oxidized figure of a cavalryman in military uniform and with a rifle on his back, galloping eastward. In his right hand, the fighter holds a saber outstretched forward, with his left hand he holds the reins. Under the figure of the horse there is a stylized image of the Mongolian steppe – red and yellow hills, as well as a fragment of green hills. The left and right parts of the sign are bordered by a rim with a bronze relief notch. In the upper part there is a fluttering banner covered with red enamel with the inscription "August 1939" ("Avgust 1939"), the shaft of which protrudes beyond the boundary of the circle. In the lower part there is a red ribbon folded in three times with the inscription in capital letters "Halhin-Gol" ("Halhingol"). Guarantee of authenticity.

The sign was established by the decree of the Presidium of the Great People's Hural (VNH) Mongolia on 08/16/1940 on the first anniversary of the armed conflict near the Khalkhin Gol River (11.05-09/16/1939), known in Japanese historiography as the “Nomonhan Jiken Incident". The full name of the Sign in Mongolian is “Khalkh Golyn yalalt–yn dursgalyn temdeg” (ankhny zagvar 1940), i.e. “Memorial sign of victory on the Khalkh River", the first model of 1940. A quarter of a century later, by decree of the Presidium of the VNH No. 181 dated 12/29/1966, the statute of the Sign was changed and it received the status of an official state award – medal (Mong. – Khalkh Golyn bayldaan medal). Thus, “Khalkhin-Gol” has become a unique medal that does not have a pad.

 The memorial sign was intended to be presented to all direct participants in the battles on Khalkhin Gol - Mongolian and Soviet soldiers who defeated the invading troops of the Japanese Empire and Manchukuo. Moreover, according to the original founding document of 1940, civilians who participated in hostilities could also be awarded with the Badge. As for the Red Army soldiers, initially the Khalkhin-Gol badge was awarded only to those fighters and commanders who, after defeating the Japanese, continued their service in the Trans-Baikal Military District. Those who left for permanent duty stations in other military districts on the territory of the USSR were not awarded the Badge. Over time, some of the Soviet veterans of the fighting near the Khalkhin Gol River still received honestly deserved awards - the issuance of Badges to Red Army soldiers and officers, many of whom were awarded orders and medals of Mongolia and the USSR, was carried out after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and its end.

The initial order for the production of the Signs was placed at the Leningrad Mint (LMD). The author of the original punch was the artist-engraver Samuel Lvovich Tulchinsky (1900-1981), medallist of the Leningrad and then Moscow Mint. In August 1941, due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, forty qualified employees of the LMD and the main part of the equipment were evacuated to Krasnokamsk, Molotov region. At the temporary Krasnokamsk Mint, which operated in 1941-1949, it was planned to produce 3,000 Signs, but initially only six pieces were produced. Production was established only by the end of the war: so, from March to September 1946, 5,504 copies were produced. In the post-war period, the production of Signs was established in the capital by the Moscow Production and Creative Cooperative Association of Fine Art Workers, which existed in 1939-1953 and is better known as the Moscow Association of Artists. After giving the Badge the status of a medal in 1966, a 24 mm ribbon was established for its daily wear in a pad on uniforms and civilian clothes: purple-brown with a central golden-yellow stripe 15 mm wide.

 The very first batch of “Khalkhin-Gol” badges was made of silver and was awarded to a small group of military leaders, including Commander G.K.Zhukov and Marshal Choibalsan (a variant spelling of the name is Choibalsan). The main batch of signs was made of non-ferrous metal (bronze) using hot colored enamels, gilding and oxidation technology. The size of the sign was 42x37 mm, the weight was about 15.8 g. Depending on the manufacturer, the signs differed slightly in weight and size. According to the type of reverse, two main types of the sign can be distinguished – the early ones with a counter-relief surface and the later ones, produced since 1946, with a smooth reverse (information from the website https://www.mir-faleristiki.ru/polezno/pamyatnyj-znak-khalkhin-gol.html#:~:text=%D0%97%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BA%20%E2%80%9C%D0%A5%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BD%2D%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%BB%E2%80%9D%20%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B5%D1%82,%D0%B8%20%D1%81%20%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%20%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9.)