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The Lifesaving Medal

The Lifesaving Medal was a civil decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia awarded to those who had saved a person’s life at risk to their own.

The Lifesaving Medal (on “Rettungsmedaille am Band” in German) was a civil decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Established 1 February 1833, it was awarded to individuals who had saved another person’s life, at risk to their own.

This medal is referred to as the Lifesaving Medal on Band to differentiate it from a previous non-portable award established in 1802. Otto von Bismarck received it for rescuing a drowning man.

The Lifesaving Medal Design

The medal is circular and struck in silver. The obverse presents the head of King Friedrich Wilhelm III in relief, facing left, in the center.

Around it is circumscribed FRIEDRICH WILHELM III KÖNIG VON PREUSSEN. The reverse has inscribed FÜR RETTUNG AUS GEFAR (FOR RESCUE FROM DANGER) within an oak leaf wreath, measuring 24.79 mm in diameter, on loop for suspension from the period original ribbon, and in fine condition.

The Prussian Red Cross Medal

The Red Cross Medal was set up in 1898 by Emperor Wilhelm II and awarded to those who did great service to the sick in peace or wartime.

The Red Cross Medal was set up on 1 October 1898 by Emperor Wilhelm II and awarded to all those who carried out great service to the sick in peace or wartime, or for special achievement in the service of the German Red Cross. This was a peacetime award, as opposed to the Order of the Crown and general honor decorations with the Red Geneva Cross.

The Red Cross Medal was awarded in three classes, the Second and Third classes being worn as circular medals suspended from a red ribbon with white and black stripes.

The First Class was a red enameled Geneva Cross with gilded Prussian Royal Crowns at the ends of the arms. This award was worn as a steckreuz on the breast like the Iron Cross. Recipients could be promoted to the next class of the medal with five years time in service, with the first level anyone could be initially appointed to being the Second Class.

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The German Social Welfare Decoration

The Social Welfare Decoration was created by Adolf Hitler as a civil award for services in the social sector.

The Social Welfare Decoration (or “Ehrenzeichen für deutsche Volkspflege” in German) was created by Adolf Hitler as a civil award for services in the social sector on 1 May 1939.

The decoration was issued in three classes and was awarded for a wide variety of service to the German statsuch as Winterhilfswerk, National Socialist People’s Welfare, medical and rescue work, or care of foreign and ethnic Germans.

The medal was a replacement for the German Red Cross Decoration. The main requirement for the award was that the service rendered should be to the benefit of the civil population. Reinhard Heydrich was awarded the decoration for his running of the Gestapo in the 1930s and for providing “security” to the German people. The infamous Doctor Josef Mengele was also awarded the decoration in 1941, for providing medical services to wounded soldiers and civilians alike on the battlefields of the Eastern Front.

It was conferred in four classes consisting of a white-enameled gold Balkenkreuz with Reich eagle and swastika. A “Medal of Social Welfare” was also issued for lesser degrees of service, not warranting the higher presentation of a class award.

The German Red Cross Decoration

The German Red Cross Decoration (or “Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes” in German) is a decoration founded in 1922.

The German Red Cross Decoration (or “Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes” in German) is a decoration founded in 1922.

It was replaced (by Adolf Hitler) by the Social Welfare Decoration in 1939 and re-founded in its present form on 8 May 1953. It is awarded by the German Red Cross.

The West German Red Cross was recognized by the International Red Cross as the DRK BRD in 1951. The East German Red Cross was recognized by the International Red Cross as the DRK DDR in 1952.

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The Red Crescent Medal

The Red Crescent Medal was instituted in 1912 to reward services to the Red Crescent (the equivalent of the Red Cross in Islamic countries).

The Red Crescent Medal was instituted in 1912 by the 35th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed V Reshad to reward services to the Red Crescent (the equivalent of the Red Cross in Islamic countries). It was issued to Red Crescent members and volunteers regardless of their gender for merits in care of sick and wounded.

This medal came in three classes: Gold, silver and bronze. Recommendations for award of the two lower classes were made by the Executive Committee of the Red Crescent, but only the Sultan himself could recommend a recipient of the first class.

This medal continued to be awarded after World War I, until the establishment of the Republic.

The Red Crescent Medal Design

The Red Crescent medal is round, 29 mm in diameter. The obverse bears a red crescent facing left on a white field enameled in the center. Below it is a sprig of laurel, and above it the inscription “Humane Assistance“. The suspension bar bears the tughra of Sultan Mehmed Reshad V below a white enameled bar reading “Ottoman Red Crescent Association.” There is also a bar at the top of the ribbon, enameled white, which is sometimes seen with year designations on the bar, indicating years served with the Red Crescent.

The medal was worn suspended from a silk white ribbon with a central vertical red stripe. Women recipients wore decoration on a traditional bow.

The Liyakat Medal

The Liyakat Medal (Liyakat Madalyasi) was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890 and awarded in two classes: gold or silver.

The Liyakat Medal (or Liyakat Madalyasi in Turkish) was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890 and awarded in two classes: gold or silver. The medal was not strictly a military award and could be awarded for general merit in society such as to civilians for general merit to society.

The medal was a common military decoration through the end of the First World War. In 1905 the statutes were amended to allow women to receive the medal for charitable work, service to mosques or schools, and other decidedly civilian merits.

The Liyakat Medal Design

The medal measured 25 mm in diameter came in both gold and silver classes. It’s suspended from a red ribbon with narrow green side stripes.

