1988 Soviet MVD Moscow Region Criminal Investigation Department 70th Anniversary Table Medal – Rare Original Issue

Description

Original Item – Only One Available. A Soviet-era commemorative table medal issued in 1988 for the 70th anniversary of the Criminal Investigation Service, bearing the name of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Moscow Region Executive Committee. The anniversary marked the establishment of Soviet criminal investigation on 5 October 1918, when the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs formally organized criminal investigation departments to combat ordinary crime, pursue offenders, and suppress banditry. By the late Soviet period, these units formed one of the most important operational branches of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), employing detectives and specialized officers responsible for investigating serious criminal activity. Unlike general anniversary medals produced for the Soviet MVD, this example specifically represents the Moscow regional service, commemorating seven decades of service by its criminal investigation officers, operational personnel, commanding staff, and veterans.

The medal is a substantial, circular presentation piece with an attractive antique-gold finish and deeply sculpted relief. One side displays a prominent five-sided shield with radiating rays, surmounted by an upright sword and centered upon the Soviet state emblem against a rich red background. A finely detailed laurel branch crosses the lower portion of the composition, symbolizing achievement and distinguished service. The opposite side features a raised geographical outline of Moscow region, bearing a red five-pointed star and the anniversary inscription "70 Years of Criminal Investigation." Around the perimeter appears the full institutional designation, "Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Moscow Region Executive Committee." The medal retains well-defined relief, contrasting finishes, and natural age-related patination, with the red decorative elements preserved in excellent condition.

The regional designation gives this commemorative issue particular historical interest, identifying an internal-affairs command operating under the Soviet administrative system shortly before the dissolution of the USSR. Unlike wearable service decorations, such large-format table medals belonged to the tradition of departmental commemorative and presentation pieces, honoring institutional anniversaries and the professional service of successive generations of officers. For collectors of Soviet MVD insignia, criminal investigation history, and specialized law-enforcement memorabilia, this is an attractive original example associated with the Moscow region directorate during the final years of the Soviet Union.