RARE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL MILITARY AIRFORCE SILVER JETON, 1917
A gilt-silver and enamel Russian Air Fleet jeton.
HALLMARKS: Female head is looking right, '84' Russian silver standard, in Cyrillic 'VA' for Johan Victor Aarne - FABERGE workmaster (active 1880-1904) - please see information below.
FOOTNOTE: At the very beginning of 1917, before the fall of the monarchy, the last commemorative jetons such as this specimen 'The Air Fleet is the Power of Russia' were presented. This jeton was issued before WWI and was awarded to everyone who made small donations to the Air Force of the Russian Empire. This particular jeton was awarded for a donation of 3 rubles.
DIMENSIONS: 1 5/8 x 1 1/4 inches (41 x 30 mm).
ESTIMATE PRICE: $500 - $1,500.
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WORKMASTER: Johan Victor Aarne - FABERGE workmaster marks J.V.A and BA - active 1880-1904 Johan Victor Aarne was a gold - and silversmith in Imperial Russia and Finland who worked for FABERGE. Born in Tampere, Finland in 1863, he was the son of church sexton Johan Lindstrom. He completed his apprenticeship with Johan Erik Hellsten, a goldsmith in Tampere, and became a journeyman in Hameenlinne in 1880. For the next ten years, between 1880 and 1890, he worked for FABERGE in August Wilhelm Holmstrom's workshop. In 1890 he returned to Tampere to obtain his title of Master; he then ran his own workshop there for a year. In 1891 he moved to St. Petersburg to work exclusively for FABERGE until 1904. His workshop was at 58 Demidov Cross - Street/Ekatarinski Canal. His Cyrillic signature, BA, can be found on enamelled gold and silver articles from this time period. After the turn of the century his workshop employed twenty journeymen and three apprentices. In 1904 Aarne sold his workshop to Karl Gustaf Hjalmar Armfeldt and settled in Vyborg (Viipuri), Finland, where he ran a successful goldsmithing workshop for another thirty years. At that time his signature was J.V.A. He died in 1934 in Vyborg.

WIKIPEDIA: The Imperial Russian Air Service was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia. The Air Service operated for 5 years. It only saw combat in World War I before being reorganized and renamed in 1917 following the creation of Soviet Russia. It formed what would later become the Soviet Air Forces. At the beginning of World War I, Russia's air service was second only to that of France (263 aeroplanes and 14 airships), although the bulk of its aircraft were too outdated to be of much use. Initially, Russia used aviation only for reconnaissance and coordination of artillery fire. Later, several aeroplanes were armed with steel flechettes to attack ground targets (columns of enemy infantry and cavalry, campsites, etc.). Later, aeroplanes were armed with air-dropped bombs. On 8 September 1914, the Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov performed the first aerial ramming aircraft attack in the history of aviation. Later, Lt. Vyacheslav Tkachov became the very first Russian pilot who shot down an enemy aircraft with a handgun. He attacked a German 'Albatros' and shot the enemy pilot. In 1916 the size and force of naval aviation was increased, the Black Sea Fleet had two seaplane carriers and fourteen M-9 seaplanes. During World War I, 269 Russian aviators were awarded the St. George military decorations (St George Sword, Order of St. George or Cross of St. George), 5 aviators were awarded the Chevalier's National Order of the Legion of Honour, 2 aviators were awarded the Military Cross, 2 aviators were awarded the Order of the White Eagle and many others were awarded medals. 26 aviators became flying aces of Russian Empire. The most successful Russian flying ace and fighter pilot was Alexander Kazakov, who shot down 20 enemy aeroplanes. After the February Revolution of 1917 the Imperial Russian Air Service was reformed.

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