I don't read Russian so am relying on the collector notes that came with this grouping from the estate of a collector who specialized in Communist memorabilia. This is a grouping all named to one man - his 1902 Imperial Russian Birth Certificate, a 1922 biographical account of his life for review by the Bolsheviks, and a 1939 NKVO Release from a Siberian Gulag after serving one year, five months.

Birth Certificate - Large 8 3/4" x 14" document with a big watermark. Collector's note reads "Birth Certificate of Comrade Shanin written in old-fashioned Russian language. It was issued by local church in 1916 [it is stamped 1915]. Shanin was born in 1902."

Personal Account - 8 3/4" x 14 1/2" double-sided document (I cranked up the contrast on the scanner to make it more legible). Collector's note reads "Document filled in by Shanin in 1922 - His biography. He wrote it for the census of the Members of the Communist Party (of Bolshevics) of Russia. Rare document."

Release from Prison - 6 1/2" x 8 1/4" document with stampings. Collector's note reads "Document, issued by NKVO of Habarovsk (Siberia!) that Shanin Grigoriy Ivanovich is liberated from jail because his case was dismissed - real rare thing for those years! It states that Shanin was in Gulag from July 5, 1938 till December 7, 1939. Document was issued on 12.07.39".

These are original unaltered documents - not facsimiles, scans, or any other such nonsense.