Medal for Honour for Prison Administration, Type IV, in Gold

SKU: 02.BEL.0162.401.01

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Attributes

  • country
    Belgium
  • date of institution
    March 10, 1857
  • remarks
    This medal is extremely rare. It was only produced upon request of the Minister of Justice. It is uncertain if there was ever an official decision regarding the discontinuation of this item, or whether is has merely been forgotten. This item is the first to have an inscription in Dutch. It is uncertain if all Type IV medals had Dutch inscriptions, or whether the recipient could choose to have a French or Dutch inscription.

History


The Medal of Honour for Prison Administration was awarded to guards and administrators of Belgian prisons for meritorious service and acts of courage and devotion performed while on duty. It was awarded in two grades by the Minister of Justice according to the quality of service rendered by the recipient.

The medal is classified into five types according to the ruling monarch. Type I medals have a portrait of Leopold I, Type II medals have a portrait of Leopold II, Type III medals have a portrait of Albert I, Type IV medals have a portrait of Leopold III, and Type V medals feature the Belgian coat of arms rather than a portrait.

Type IV medals have an obverse inscription that translates to “Leopold III, King of the Belgians,” and a reverse inscription that translates to “Prison Administration, Medal of Honour.”

It is interesting to note that this Medal appears to have been neglected by the legislator responsible for discontinuing decorations when the Civic Decoration was established in 1867. Apart from Article 69 and 71 from March 10, 1857, and Article 117 from September 30, 1905, the Medal is not described in any official documents, and these Articles do not even outline the design, ribbon, or dimensions of the medal. The changes in effigy were also never the subject of any official decrees, and as a result, the date ranges of the Types are estimations based on the inscriptions of consulted examples.

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Versions

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  • Composition

  • Inscription

    Obv: LEOPOLD III KONING DER BELGEN Rev: EREMEDAILLE ADMINISTRATIE DER STRAFINRICHTING [RECIPIENT DETAILS]

  • Size

    50mm

  • Maker

  • Version Remarks

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