French Medal

[billy4294]

Good Evening,
I've not come across this medal before. Would I be right in thinking it's a commemorative? and what was it for?
Billyh

[mojob123]

Not much help with regard to ID, but the seller does give a book reference. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233564585...kevt=1&mkcid=1

[mojob123]

Just realised that the badge in auction is slightly different, and possibly considerably larger. Sorry, it's late. I would take his price with a pinch of salt as well considering this bargain; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353872319...kAAOSwVBlh7Y9E Mike

[Lemataf]

Hi Billyh,

What is the diameter of this medal?

Not a ww1 medals specialist myself, but if I was to come across such piece, I would at first step see it more as a kind of patriotic one from 1915, rather than commemorative.

Apart of our well reknown ‘national cockerel’, one can observe on the back another of the french ww1´stars’ (at least then, on this side of the channel, in the newspapers etc...) with our well recognizable & famous 75 gun.

All the best from France,

JD

[billy4294]

Thank you for your replies. Mojob I can see how you made an error. Regarding prices, ebay has a good few sellers who ask outrageous prices for items (which is up to them)
JD. I'll go with patriotic medal. Do you know why these type medals always seem to have the date 1914-1915 on them? Was it just wishful thinking that the war would only last a year? I don't know the size of the medal yet, as I haven't yet received it.
Any idea what the obverse signifies? From what I can gather the designer, Lasserres, is more well known for religious medals.

[Lemataf]

1914-15: most likely because this medal is from 1915, and they then were hoping that the war would end sooner than it actually finally lasted.

On the other face, IMHO you see there one of the many allegoric representations of La République, very often symbolized as a young woman leading a crowd & showing the way.

If I come across another example of your medal, I will let you know.

Cheers,

JD

[billy4294]

Medal (more like medallion) is about the size of a pound coin, made from solid silver, makers mark for Charles Murat (probably his son, since Charles would have passed away by the time this was made)
billyh