Napoleonic medal
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Napoleon I of France celebrated his accomplishments with an extensive set of commemorative medals struck by the Paris Medal Mint. The exact number of these medals is not precisely known since the official records of Napoleon's reign, including the list of medals struck by the mint, were erased by King Louis XVIII. Counting medals struck in England and Italy, the total number of different Napoleonic Medals exceeds 2,000.
The sizes of these medals vary, although most are approximately 40mm in diameter. Most were struck in copper, although silver and gold were also used. The copper medals have a patina applied, which protects the copper from eroding and makes the medal look like bronze.
The most definitive catalog of Napoleonic Medals was created by a collector named Bramsen in three volumes published between 1904 and 1913.
Many of the medals struck during Napoleon's reign were restruck later from the same dies. Determining when a given medal was struck is sometimes difficult. Restrikes can often be identified by a punch mark applied to the edge of the medal.
References
- Fortiter's Napoleonic Medals (http://fortiter.napoleonicmedals.org/)
External Links
- napoleonicmedals.org (http://www.napoleonicmedals.org/)