Silver gilt, enamels. Measures 41.7 mm tall at the sword, 32.6 mm tall backplate, 26.2 mm wide; weighs 15.0 g without the screw plate. Riveted three-piece construction. The hand-engraved mint mark "MD" and serial number "000984" are in style standard for Type 1. The quality of the badge is magnificent throughout, typical of the silver Distinguished NKVD Employee badges manufactured prior to the he Patriotic War and awarded during the first year of the war. The silver version of the badge preceded the 1942-46 variation in brass.

Excellent condition, extraordinary for the Distinguished NKVD badge and especially for its first version. The enamel - including that on the background under the sword as well as the exposed enamel on the scroll - is original and essentially perfect: it shows magnificent luster and is completely free of the usual chips, repairs or even the tiniest flakes. There are only a few microscopic contact marks that are completely invisible to the naked eye and not easy to find even with a 10x loupe.

The hammer & suckle emblem and sword are pristine and exhibit a very attractive even patina. Some of the original gold plating on the hilt of the sword is visible, although largely obscured by patina. The reverse is likewise pristine and shows an exceptionally attractive toning to silver. The rivets are original, intact and perfectly tight. The screw post is full length, approx. 11 mm, and includes the original mint-marked screw plate in silver-plated brass, correct for the serial number range of the badge.

The badge, established in 1940 as the highest award of the NKVD, came as a replacement for the earlier XV Anniversary Badge and is the most recognizable of all Soviet state security decorations. Its first, silver version was manufactured at the Leningrad Mint only until the beginning of the Patriotic War in mid-1941, although the remaining stock was issued through the rest of the year and well into the next. In 1942, it was replaced by the lesser-quality Type 2 in brass which was produced at the Krasnokamsk Mint until 1946. The highest serial number observed to date for the Type 1 in silver is 1220 while the standard serial numbers for the Type 2 start in 1270 range, according to the Soviet Badges, Volume 2: Law Enforcement Agencies by I. Sysolyatin (pp. 97, 98). Thus, in all likelihood fewer than 1250 of the first version were ever produced. Almost needless to say, original examples of the Type 1 appear on the market very rarely and almost never in excellent condition.