Updated on August 15, 2025: This has been sold.
Four medals in extremely good condition are mounted in a frame for a very striking presentation.
Left to right:
1: The U.S. Navy/Marine Corps version of the Mexican Service Medal, a campaign medal awarded by the United States military to recognize service members who participated in designated periods of service in Mexico or against hostile Mexican forces between 1911 and 1919.
The U.S. Navy/Marine Corps version is distinguishable by its design featuring the San Juan de Ulúa fortress in Veracruz harbor, whereas the U.S. Army version depicts a yucca plant. The medal also has "MEXICO" arced across the top and the dates "1911-1917" at the bottom.
2: The Verdun Medal (Médaille de Verdun)was created by the Municipal Council of Verdun on November 20, 1916, to honor the soldiers and airmen who participated in the defense of the city during the grueling Battle of Verdun (February to November 1916).
The medal was designed by the French sculptor Emile Seraphin Vernier, whose name can be seen on the medal. It bears the famous phrase "ON NE PASSE PAS" (They shall not pass), which was adopted as a symbol of French resistance during the battle and famously uttered by General Robert Nivelle.
Although highly prized by those who received it, the Verdun Medal was considered an unofficial award by the French government and was not permitted to be worn on military uniforms in formal parades, unlike officially sanctioned medals.
3: The Mihiel Medal, also known as the Medal of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, a commemorative medal from World War I. It commemorates the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, a significant offensive led by the American First Army under General John J. Pershing, alongside French forces, from September 12-15, 1918. The battle successfully reduced the Saint-Mihiel salient, a strategic German stronghold that had existed since 1914, and helped restore communication routes between Paris and the Eastern Front.
The medal includes the date "12 & 13 Sept 1918" and an inscription in both English and French describing the American troops' victory and capture of prisoners in the Saint-Mihiel sector.
While not an official French government medal, it was widely recognized and primarily awarded to American soldiers of the 1st American Army who fought in the Saint-Mihiel sector, as well as to qualified French and British combatants.
The medal was created on February 15, 1936, by the Municipal Council of Saint-Mihiel, and various versions exist, including those manufactured by the Monnaie de Paris and American firms.
4: The Victory Medal was a general campaign medal that established the precedent of wearing clasps with the names of individual battles on the suspension ribbon. When the ribbon bar alone was worn, each clasp was represented by a small bronze star.
It was designed by James Earle Fraser of New York City under the direction of the Commission of Fine Arts.
It was a common allied service medal, recommended by an inter-allied committee in March 1919. Each allied nation would design a "Victory Medal" for award to their military personnel, all issues having certain common features, including a winged figure of victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.
The Victory Medal was originally intended to be established by an act of Congress. The bill authorizing the medal never passed, however, thus leaving the military departments to establish it through general orders. The War Department published orders in April 1919, and the Navy in June of the same year.
The Victory Medal was awarded to military personnel for service between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918, or with either of the following expeditions:
American Expeditionary Forces in European Russia between November 12, 1918, and August 5, 1919.
American Expeditionary Forces Siberia between November 23, 1918, and April 1, 1920.
Source: Wikipedia, others
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