You see them for sale all over the former Soviet Republics, Azerbaijan was no different; here is just a small selection of the literally 1,000's on sale in Baku.
Badges, or in Russian, znachki, have a history in Soviet lives. In Pre Soviet times,the 19th century, they were given to workers as a reward for work done. ( keep the peasants happy, give them a badge, you know the tsarist regime was as bad if not worse than Soviet times, but shhh! never speak against the monarchy)
Come the Soviet period and their emphasis on the use of znachki shifted from rewarding work done to acting as souvenirs of local and national celebrations.
Collecting became a popular hobby, they were issued for all sorts of events: smaller badges and less fancy badges to celebrate maybe a factory opening, or production records beaten; through to larger more elaborate ones to commemorate such things as major anniversaries such as The October Revolution,( bye bye inbred monarchy) or the part a city played in The Great Patriotic War.
Easy to collect, easy to wear and show off, just pin to a hat or banner or a lapel, often seen as a badge of honour, displaying an individual's experiences of life, from ones school, to their workplace.
They were also seen as a progressive achievement in the military, where a medal was not deemed appropriate for day to day activities and service, so an, "expert riflemen", "explosives expert" through to drivers and cooks, they all had their own znachki.
They also became collectable souvenirs, hotels would sell them, as well as museums, sports stadia, et al the list goes on.
When you see the mayday parades in Moscow and see all the officers and men with their chest laden with medals, and think "fuck me , he has seen some action" Do not be fooled, medals were given out by the shed load, a lot to commemorate anniversaries, not for valour on the battlefield.
It is all smoke and mirrors, low pay, low morale poor conditions, give em a medal that will shut them up
Slava Ukraini
I give upvote and comment. Better or worse than medal?
They really show how personal stories and national history were intertwined, all pinned onto a small piece of metal. History really comes alive in the little things!