Boxer Rebellion medal question

[Dieter3]

To put things into perspective, the highest number I have seen on a 1900 War Medal certificate was 34,845 so it cannot be considered rare with that amount awarded. For comparison, the highest number I have seen so far for the 1894-95 War Medal is 253,508,

for the 1904-05 War Medal it is 1,262,963,

for the 1914-15 War Medal it is 136,512,

for the 1914-20 War Medal it is 310,037,

1st National Census Medal is 108,348,

2,600th anniversary Medal is 220,898,

Capital Rehabilitation Medal is 24,351,

China Incident War Medal is 3,201,849,

Korean Annexation Commemorative Medal is 38,069,

Manchurian Incident War Medal is 589,024,

Meiji 25th Wedding anniversary medal is 821,

Showa Enthronement Medal is 363,953,

Taisho Enthronement Medal is 135,578

and Victory Medal is 193,132.

I have never seen a cert for the 1874, GEAW, China Incident Commemorative Medal or Constitution Promulgation Medal. These numbers are based on keeping a record of every cert I have handled or identified over the past ten years so they should be a good indication of relative scarcity.

Hi Paul,

To add to the high numbers data -

Boxer Rebellion - 38,009

1st National Census - 209,814

Taisho Enthronement - 155,951

:cheers:

[RichC]

Very interesting numbers. Thanks for sharing them. I have just found the Imperial Rescript texts that established each medal, so in time I'll translate them on the relevant pages of my medal site. Although of course no numbers are listed, the qualifications for the medals are, though they are a bit general. Peterson mentions some parts in his book, but he didn't translate the full texts. My next step is poking around the Japan Mint to see if they have any numbers on the actual minting. That would be a great find! Perhaps other people have already done this to no avail, but persistence might be valuable with this task.

But still, the figures you listed are a great help.

[samirarora]

Well done brian, thats a good one...!! (the purchase that is)

As far as rare and scarce etc. goes, one also has to consider that sometimes, items is relatively commonly awarded, but is scarce in market...so the scarcity is not because it was awarded to only a few, but because its not freely available in the market.

As far as collectibles go, and in this thread we are discussing medals, its obvious, something that sells for 400-500 usd, could not be very rare, or maybe rare, but noone has much interest in the same, because if these items are rare, then what about items that are for like 5k usd etc. etc.

Having bought items rare that were before and my interest dwindling not two days after acquisition, i have come to the conclusion, that its better to forget about whats rare/scarce and go for stuff that interests you ..gives much more pleasure over time.

A few years ago, i bought a british IOM single, its reasonably scarce and expensive, but after holding it for year , and having got bored with it probabaly a week after purchase, i sold it right back to the person who i bought it from and he was happy to buy it, as he had another 'buyer'for it.

Its the history and the objects association with it, thats what matters most....to me atleast.

Best wishes,

samir.

Edited May 25, 2010 by samirarora

[Dieter3]

Very interesting numbers. Thanks for sharing them. I have just found the Imperial Rescript texts that established each medal, so in time I'll translate them on the relevant pages of my medal site. Although of course no numbers are listed, the qualifications for the medals are, though they are a bit general. Peterson mentions some parts in his book, but he didn't translate the full texts. My next step is poking around the Japan Mint to see if they have any numbers on the actual minting. That would be a great find! Perhaps other people have already done this to no avail, but persistence might be valuable with this task.

This would be excellent work! I'm very interested in this sort of information. Considering so many records were destroyed during the war, the numbers we find on certificates are certainly of benefit, but poking at the mint may definitely be of some value. You've gotta figure - there's some old timer out there that knows something, or has data. Some pieces of the puzzle may have been lost, but I know some of them are still waiting to be found with the persistent work of folks on this forum like Rich and Paul!

Having bought items rare that were before and my interest dwindling not two days after acquisition, i have come to the conclusion, that its better to forget about whats rare/scarce and go for stuff that interests you ..gives much more pleasure over time.

Its the history and the objects association with it, thats what matters most....to me atleast.

Best wishes,

samir.

Very good points and rationale for collecting!

[RichC]

No numbers yet, but here are the official criteria.

Established on April 21, 1903 by Imperial Rescript #142. The Rescript states that the medals were to be made of bronze. To be awarded to

1. those who participated in battle during this war

2. others who were in the military and stationed in the area during this war

3. those who were attached to the military forces in some way and performed work for the Army and Navy in the area

4. those who cared for those wounded in the area [i.e., the caregivers must have been in the area, too]

5. those who belonged to a unit that served in the conflict

6. those who served on transport vehicles and vessels that aided during and after the conflict

7. members of the foreign allied forces who also participated in the battle

The service must have been performed from June 11, 1900 to April 6, 1901.

I'm not sure how they determined which foreign soldiers, etc., received the medal. But if it was freely awarded to the allied forces as well,

there must have been a good number of these minted.

Note that #5 means that soldiers who never set foot in China were eligible for the medal, too.

Cheers,

Rich

Edited June 6, 2010 by RichC

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Rich,

Thanks for adding this very important information. Quite interesting.

Regards

Brian