Unofficial Medals

[hirsca]

I picked up this trio recently. Unofficial for sure, but when would/could they be worn? The St. Mihiel and Verdun medals were issued by the respective cities, not by the French Government. Interesting full wrap brooches. The 40 & 8 medal is for/by the subset American Legion group and is one of my favorites. Thanks, Al.

[jeff arthur]

Hello Al,interesting medals ! I believe the Verdun medal,however,was an official French government award,check out WWW.OMSA.ORG (the Orders and Medals society of America homepage) for some very interesting info, but I think the wrap-brooch pin bars were added by the Veteran,all of the original French medals I have seen were draped with the "M" pin,originally anyway !

[F-X]

Verdun medal is unofficial (like St Mihiel, Château-Thierry and other campaign medals) and not recognised by the french government but there was a tolerance of wear for them. If I'm not wrong, some of these medals were made in the USA.

[Bluejacket]

Hi Al,

 

Neither medal was officially authorized for wear on the uniform, but it is not uncommon to see either of these, or some other WWI commemoratives, worn in out-of-service vet's mounted groups. Many of these awards were also produced by US medal makers and made available to WWI vets at conventions, etc., so all tend to be fairly common.

 

A nice find. Thanks for sharing.

 

Bluejacket

[Tim B]

Al,

 

As others have correctly stated, both are unofficial medals issued to veterans and commonly seen in U.S. WW1 veteran’s groupings. The Verdun medal is much more commonly seen as compared to the St. Mihiel, which can command higher prices.

 

The St. Mihiel Commemorative Medal:

 

It was created in February 1936 by the city of Saint-Mihiel to honor all French and allied veterans that fought in the Saint-Mihiel sector between 1 August 1914 and November 11, 1918. It can also be assigned posthumously to the families of those who have fought in this sector.

 

There are two basic models of this medal.

 

1. Medal of the city of Saint-Mihiel, which was a table medal (no ribbon).

 

2. A smaller medal with ribbon which has two types:

 

Type 1: Was of French manufacture - Paris Mint (usual Monnaise de Paris hallmarks). Has the designer’s name (F. Fraisse) on the front at 3 o’clock and the suspension is ball shaped.

 

Type 2: Was of American manufacture but I’m not sure who actually produced it as it was unsigned and the designer’s name is missing on the front. Of this type, there were two variations, one with the “knob” type suspension similar to that found on the US WW1 Victory Medal and the other was a ring suspension as seen on your example.

 

In addition, there were actually a couple of different types of certificates issued with this medal. Both had the design of the front of the medal with what resembles a neck ribbon, though it was never issued with an actual neck ribbon to the best of my knowledge. I also think another French design came out from another French manufacturer (Deland?) with the same ribbon that carried a St. Mihiel clasp.

 

 

The Verdun Commemorative Medal:

 

Because of the importance of Verdun in the war, many manufacturers produced a medal commemorating the veterans who served and died there. The one you show is of the “Vernier” design and is the style most often encountered.

 

It is also the design seen on the certificates and table medals. There are other designs. Like the previous medal, this one was also produced both in France and the U.S. and without close up photos and dimensions, I really can’t say. I assume it’s one of the U.S. made items.

 

Not sure on the third (right) medal. All are in excellent condition, congrats!!

 

Tim

[Bruce Linz]

Hello,

 

The third medal is the for The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses or La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux. It was an honor society within the American Legion. Its name is derived from the box car, which were marked 40/8, and were used to transport men and horses to the front in France. The medals and hat badges for this outfit are pretty common. The top bar and clasp on your example make it an especially handsome example.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

[hirsca]

Thanks to all for the very informative comments and information. Al.