A Very Scarce “French Awarded” British Crimea Medal.
With Three “French Designed” Clasps.
(ALMA)-(BALAKLAVA)-(INKERMANN)
All of highly unusual design and construction.
To:
ANTOINE PRAYER. G. IMP TRAIN
(THE MEDAL).....”an unusual item”
Regimentally Impressed. PRAYER. ANTOINE. G.IMP. TRAIN
(Served with Grand Imperial Wagon Train of Napoleon III)
This most unusual medal is one of those “off beat” items that occasionally show up in old collections. The medal itself is of 100% normal British construction. Many “no clasp” medals were issued to the French by the British government, with many lose British claps also being supplied for later issue & fitting in France.
However, the clasps on this medal are most certainly French made and although of the same overall design, their execution and finish is typically “foreign”.
The workmanship is excellent and displays superb detail on the oak leaves, branches & acorn terminals and is of much finer on the light detail than on the British clasps.
Also, these clasps are sewn individually onto the ribbon as singles & are not riveted together as there are no “connector tabs” on the clasps. The slightly horizontally angled back straps are also thin and flat in section, rather than being of the normal thicker and curved appearance of the standard British clasps.
We’ve seen a good number of what have obviously been “French” Crimea awards before, but we’ve never before come across these very highly detailed French produced single claps.
Overall a lovely three clasp medal with original ribbon in AEF with dark tone.
SOLD
This most unusual medal is one of those “off beat” items that occasionally show up in old collections. The medal itself is of 100% normal British construction. Many “no clasp” medals were issued to the French by the British government, with many lose British claps also being supplied for later issue & fitting in France.
However, the clasps on this medal are most certainly French made and although of the same overall design, their execution and finish is typically “foreign”.
The workmanship is excellent and displays superb detail on the oak leaves, branches & acorn terminals and is of much finer on the light detail than on the British clasps.
Also, these clasps are sewn individually onto the ribbon as singles & are not riveted together as there are no “connector tabs” on the clasps. The slightly horizontally angled back straps are also thin and flat in section, rather than being of the normal thicker and curved appearance of the standard British clasps.
We’ve seen a good number of what have obviously been “French” Crimea awards before, but we’ve never before come across these very highly detailed French produced single claps.
Overall a lovely three clasp medal with original ribbon in AEF with dark tone.
SOLD