Interestingly a Plough takes the place of the sickle in the “hammer and sickle” rendering on the reverse of this Sovier jubilee medal commemorating sixty years of the Soviet armed forces.
Obverse: A soviet soldier stands in the foreground with a “thousand yard stare” whilst the backgound incorperates ICBM’s (Inter continental ballistic missiles) on the left and a submarine on the right. Above this scene two flanker interceptor jets fly in formation. The dates 1918 1978 are immediately above the submarine and in relief.
Reverse: The aforementioned plough and sickle combination sits centrally superimposed upon a lotus leaf stylized soviet star. In the backgound a standard rifle with bayonet afixed and a sabe sword are crossed. Cyrillic lettering around the edge of the obverse of the medal completes the border / framing of the central motif.
Just short of TEN MILLION of these disc type medals with their pentagonal ribbon hangers were issued by the Soviet authorities on the 23rd February 1988 to comemorate sevety years of the existence of soviet / CCCP forces. The particular example shown below includes the ribbon attacment ring where the manufacturer markings “LMD” for the Leningrad mint can be discerned.
Awarded to just about everyone “under orders” in the Soviet union on the 23rd February 1968 some almost 10 million recipients. The front of the medal depicts two soldiers in uniform of the different eras surrounded in the background by the 5 pointed red star. The reverse shows a crosssed Hammer and Plough above Cyrillic lettering and the obiquous CCCP