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    American (US) Victory Medals


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    Pershing’s WWI Victory Medal was stamped “U.S.M. 5”.  Colonel Al Gleim speculated that USM stood for US Mint and that medals #s 1 to 4 were issued to President Woodrow Wilson, Secretary of War Newton Baker, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Army Chief of Staff Peyton Marsh.

    Other known numbered medals:

    U.S.M. 37 awarded to Colonel James P. Barney
    U.S.M. 68 (mentioned on page 92 of Laslo's book)
    U.S.M. 70 (figure 113 on page 86 of Laslo’s book)
    U.S.M. 95 awarded to Brigadier General R. Krauthoff

    Bill

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    Museums would never deface an item with such a stamped marking, and if it was for exhibition that marking defeats the idea of showing it. 

     

    I am not a collector, so my knowledge is highly imperfect. However, I would think this must be a marking by the mint or the military for an example that was not intended to be awarded. 

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    At one time in the 1930's prominent numismatic collectors were able to buy military medals directly from the US Mint however before the mint sent them out they were engraved on the reverse or the rim "For Exhibition Purposes" - Also the Military would provide "Medal Boards" to VFW's, and Military installations. Over time as some of these places closed the medal boards would be put up for sale for a nominal amount or retrieved from the trash.

     

    Bill

     

     

     

     

    Edited by Bill Brouillard Jr.
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    On 09/05/2023 at 18:40, Ura87 said:

    I think it's not true combination for the medal but interesting.

    144783880.jpg

    144783882.jpg

    144783883.jpg

    144783884.jpg

    These are non-official bars, probably made for veterans waiting for their official medals to arrive, or for veterans who wanted to supplement their official medals with extra bars. The medal was never issued like this. You can see by the stamp on the back of the bars that they were made in France. Your medal has lost its suspension bar and when issued this was well sewed to the ribbon so difficult to remove and put back. The easiest way therefore to add these unofficial bars to an official medal was to open the brass ring joining the bottom of the ribbon to the medal, separate the medal, add the bars, put the medal back on the ring and then close the ring again. Often then you are left with a small gap in the ring as you can see in your photo. You do not see that gap on official medals that have not been tampered with.

    best wishes

    Rob

     

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    On 14/08/2018 at 05:22, Bilco said:

    Something a bit different on eBay today ...

    PD1ZDCh.jpg?1

    According to the seller the medal was to a recruiter. Item #153138460248

    Bill

    The 10 Recruits Bar belongs on a New York National Guard Recruiting Medal

     

    Bill

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