#non-soviet

Disclaimer: this is a joke. It's satire. Mostly.

Not Soviet related, however it is history so it's going on here. Edit of my favourite power couple: the German Empire and Austria-Hungary.

From Belgium from a brocante or flea market, this is a 1st class civil cross. Although it is sometimes awarded for acts of bravery, most likely this was awarded for 35 years of meritorious service. The original owner was likely the name on the sticker, M. Defosset G., and he likely served in a high rank as a firefighter or in a military administration.

I don't do this often, but I peeled the sticker, revealing the brand print underneath. So now we know the cross is from P. Degreef, which makes sense because they make medals for official institutions like the government or the police. You can actually find this exact medal right here as the small medal option! Seeing the price I'm now even happier with getting this for like 5-10€.