rrobertscv Posted January 18, 2007 Share #1 Posted January 18, 2007 Picked this up somewhere. Stamped one one side "MADE FROM CAPTURED GERMAN CANNON" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastie Posted January 23, 2007 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2007 Picked this up somewhere. Stamped one one side "MADE FROM CAPTURED GERMAN CANNON" I guess I can't see the picture because I'm at work, but if it's the one I'm thinking about it's from WWI I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camonick Posted December 30, 2008 Share #3 Posted December 30, 2008 I found this one with some of my grandfather's items. Since he wasn't born until 1924, I think it was probably from his parents. This is an explaination for this coin/medal from a web site called Check-Six.com (LINK): ...World War I "Victory Liberty Loan" Drive Medal - Made From A Captured German Cannon The Government always needs more money, and the Great War, or "War to End All Wars," was to be no exception. Liberty loans or bonds were sold by the federal government during World War I (1917-1919) to raise money for the war. These were labeled as 'loans,' because they promised interest to the bearer. As one advertisement from the period wrote: "The money to be raised by the Victory Liberty loan already has been spent. It furnished the "'punch'" that won the war and saved the lives of 100,000 of America's bravest boys. It is this unshed blood you are paying for when you subscribe to the Victory Liberty loan." On March 3, 1919, the "Victory Liberty Loan Act" was signed into law. The medals were made from German cannons captured by American troops at Chateau Thierry. These cannons were melted, and the metal roiled into sheets, from which the medals are made, and conferred by the Treasury Department on volunteers in the Victory Liberty loan campaign volunteers. About a half dollar in size piece, the obverse of the medal, exhibits a eagle grasping three arrows in one claw, and an olive branch in the other, flying below the U.S. Treasury Building, and reads "Victory Liberty Loan". The reverse reads: "Awarded - By the U.S. Treasury Department For Patriotic Service In Behalf of the Liberty Loans - Made From Captured German Cannon".... Front- Back- This one was pitted with rust from years of storage. I used some Bar Keepers Friend and ScotchBrite then ran it in my case tumbler for a while and it shined up pretty well. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grenadebaron Posted January 28, 2009 Share #4 Posted January 28, 2009 I also have one. Very interesting to find out the history behind them. I thought they were from WWII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted December 22, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 22, 2009 Hi all, Here's an account from the April 14, 1919 issue of "Greater New York - Bulletin of the Merchant's Association of New York" (Volume 8, No. 15, p. 24) describing the creation and distribution of the Victory Liberty Loan Medal: Apparently, the blank line on the reverse was where recipients had their names engraved. I just bought one of these and I am awaiting its delivery in the mail...will share once it arrives. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeb137 Posted December 22, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 22, 2009 One of these just sold on ebay last week for $5.02 I don't remember what he charged in shipping. Jon B Newaygo MI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted December 22, 2009 Share #7 Posted December 22, 2009 Considerably cheaper than buying the whole field gun! Yes, they are inexpensive, and vary considerably in quality and type (different ribbons, mounts, etc.), from what I have seen. FYI, per another article, the money raised was used in part to pay the cost to bring the American troops back home and offset the cost of the overall demob effort. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcCulloch Posted June 3, 2023 Share #8 Posted June 3, 2023 Some Liberty Loan Committees put these on ribbons. There are photos of bankers, ladies and even Scouts wearing these semi- official medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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