215

TURKEY: Abdul Mejid, 1839-1861, AR medal, AH1256

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:220.00 USD Estimated At:250.00 - 350.00 USD
TURKEY: Abdul Mejid, 1839-1861, AR medal, AH1256
Opening bids do not reflect absentee book bids that have been received.
TURKEY: Abdul Mejid, 1839-1861, AR medal, AH1256, NP-1089, Acre or Saint Jean D'Acre (Akka), holed for wearing, Fine. Like many of the campaign medals of this period, this one was awarded to numerous British troops who assisted in the suppression of rebellious Egyptian forces under the Egyptian Viceroy Mehmed Ali, in 1840. The forces of Mehmed Ali marched up the coast into Syria to seize Acre, then held the city from September 10 to December 9. All British personnel who qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with "Syria" clasp were eligible for this medal, although the class awarded was dependent on rank. The medal came in three classes: bronze, silver and gold, but examples are known in silvered bronze. In addition, there were three jeweled classes of the gold medal, with various sizes of diamonds set in a bezel around the medal itself. These jeweled classes were awarded only to the highest ranks of government, with the highest class probably going only to the Sultan. The medal is 29 mm, and bears the tughra of Sultan Abdulmejid I on the obverse, surrounded by two branches of laurel. On the reverse is the castle of Acre, with a semicircle of stars around the top, and an inscription around the bottom that reads: "The People of Syria". The ribbon for the gold medal is watered rose colored with white border stripes, while the silver and bronze medals uses salmon pink, unwatered, with white border stripes.