The obverse bears the ottoman trophy of arms with the sultan’s cipher above it. The reverse bears the inscription “Medal of Merit Especially for Those Who Have Shown Loyalty and Bravery” and the date AH 1308 (1890 AD).

During World War I a clasp of two crossed swords was attached to the ribbon with the date AH 1333 (1915) inscribed upon them. Copies of the Liyakat medal made in Germany and Austria around the First World War are sometimes found with and without the crossed sabers device.  These copies are rarer than original pieces, and command a premium among collectors.

The Imtiyaz Medal

The Imtiyaz Medal (İmtiyaz Madalyası), also known as Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Nişan-ı İmtiyaz) is an Ottoman military decoration instituted in 1882.

The Imtiyaz Medal (or İmtiyaz Madalyası in Turkish), also known as Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Nişan-ı İmtiyaz) is an Ottoman military decoration that was instituted in 1882.

The gold Imtiyaz medal was the highest-ranking military decoration of the Ottoman Empire while the silver one ranked above the silver Liyakat Medal, but below the gold Liyakat.

A few examples of this medal are known to have been struck with the name of the recipient in raised letters, usually given to the heads of state of Turkey’s allies during World War I.

The Imtiyaz Medal Design

The medal is presented in two classes: gold and silver. The medal measures 37 mm and bears the Ottoman military coat of arms on the obverse, with its inscription “Relying on Divine Guidance and Assistance, Abdulhamid Khan, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire“. The tughra of Sultan Abdulhamid II is at the top.

The reverse has an inscription in Ottoman that translates roughly as “Medal for Those That Have Shown Exceptional Loyalty and Bravery for the Ottoman Empire“. Below that is a curved rectangular area where the name of the recipient could be engraved, and at the bottom is the date 1300 (1882).

The ribbon of this medal is half red, half green. Awards dating from World War I have a ribbon device, in the same material as the medal itself, consisting of a bar with the year 1333 (1915) above a pair of crossed sabers.

The Turkish Medal for the Siege of Silistria

The Turkish Medal for the Siege of Silistria is a campaign medal issued to British personnel present during the period of the Crimean War.

The Turkish Medal for the Siege of Silistria (or Silistre Madalyası in Turkish) is a campaign medal issued to the handful of British personnel who were present during the period of the Crimean War (28 March 1854 to 30 March 1856).

During the battle, Russian forces besieged the Ottoman fortress of Silistra. If the Russians were to make a success of their campaign on the Danube, they needed to capture the stronghold of Silistria, but the successful resistance mounted by the Turks during the course of a two month siege (April-June 1854) was unexpected by the Russians. While initially successful, the Russians were forced after several weeks to abandon the siege and retreat due to political pressure. The failure of the siege signaled a general withdrawal by Russia from the Principalities, which was largely completed by September 1854.

The Medal for the Siege of Silistria Design

The medal is made in silver and measures 36.5 mm.

The Iftikhar Sanayi Medal

The Iftikhar Sanayi Medal is a medal made of gold or silver awarded by the Ottoman Empire and first granted by Sultan Abdulhamid II.

The Iftikhar Sanayi Medal (also known as Medal of Iftikhar or Medal of Sanayi) is a medal made of gold or silver awarded by the Ottoman Empire and first granted by Sultan Abdulhamid II.

The medal was generally awarded for loyalty, valor, heroism, and accomplishments in various fields such as agriculture, arts, and crafts. These medals were also used as war medals by attaching inscribed clasps to their ribbons. The name of this medal was originally “Iftihar Madalyasi“, which was used earlier for the General Service Medal, but was later changed to “Sanay-i Nefise Madalyasi” which translates roughly as “Medal of Beautiful Arts“.

Most of the recipients were artists and artisans such as personnel of the Yildiz porcelain factory, or performers at the private theater of Sultan Abdulhamid II at the palace.

The medal was awarded in two classes: Gold and Silver.

The Iftikhar Sanayi Medal Design

The obverse of the Sanayi medal features an Ottoman trophy of arms and on the reverse side has a laurel wreath in the center, leaving a blank space for the awardee’s name to be engraved.

The Gallipoli Star or 1915 Turkish Campaign Star

The Gallipolli Star or Ottoman War Medal is a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire and instituted in 1915 for gallantry in battle.

The Gallipolli Star or Ottoman War Medal (Harp Madalyası in Turkish) is a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire and instituted by Sultan Mehmed V on 1 March 1915 for gallantry in battle. This was the “entry level” gallantry award of the Turkish military in World War I, ranking below the silver Liyakat Medal.

The decoration was awarded to Ottoman and other Central Powers troops, primarily in Ottoman areas of engagement. It wasn’t a campaign medal, but a medal for military merit.

The decoration is the only Ottoman one which not awarded by authority of the Sultan, but rather was authorized by Enver Pasha, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman military.

The Gallipoli Star Design

The Gallipoli Star is made of nickel-plated brass and measures 56 mm across the diagonal span of the arms. The tips of the star are capped by ball finials and enclosed in a raised silver edge with the field in red lacquer or enamel. A raised crescent, open at the top, encircles the center of the badge.

Inside the crescent on the obverse is the tughra or cipher of the decoration’s creator, Sultan Mehmed V Reşâd, over the date 1333 AH (AD 1915). The reverse is flat, unadorned and has a straight pin.

The original issue pieces of this award came in two varieties: silvered brass with red enamel and white metal with thin red lacquer. Those medals issued to officers were enameled and manufactured by a company that used the mark “BB&Co.“, a maker reputedly located in Berlin.

The award includes a badge, ribbon and campaign bar.