The Komsomol Central Committee badge “Master craftsman” was established by Resolution of the Komsomol Central Committee Bureau B-38\4a dated May 24, 1976. The badge was awarded to the winners of factory, district, city, and regional professional skills competitions; young workers, specialists from industrial enterprises who achieved the best results in increasing production efficiency and quality of work, etc. Alexander Ivanovich Sakantsev was awarded the “Master Craftsman” badge of the Komsomol Central Committee for high professional skill and excellent quality of work.

Alexander Ivanovich Sakantsev made an invaluable contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage in Nevyansk. From a young age he was interested in clock mechanisms, and his passion was collecting and customizing antique watches. This predetermined his future profession. In 1974, V.V. Khokhonov, the director of the Nevyansk Mechanical Plant, made Sakantsev responsible for the restoration and condition of the architectural monument — the Nevyansk Tower — and led the work to restore the tower’s chimes. On February 27, 1975, the chimes began working again, and in 1976, melodies were heard over the city. Today, the chimes regularly and accurately strike the time and play ancient melodies.

Sakantsev’s life was inextricably interwoven with historical and cultural monuments and, above all, with the Leaning Tower of Nevyansk. He became an indispensable assistant for all tower researchers. From 1993 to 2006, Alexander Ivanovich Sakantsev headed the Nevyansk branch of the Scientific and Production Center for the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments. He took an active part in organizing restoration work on monuments of the city’s historical and cultural heritage, including the Leaning Tower of the Demidovs, and in the design of the historical complex on the territory of the former Demidov plant.

For his activities in the field of preserving cultural heritage, Alexander Ivanovich Sakantsev was awarded numerous certificates of honor, including the ones from the governor, the Government and the Ministry of Culture of the Sverdlovsk region, certificates and letters from the Scientific and Practical Center, the diploma “Master with Golden Hands” and the “Veteran of Labor” award.