Soviet citizens knew very well what the October badge was. But for today's youth, this concept is most often unfamiliar. In the article we will talk in detail about this symbol.
What is the October badge. His appearance
In the Soviet Union, children aged 7-10 were admitted to October. This was the name of the members of the children's organization, whose task was to captivate the children with interesting things and social life. Each member of this organization wore a special October badge. He was pinned on the left chest (near the heart) on a jacket, shirt, sweater, dress, school apron, jacket. Often the Octobrists wore badges not only at school, but also at home.
The grown-up children from the Octobrists were accepted into the pioneers, and after that - into the Komsomol members. All conscious schoolchildren tried to go this way - an Octobrist - a pioneer - a Komsomol member, it was very honorable.
The story of the famous star
The first detachments of junior schoolchildren appeared in 1923. At the same time, the Soviet artist Parkhomenko created a sketch of the October badge. It looked like a five-pointed ruby star, inside on a white background - an image of a little curly Volodya (Lenin). The sketch wasso successful that the evolution of the October badge did not take place: after 25, and after 35, and after 55 years, it looked the same.
The only change was made by Lithuanian artists: they added a shamrock between the rays of an asterisk and an inscription around the photo in Lithuanian - "Octobers - Lenin's grandchildren".
In total, two types of badges were produced: metal (by stamping, were put into mass production) and plastic (exclusive badges, were rare even in the USSR).
"Grandchildren of Ilyich", or Who had the right to wear this badge
Now many are arguing about the expediency of this organization, criticizing its ideological overtones, saying that the communist-Bolshevik philosophy of life was imposed on children. But one cannot dispute the fact that children were taught to be honest, courageous, responsible, hardworking, to love their homeland. The slogans testify to this. Only the guys "truthful and brave, dexterous, skillful", those who "play and sing together, live happily" had the right to wear the October badge.
"Grandchildren of Ilyich" were taught by heart the rules of October, which consisted of several quatrains. Each began with these words:
- "We are active guys…";
- "We are brave guys…";
- "We are diligent guys…";
- "We are the truth guys…";
- "We are fun guys…"
Today they would say that October was a certain statea brand in which the Soviets have invested heavily in order to raise a worthy young generation.
Where can I buy the October badge now
The October badge, the photo of which is in the article, is a desired artifact for many falerists (those who collect badges, orders, medals, and other badges). The price of the badge depends on the date of manufacture. New ones, which are stamped by modern factories, are cheap - from 100 rubles. But real Soviet badges are much more expensive - up to 1000 rubles or more. The approximate price of a plastic October badge of the pre-war period is 4.5-5.0 thousand US dollars. The main thing is to make sure that this badge is authentic.
