1473

France, gold military decoration, Order of the Legion of Honor, Napoleon III (1852-70), Grand Comman

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Medals & Tokens Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:1,250.00 - 2,000.00 USD
France, gold military decoration, Order of the Legion of Honor, Napoleon III (1852-70), Grand Comman
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France, gold military decoration, Order of the Legion of Honor, Napoleon III (1852-70), Grand Commander rank. 2 3/4" long; 19.44 grams. Five-pointed white enamel Maltese cross with ball-tipped finials and green enamel oak and laurel wreath between the arms, on Imperial crown suspension; the face with a circular central rayed gold medallion bearing the laurel-crowned head of Napoleon I facing right, encircled by a deep blue enamel ring bearing the gilt inscription NAPOLEON EMPEREUR DES FRANCAIS; the reverse with a circular central gold medallion hatched horizontally and bearing the imperial eagle with lightning bolts in its claws encircled by a deep blue enamel ring inscribed HONNEUR ET PATRIE (honor and country); very slight chips and cracks. The Ordre Royal, Imperial et National de la Legion d'Honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on May 19, 1802 to be awarded for outstanding civil or military service to France. It has survived Empire, restoration of the Monarchy and five Republics. There have been at least a dozen major changes to the insignia and, indeed, the political history of the past 200 years of France may be traced on them. Since the suppression of the Ordre Militaire de Saint-Louis in 1830, the Ordre de la Legion d'Honnneur has been France's premier order. The current example is from the reign of Napoleon III, March 16, 1852 to October 28, 1870.