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Allied Victory Medal, 1914-18: CM.1469-2009

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An image of Allied Victory Medal, 1914-18
Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

State: Japan (Struck in the rule of)

Entities

Categories

Description

When the Great War of 1914-1918 had ended, there was a genuine feeling among the victorious Allies that their military efforts had been instrumental in preserving modern civilization, and this and the united spirit of the Alliance were commemorated in a combined issue of medals to those who had seen active service during the conflict. 13 nations in all issued a variety of this medal; all shared the rainbow ribbon and suspension.
The Japanese issue of the medal, of which this is probably a French copy made for collectors in 1920, was different from all the others in that it did not feature a type of the goddess Victory as its obverse emblem; this symbol, meaningless to Japanese culture, was replaced with an archetypal ancient warrior, barefoot and brandishing a quarterstaff.
This medal is unnamed, which is probably to be explained by its being only an imitation rather than a genuine award. Lester Watson purchased it from the London dealers Baldwin at some point before 1928.
The Museum must thank Mr Sawyer Rank for his information on this medal.

Notes

History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Baldwin before 1928

Legal notes

Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 36.6 mm
Weight: 20.82 g

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester

Dating

1919 - 1920

Note

Possibly a French replica struck in 1920 for collectors.

Materials used in production

Bronze

Techniques used in production

Struck

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: CM.1469-2009
Primary reference Number: 141563
Watson Catalogue: M
Ordering: M-0352
Previous object number: LW.0352

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 29 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Coins and Medals

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Allied Victory Medal, 1914-18" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141563 Accessed: 2025-12-07 01:51:30

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141563 |title=Allied Victory Medal, 1914-18 |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-07 01:51:30|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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