Uncategorised Help! Unidentified Silver Medal

[stupot1]

Looking for someone to help identify this silver medal recently purchased for a couple of quid. Hopefully someone will enlighten me. The reverse is blank.

[paul wood]

Its Afghanistani and is dated AH 1293 (1876). I would suspect it is connected with annexation of Baluchistan by the British. A most interesting medal and certainly a steal at a couple of quid.

Paul

[stupot1]

Aah! Excellent ID thanks. If you have any further thoughts would be most grateful to hear them. It gives me a line of research to look at.

[paul wood]

Interestingly the medal bears the toughra of Sher Ali (1863-66. 1868-79), who was ousted by the British in 1879 and died on the way to exile in Russian Turkestan.

As far as I am aware this is the earliest Afghanistani medal that I know of. Information on Afghani medals, especially the earlier pieces is virtually non-existent and there is no research lines available. It is possible that a member of this forum may be able to provide a translation, although it is not he easiest of languages to translate. It is quite possible that this medal was soldiers booty from the 2nd Afghan War. Whatever most interesting, The tiger's head blow the legend is reminiscent of the design on the Afghan stamps of the period.

If you PM me I will give you my E-mail address and if you can send me an image I may be able to get some help from other sources.

Paul

[Ulsterman]

Interesting! What does Owain think?

[paul wood]

A bit of challenge for Owain as the language the medal is written is Pashtu rather than Arabic, the script is similar but otherwise its a bit like comparing English and Romanian.

Paul

[Ulsterman]

Yup, but I thought he had unearthed some reference stuff on Afghanastan few years back.......my memory seems to recall something about a medal with a column on it.

[paul wood]

Ed Haynes late of this forum is really the main man on Afghani material, I suspect even he might find it challenging.

Paul

[Ulsterman]

Yup, Ed is the Afghan expert. I wonder if he ever got his Loyola Jurgha medal?

[TacHel]

I've sent him a pic of the medal. Hopefully it'll lure him back in here.

[paul wood]

Thanks for that,

I tried to organise that but my computer was not in the mood for doing it.

Paul

[oamotme]

Gentlemen,

I appear to have missed this - the lower inscription reads "Meer Sher Ali" - the "Meer" is probably "Emir" being commander or prince - and fits in with Paul's earlier comments. The upper inscription is difficult and could be in two parts the first letter is illegible but the rest appears to be without "small" vowels "_ H - M h N A"

I attach courtesy of "W K P D A" an image of Emir Sher Ali.

Kind regards,

Owain

[paul wood]

I wouldn't want to be back wind of him on a hot day.

Paul

[heusy68]

Hello Gentlemen,

Long time ago, I was able to buy this medal on the british web auction site speedbid.com

I knew it was a rare medal, then I asked to Prof Tammam of Basel, who replied me that it is the rarest medal in the world (with the always enthusiastic sound of his voice). Actually I do not like the thought "rarest medal in the world", there is plenty of rarities in phaleristic that only a handfull of specimen have survived over the years. This afghan medal is certainly one of the rarest.

Mine seems to be mounted with its authentic suspension device, despite I guess that one could have been added late XIX or early XX Century by the soldier or officer who brought it back from Afghanistan to Britain.

The medal is in silver, 43 grammes with ribbon & suspension device.

The Star is 48 millimeters wide.

Hope you'll envoy the photo.

Emmanuel

[heusy68]

These are others view of the same star.

Reverse of the pin reads : STERLING

The center is a separate very thin piece, that soldered (if so very neatly) or lightly hammered (then lightly polished).

It is NOT a crude item at all. The way the craftman who did this piece did it, is very well.

All the best.

Emmanuel

[Ulsterman]

Really, really cool.