France MacMahon medal?

[Claudius]

Hello French militaria denizens;

I think we are all familar with the unofficial WWI "Verdun" medal and the various different makers/versions, but I'm not familiar with this one.

It is similar to the Verdun medal in size, shape, color and metal, but I can't find anything like it.

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To make it even more interesting....it was part of the estate of a German sailor! A war souvenir?

[Claudius]

reverse...

[paul wood]

It is French patriotic medal commemorating Marshal Patrice MacMahon Duke of Magenta (1808-93) who received his title and rank of field marshal for the French victory there in 1859. He fought in the Franco-Prussian war and was wounded at Sedan. He was involved in the suppression of the Paris Commune and was President of France 1873-77. I suspect the medal was issued around the time of the Franco-Prussian war.

Hope this helps,

Paul

[Claudius]

Hello Paul;

This helps a lot! And perhaps changes the possible circumstances of how this German sailor obtained this medal. Oberbootmaat Dombrowski already earned the Long Service 2nd Class (15 years) in 1911 and served on a list of ships, before WWI.

Instead of taking the medal as a war prize during WWI, maybe prior to the war, when in a French port of call a French man gave it to him as a friendly token.

I'm just so surprised that I have not come across another example.

Thank you again Paul.

[Veteran]

• Hello Claudius

Paul Wood is (as usual) quite right about this medal refering to Marshall Mac-Mahon who was to be elected the first President of the IIIrd Republic in May 1873. It is difficult to date it.

Such cheaply made "medals" were very popular in France during the XIXth Century when they were freely sold and bought as souvenirs or as a token of personnal admiration for an important person. They, naturally, had nothing to do with the military or awards of any kind.

The reason why it would have come up with other items belonging to a German sailor is open to debate .... or straighforward guesswork, I am afraid.

Chances that you would have come across other examples are slim. But they do occasionnally turn up in batches or as parts of organised collections of political propaganda material.

Best regards

Veteran

[Claudius]

Hello Veteran;

Thank you for your input. I didn't know anything about this medal, but I couldn't resist the similarities it had to the Verdun medal. Now that I know it was produced before WWI, I should say that the Verdun medal resembles this medal.

Oh, I agree with you Veteran regarding how a German sailor came to own this medal. Whether "taken" or "given", found or inherited there doesn't appear to be any conclusive evidence one way or another. All that I do know is that this sailor had extensive pre-WWI service on many different ships that traveled abroad. (Kobe Japan was one such stop).

Thanks again for your knowledge on this medal.