Watch List notes:

NIGER: AE medal (22.99g), 1879, 37mm bronze medal for the French Expedition to the Source of the Niger River by C. A. Verminck, "1879" on central cartouche with J.ZWEIGEL above and M. MOUSTIER below, all within beaded circle with EXPÉDITION FRANÇAISE AUX SOURCES DU NIGER - C. A. VERMINCK around // the hills of Tembi Coundou, the source of the Niger, with sun and crescent with star above, all within beaded circle with Arabic inscription around, ball and suspender removed from mount, a couple spots of obverse oxidation, plain edge, EF, RR, ex Jim Farr Collection. Charles Auguste Verminck, a great merchant from Marseille, decided to participate in the efforts to penetrate the interior of the unknown African continent. He turned his attention to the upper Niger valley. At the head of his expedition project, of which he was the patron, he put the director of his factory in Rotombo (Sierra Leone), Josua Zweifel, a Swiss born in 1854 in Glarus. His companion was Marius Moustier, himself director of the Boké counter on the Rio Nunez in Guinea; he was fluent in the two main languages of the countries crossed, Sousou and Foulah. The expedition left Rotombo on July 8, 1879. The account of their progress and adventures was reported in several publications. On November 6, they returned to Port Lokkoh. The Société de Géographie de Marseille awarded, in its session of October 1, 1880, its great gold medal and diplomas of honor collectively and individually to Verminck, Zweifel and Moustier. This medal is extremely rare, with 75 copies distributed to each member of the expedition by the Société de Géographie de Paris.

Estimate: 125-175 USD