1460

SINKIANG: Second East Turkistan Republic, enameled AR medal, 1947, XF

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Chinese Coins - Provincial Start Price:6,500.00 USD Estimated At:7,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
SINKIANG: Second East Turkistan Republic, enameled AR medal, 1947, XF
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SINKIANG: Second East Turkistan Republic, enameled AR medal, 1947, 34mm, Artist's Medal, with original loop and green ribbon with silver bands and pin holder, large star and crescent in light blue field, the word sen'etçi ("artist") in between, circle on star, emblazoned with red lyre in blue and yellow field // machine-struck Uyghur legend in relief: turkistan merkizi uyghur uyushma sanayi nepisiye medalidin berilgen 4 medal ("the 4th medal awarded by the Turkistan Central Uyghur Fine Arts Union") followed by date, with punched issue number (19) below, one small enamel chip, ribbon with moderate fraying, hairlines on reverse, XF, RRRR. This is the first example of the Artist's Medal of the Second East Turkistan Republic (ETR) to appear in the West and only one of two in existence that we are aware of. According to the consignor, this medal was acquired in the Ili area from the descendants of the late original recipient, who refused to sell it during his lifetime due to its significance and rarity, as evidenced by the very low issue number. The owner of the other medal (with the issue number 6) relates a similar story, as he acquired his example from a retired army musician who played the flute in the East Turkestan National Army before immigrating to Uzbekistan in the 1960's. According to the musician, his medal was one among eleven personally presented by Ehmetjan Qasimi (1914-1949), the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Ghulja in 1947. The number 4 on the medal suggests this award was created in 1944, the same year when the ETR was proclaimed. However, it is unclear if any similar medals were produced in these previous years. According to one source, all awards of the ETR were made by Agzam Mirrakhimov, an ethnic Kyrgyz hereditary jeweler born in Ghulja in 1922. See stanradar.com/news/full/20964-nagrady-vostochno-turkestanskoj-respubliki.html for more details.The Second East Turkistan Republic (1944-1949) was a Soviet-aligned separatist state based in Ghulja (Yining) in northern Xinjiang. It declared independence on November 12, 1944, after the outbreak of rebellion in the districts of Ili, Tarbagatay (Tacheng), and Altay. Though initially supported by the Soviet Union, the republic lost its sponsor in 1945 and entered into a coalition government with the Kuomintang government, which controlled the rest of Xinjiang. This uneasy coalition lasted a little over a year and collapsed in 1947. In 1949, following the defection of the KMT provincial government to the advancing Chinese Communist forces, the top leaders of the Republic travelled to Alma-Ata (Almaty), where they were instructed by Soviet officials to cooperate with the Chinese Communists on the integration of the three districts into the rest of Xinjiang. They then set off for Beijing for negotiations, but their plane crashed near Lake Baikal on August 27, killing all onboard. The remaining leadership in Ghulja soon agreed to the integration plans, and the three districts officially became the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Region in 1953.