Description:
The
Sultan of Turkey issued this medal to allied military
personnel involved in the Crimean war. There are
three different issues of this medal for those issued to
British, French or Sardinian personnel. The obverse
shows the Sultan of Turkey's cipher with the Mohammendan
date for 1271 on all versions. The reverse depicts a
cannon with four flags to its rear. The flag to the
fore on the second from the left depicts the country to
which the medal was intended. The inscription in the
exergue reads 'La Crimee 1855' for French issue, 'La
Crimea 1855' for Sardinian issue and 'Crimea 1855' for
British Issue. The ribbon is attached through a
steel ring which is attached to the medal by a smaller
silver ring, however many medals are found with privately
attached scroll type suspenders.
Clasps:
None authorised
for this medal.
Ribbon:
The
original ribbon issued with this medal measured only
.50" wide but was replaced by one of 1.25" when
awarded to British personnel. The ribbon itself is
watered and of dark crimson with green edges.
Naming:
This medal was
issued unnamed but examples are found with privately
engraved naming of varying styles.
Notes:
Most
collectors mistakenly believe the reverse with the flags
and cannon are the obverse of this medal and indeed many
of the recipients at the time wore them that way.
Due to the loss by shipwreck of many of these medals
intended for British recipients awards were made with
whatever issue came to hand with the most common being of
the Sardinian type. The general quality of these
medals was poor and many British officers had copies of
superior quality made in 925 silver with plain or scroll
suspenders.
It
is also common to encounter the original award medals with
the steel ring (which is prone to rusting) from which the
ribbon is attached replaced by a scroll suspender akin to
British issue medals. Such medals are still
considered contemporary and do not alter their value.
