Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
Collector's Choice Apr 2020 Auction 22 Apr 2020
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WORLD WAR I MEDALS. France - Germany. Battle of Verdun Bronze Plaque, 1917. MINT STATE.
By Georges-Henri Prud'homme. 63x47mm. Obverse: Nude male soldier standing facing, head left, holding sword and billowing standard; canon and gnarled landscape in background; rising sun in background, with rays emanating from VERDUN; Reverse: Helmeted bust of Marianne left on medallion; laurel branch around and ornate tablet below. Tan-brown surfaces, with some darker hints highlighting the devices.
By Georges-Henri Prud'homme. 63x47mm. Obverse: Nude male soldier standing facing, head left, holding sword and billowing standard; canon and gnarled landscape in background; rising sun in background, with rays emanating from VERDUN; Reverse: Helmeted bust of Marianne left on medallion; laurel branch around and ornate tablet below. Tan-brown surfaces, with some darker hints highlighting the devices.
Verdun was an important French victory and a battle that engulfed nearly the entire year of 1916, with nearly three-quarters of a million lives lost between both sides. The term le poilu below the soldier's right hand was a term of endearment for French infantrymen in the war, translating to "hairy one" on account of men rarely having the chance to shave while in the trenches.
From the Richard Jewell Collection.
Estimate: $60.00- $100.00