This medal is a bronze specimen of the “Candahar Medal,” designed by William Wyon during the First Anglo-Afghan War. The official version of the medal is made of silver, while this bronze specimen was not formally awarded to soldiers. Nonetheless, it is now considered rare and valuable.
On the obverse of the medal, there is a central image of Queen Victoria, surrounded by the inscription “VICTORIA VINDEX” (Victoria the Protector). Below the neck of the Queen’s portrait is the word “SPECIMEN” indicating its status as a sample. The reverse features the word “CANDAHAR” at the centre, along with the creation year “1842.” The upper edge is adorned with a prominent crown, flanked by laurel branches on both sides.
The ribbon of this medal primarily utilises the colours red, yellow, blue, and white, with a notable gradient effect on the red, yellow, and blue sections. This specific ribbon design was used exclusively for the military medals during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
In the 19th century, Britain gradually gained control over India and increasingly set its sights on the Kingdom of Afghanistan. At the same time, Russia also expressed ambitions towards Afghanistan, establishing friendly relations with the pro-Russian regime there.
To protect its interests in Afghanistan, Britain launched a military intervention in AD 1839, aiming to establish a puppet regime in Afghanistan. This military campaign continued until AD 1842, marking the end of the First Anglo-Afghan War.
The puppet ruler was Shah Shuja Durrani, the Afghan king who had been in exile in India for 20 years. After being restored to the throne by the British in AD 1839, he expressed his gratitude by issuing the “Ghuznee Medal” to honour soldiers who had distinguished themselves in the Ghuznee campaign.
Following the expansion of the conflict in May, AD 1842, medals were issued for various campaigns, including the “Candahar Medal,” “Cabul Medal,” “Ghuznee-Cabul Medal,” and “Candahar-Ghuznee-Cabul Medal.” However, after the death of Shah Shuja Durrani in May 1842, the Governor-General of the East India Company took over the awarding of these medals.
Recipients of the “Candahar Medal” included both European and local soldiers, with approximately 130 medals awarded to European soldiers and around 2,485 medals to local soldiers.
這枚獎章是「坎大哈獎章」的銅製樣章，是第一次英阿戰爭期間，由威廉‧懷恩設計的坎大哈獎章樣本。該獎章的官方版本為銀製獎章，這面銅製獎章作為樣本，並未正式授予軍士。儘管如此，在現在看來，這面銅製樣章也顯得稀少而珍貴。
這枚獎章的正面，可見中央有維多利亞女王像，外圍還鑄有「VICTORIA VINDEX」（捍衛者維多利亞）等字。女王頭頸之下還標記「SPECIMEN」（樣本）的字樣。獎章的背面，中心刻有「CANDAHAR」（坎大哈）的文字，並標示創設年份「1842」。上緣有一頂顯眼的王冠，兩側環以月桂花。
這枚獎章的綬帶主要採用紅、黃、藍、白四色，特別在紅、黃、藍三色帶，可見突出的漸層效果。而這種形制的綬帶，是第一次英阿戰爭軍事獎章的專用綬帶。
公元19世紀，英國逐步控制印度，並漸漸將目標指向阿富汗王國。不過在此同時，俄國也顯露對阿富汗的野心，並率先與阿富汗的親俄政權締結友好關係。對此，英國為了爭取在阿富汗的利益，於公元1839年出兵阿富汗，並策劃成立阿富汗傀儡政權。而此次的軍事動，持續到公元1842年才告一段落，是為第一次英阿戰爭。
這個傀儡，是先前流亡印度20年的阿富汗國王沙阿‧舒亞‧杜蘭尼。在公元1839年被英國扶上王位後，國王為感念軍隊協助，隨後頒布「加茲尼獎章」，授予加茲尼軍事行動中的有功軍士。
接著在公元1842年5月後，隨著戰事擴大，先後頒布「坎大哈」、「喀布爾」、「加茲尼─喀布爾」、「坎大哈─加茲尼─喀布爾」等獎章。不過因沙阿‧舒亞‧杜蘭尼國王於公元1842年5月過世，故改由東印度公司總督代為授予。 其中，「坎大哈獎章」的獲獎者包含歐洲軍士和當地軍士，授予歐洲軍士的獎章約有130面，而授予當地軍士者則約有2485面。
