Date
Instituted: 1854.
Campaign: Crimean War 1854-56.
Description: The obverse of this medal
bears the diademed head of Queen Vctoria with the inscription ‘VICTORIA
REGINA’ and the date 1854. The reverse shows a winged figure
of Victory crowning a Roman soldier, who is holding a shield in
his left hand and a sword in his right, with a laurel wreath.
The word ‘CRIMEA’ can bee seen to the left while the designer’s
name of Wyon is visible in tiny letters to the lower right.
The medal is fitted with a foliated swivelling suspender unique
to this medal.
Metal: Silver.
Size: 36mm.
Clasps: ‘ALMA’, ‘INKERMAN’, ‘AZOFF’,
‘BALAKLAVA’ and ‘SEBASTOPOL’.
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Naming: Because
of Queen Victoria’s wish to have these medals issued to her soldiers
as quickly as possible they were awarded unnamed but could be returned
for official naming later. Those that are officially named
are impressed in the same style as the Military General Service
Medal, however most were either regimentally impressed or privately
engraved as few soldiers wanted to send back their highly prized
medals for naming. Many different styles are therefore encountered
and care should be taken to determine if these are contemporary.
Collectors frequently encounter many unnamed examples.
Comments: Those officially named
normally command higher prices but privately (even sometimes crudely)
named medals should not necessarily be refused by collectors.
However extreme caution should be exercised when encountering medals
named to officers and men who took part in the charge of the Light
Brigade at Balaklava and should be verified before purchase.
In 1970’s some unnamed examples were falsely (but convincingly)
named to such recipients
Only
a maximum of four clasps could be awarded to any one person and the
clasp Azoff was awarded to the Royal Navy only. The clasp
Sebastopol was automatically awarded to those qualifying for either
the Balaklava or Inkerman
clasps. As with the suspender the design of clasp is unique
to this medal with oak leaves and acorns.
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