Garth Thompson Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Hello all,I thought I would share my french medal collection with the group. I relatively recently started studying and collecting french medals. I've long since gotten tired of the snivelling, back biting and general level of ignorance in the TR scene and gave it up for british medals several years ago but not being wealthy I have achieved probably all I am going to without mortgaging my soul away for those few astronomically priced bits left to own. My grandfather was french so it seemed logical to start on french medals. So here we go with my humble offering:#1 Older campaigns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 #2 WW1/WW2 era medals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 #3 Civilian Honor type medals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 #4 Groups and Orders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulsterman Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Cool-may we see the groups and the colonials close up please? Very impressive for three years effort.Is that Mexican campaign medal ribbon original? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veteran Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Congratulations, you have a very good choice of significant awards.Some are quite scarce, such as the Belfor medal. Although it not truly an official medal, most collectors of the Franco-Prussian war like to have one.Hope you find further satisfactions studying and collecting this material.RegardsPaul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul R Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 WOW Garth!! You have been VERY busy lately! Which one is the Belfor Medal? Was it a commemorative medal?What medal is it in the "Older Medals" catagory with the white ribbon(with eagle)? What is your oldest medal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Cool-may we see the groups and the colonials close up please? Very impressive for three years effort.Is that Mexican campaign medal ribbon original?Here are some close ups as you requested. The Mexican campaign ribbon is old and quite fragile so I do think it is a period one probably original to the medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Legion of Honor group to a WW2/Indochina/North Africa veteran. The Croix de Guerre is a 1939. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Medaille Militaire group Indochina/North Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Group with the Croix de Guerre of Zaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Madagascar 1st expedition 1883/86 and the 2nd 1895 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Medal for Marocco with MAROC bar 1913Medal for Syria/Cilicia and Levant 1918-1921 and 1923-1932Medal for the Orient 1926 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Tonkin Medal 1885 (army model)Medal for China 1900-01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 War of 1870-71 Commerative type 2Defenders of Belfort one of the 1st engravings by Bartholdi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Mexico 1862-63 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Medal for Dahomey 1892. This one was actually quite hard to find for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Commemorative Medal for Lebanon 1926 2nd version. I always thought this was one of the most unusual and attractive of the post WW1 medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roeland Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 hello Garth,A superb collection!!!! Really enjoy looking at it. I love topics like these.keep on going!kind regards,Roeland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 While not actually French government awards these could be given to French officials and personnel in the colonies. These are carried in a 1955 catalog of French and colonial medals I have.Left: Medal commerating the reign of the ruler of LaosRight: Medal commerating the reign of the ruler of Cambodia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Finally Nichan Iftikhar (Tunisia) Chevalier 1st Class and Ouissam Alaouite (Marocco) Chevalier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 WOW Garth!! You have been VERY busy lately! Which one is the Belfor Medal? Was it a commemorative medal?What medal is it in the "Older Medals" catagory with the white ribbon(with eagle)? What is your oldest medal?Paul,The white ribboned medal is for the campaign in Mexico 1862-63. The oldest ones I have would be the St. Helena 1857 then the 1859 Italian Campaign. Neither are particullarly rare.Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 A fantastic selection!!!Hat off for leaving the beaten track and collecting something different!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veteran Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 (edited) Hello GarthYour close-ups are most useful. They illustrate one of the caracteristics of the french approach to campaign (and other) medals : the Mint has an obligation to keep a supply of such awards during the probable life-time of the men (and women) who have earned them, in order to provide them with official medals at a reasonnable cost.This leads to occasionnal restrikes which have slight differences with the very first issues. This is particularly obvious with the early IIIrd Republic colonial campaigns : TONKIN, MADAGASCAR, DAHOMEY. The attachment to the medal itself through which the ribbon-ring is linked to it had an oblong shape (the French refer to is as the "olive" attachment). It is quite obvious on the TONKIN and second MADAGASAR medals in your collection.Later strickings have a round attachment, smaller than the "olive". These are perfectly official issues, simply later one, but still possibly as early as the 1930s. This can be seen on your first MADACASCAR an DAHOMEY medals. I personnally remember buying a series in the early 1960s.Both types are perfectly legitimate and may have been worn by soldiers and sailors who earned them.Keep us posted with your collectingRegardsPaul Edited November 1, 2008 by Veteran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul R Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Amazing stuff Garth! The Mexican War Medal is a beauty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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