Published on: 2026-04-20
Source: Mosfilm Film Concern – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
April 20, 2026
Press service
In the House of Costume and Props, large-scale work is carried out on the accounting and classification of a rare collection of badges, award models, and departmental insignia. Among the exhibits are highly accurate copies of orders made by the Mint for the legendary battle scenes of “Liberation” and replicas for “The White Tiger.” The collection, numbering hundreds of units with damage, is acquiring a strict scientific description to preserve for future filmmakers the authentic texture of history.
Cinematography is the art of detail. The viewer’s gaze, focused on a close-up of the hero, instantly reads any falsity: not that shine of metal, the plastic cast of an award, or anodization on a lapel. The collection of phaleristics of “Mosfilm,” which has long served as a faithful and true companion to hundreds of films, is now undergoing a stage of detailed revision. The task is to turn the “raw material” accumulated over decades into a clearly structured, accounted for, and systematized fund, where each badge has its own history and its own place.
Price of reliability
A special pride of the collection is made up of replicas of military awards, which even a non-specialist can hardly distinguish from the originals. The secret of quality is simple: they come from the very place where the real orders were made! For the filming of large-scale historical canvases, such as the film epic “Liberation,” directors could not allow themselves cheap stamps in frames with marshals and generals. Orders were placed at the Leningrad and Moscow mints.
“These things were made at the Mint just like the genuine awards,” emphasizes Tatiana Stepanova, the curator of the collections. “The material there is different, the quality absolutely another, not like modern plastic or cheap mass-produced items. This is brass, a heavy metal, and the details are worked out very meticulously.”
Today, such specimens bearing the stamp “Mint” and the inscription “dummy” (to avoid confusion) become not just props, but objects of special respect. If actors in lead and supporting roles use these high-precision copies, then for crowd and historical scenes simplified versions were and are used. However, as specialists note, with the growth of resolution of modern cameras, plastic props have ceased to “work” — the camera mercilessly exposes their unnaturalness.
The “Mosfilm” collection is a living imprint of film production history. Interestingly, the awards were not marked as separate museum items. They were part of a costume, worn as a single element that could easily get lost or be misplaced on set. That is exactly why today the task for preservers is not only to preserve what exists but also to build a new logic of usage.
Now the most valuable copies will be issued individually, with personal responsibility and strict accounting. Losing such an item on the site means depriving Mosfilm of an artifact that is practically impossible to replace.
More than awards: badges as a mirror of history
In addition to replica orders and medals (of which there is a significant quantity in quality execution), the Costume and Props House maintains an extensive collection of authentic badges — from departmental distinction badges to rare samples of Soviet phaleristics. The sources of replenishment are varied: some are transferred by government agencies (MVD, prosecutor’s office, etc.) along with uniformed costumes, while others are donated by private collectors unwilling for their collections to perish into oblivion.
Keeper Tatyana Stepanova carries out meticulous work on the attribution of each item. Among the identified rarities are heavy brass badges of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV), the predecessor of VDNKH, dated to the period before 1959. Unlike the lightweight aluminum “consumer goods,” these badges stand out due to the jeweler-like elaboration of details and weight. Each such item is photographed, described, and entered into a separate inventory.
Keeper of the Costume and Props House funds Tatyana Stepanova
The problem of labeling such small items is quite acute: it is impossible to attach a museum tag with a number to a pin badge. Options are being considered for applying inventory numbers using an engraver or storing them in a special album-pad with individual cells. The main goal is to systematize the ‘scatter’ and ensure quick search by topic for the needs of the filming groups.
Appeal to donors
In the Costume and Props House, it is emphasized that the work continues. If you have badges related to the history of cinema, photo departments, Soviet symbolism, or government agencies that can be useful for an authentic recreation of the era and in the frame — “Mosfilm” gratefully accepts them as a gift. In the walls of the legendary film studio, these small witnesses of history will find a second life and the proper level of preservation, continuing to serve the art of cinema.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.