History

The Medal for the Defense of the Treasury was awarded to those members of the Belleville Battalion who defended the treasury of Paris from a mob on October 5, 1789.

The award was established on May 11, 1790 as a ribbon and it is probable that certain members of the French Guard who had received the Ribbon decided to create a medal in its place.

In 1889 new strikes were issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. There are few remaining examples of the Medal, and it is very difficult to discern authenticity.

The obverse inscription translates to “Town Hall of Paris,” and the reverse inscription translates to “Treasury of the City Saved and Preserved October 5, 1789.”

The Medal for the Defense of the Treasury is translated from French "Insigne par le Tresor de la Ville Paris, Sauve et Conserve."