Brass, "cold" enamels, lacquer; measures 37.0 mm in height incl. eyelet, 32.0 mm wide. Weighs 15.9 g not including the suspension and connecting link. Nice quality, typical of Soviet Mint manufacture.

In excellent, near mint condition. There are no traces of wear visible to the naked eye and only a couple of microscopic contact marks that are not easy to find even under a 10x magnification (they are greatly exaggerated in our hugely enlarged photos). The enamel is flawless; the gilt finish is exceptionally bright, essentially pristine; the details of the artwork likewise perfect. Comes with an original ribbon of red, black and green stripes that shows age but is nicely preserved and immaculately clean.

This medal is often referred to as the "Afghan KGB Medal". The inscription under the state emblem is actually "WAD", abbreviation for Ministry of State Security. The earlier acronym of this organization was KhAD, for Khadamat-e Ettela'at-e Dawlati or "State Information Services".