American award WWI French Legion of Honour

[MarkMcM]

Hello All,

 

An interesting WWI Legion in Honour, this with a distinctly American c-clasp pin brooch.  But the most notable feature is the “MADE IN FRANCE” marking stamped on the lower rays of the star.  This would be in accordance with the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, which required all markable goods to be marked with the country of origin, and the 1914 amendment to the MTA which further required the application of the words “made in” along with the country of origin.  1070 LofH’s were awarded to Americans (inclusive of all classes), some 600 in the Chevalier class.  From what I understand, only a small % were field awards, and since most of the AEF was back home by mid 1919 the majority of the awards were forwarded via postal service or diplomatic conveyance after grinding through the French recommendation and approval bureaucracy.  In 50+ years of collecting I’ve only seen a small handful of the “made in France” marked medals, but would love to see any others that might be out there!

 

[Allan H.]

I believe that what you have here is one of the many medals that were being sold by French vendors during and after WWI. It was very common for American soldiers to purchase French medals to impress the folks back home. These medals include medals for Verdun, St Mihiel, Chateau Thierry, and the like. Croix de Guerre medals were also readily available.

 

I do not see why a French military medal would have been marked this way unless it was destined for retail sale.

 

Very interesting medal.

 

Allan

[MarkMcM]

On 2/20/2026 at 8:32 AM, Allan H. said:

I believe that what you have here is one of the many medals that were being sold by French vendors during and after WWI. It was very common for American soldiers to purchase French medals to impress the folks back home. These medals include medals for Verdun, St Mihiel, Chateau Thierry, and the like. Croix de Guerre medals were also readily available.

 

I do not see why a French military medal would have been marked this way unless it was destined for retail sale.

 

Very interesting medal.

 

Allan

Hi Allan,

 

To be honest with you, your French souvenir vendor hypothesis doesn’t make much sense to me.  As stated in the OP, the reason for marking it this way is the MTA.  But I am curious to know if you have evidence to support your theory.  Can you show us examples of the Verdun, St Mihiel, Chateau Thierry, or Croix de Guerre marked “made in France”??