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The Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal
(Full Size, with Hallmark), Navy Type
海軍版東京遠征紀念獎章
(官方版,附戳記)
Item number: M272
Year: AD 1885
Material: Silver
Size: 89.7 x 29.8 x 1.9 mm
Weight: 16.3 g
Manufactured by: Paris Mint
Provenance: Sammler Store 2022
This object is a silver “Tonkin Expedition Commemorative Medal” (French: Médaille commémorative de l’expédition du Tonkin), awarded by the French government on September 6, AD 1885. This medal comes in two variants corresponding to the branch of military service: the Army and the Navy, with this particular object being the Navy version. A distinctive feature of this medal is the oval-shaped mark on the upper loop on the reverse side, containing a faint relief of a side profile.
The medal is circular in shape, crafted from silver. The perimeter of its obverse is adorned with a laurel wreath, at the centre of which is a profile portrait of Marianne, the national symbol of the French Republic. The helmet visor of the portrait is inscribed with the french word “PATRIE” (Homeland). The inscription on either side of the portrait reads “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” (French Republic). The shoulder of Marianne bears the engraver’s name, “DANIEL DUPUIS.”
The reverse of the medal is decorated with a laurel wreath and a solid circular band. Inside the circular band, from top to bottom, the naval battles are listed in sequence. Beneath the place names is the “Horn of Plenty” mark of the Paris Mint. The navy section features seven place names, while the army section lists six:
Gia Lâm (Vietnam) GAU-GIAÏ
Sơn Tây (Vietnam) SONTAY
Bắc Ninh (Vietnam) BAC-NINH
Fuzhou FOU-TCHÉOU
Taiwan FORMOSE
Tuyên Quang (Vietnam) TUYEN-QUAN
Penghu PESCADORES
Compared to the Navy version, the Army version omitted the geographical name “Gia Lâm (Vietnam)” (French: GAU-GIAÏ), due to the deaths of two French officers (Henri Rivière and Francis Garnier) at this location. Around the circumference of the ring, the words “Tonkin (Vietnam) China Annam 1883-1885” (French: TONKIN CHINE ANNAM) are inscribed in sequence. The ribbon is coloured in alternating yellow and green.
The Tonkin Expedition Commemorative Medal was initially issued pursuant to a law dated September 6, AD 1885, minted at the Paris Mint, and awarded on July 14, AD 1886, to soldiers who participated in the Tonkin Expedition and the Sino-French War between AD 1883 and AD 1885, with a total of approximately 65,000 recipients.
In AD 1887, the law was amended to additionally award this medal to soldiers and sailors who had participated in operations in the North, Annam, Cambodia, Siam, and the upper Mekong River from AD 1885 to AD 1893, as well as to the rare survivors who served under Francis Garnier and Henri Rivière between AD 1873 and AD 1882, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.
Tonkin: Tonkin is a geographical name located in the northern part of the Red River Delta in Vietnam, historically part of the Later Lê Dynasty before being designated as the Tonkin Protectorate by France. During the Later Lê Dynasty, Tonkin was referred to as “Tang Ngoai,” denoting the northern region of the Red River Delta, known as Hanoi at the time. With the outbreak of the Zheng-Ruan conflict, Westerners began using the term “Tonkin” to refer to the territory under Zheng’s rule, contrasting it with “Cochinchina,” which referred to territories under Ruan’s rule in the south. Despite Vietnam’s unification in AD 1802, both terms continued to be used, signifying the northern and southern regions of Vietnam respectively.
However, with the outbreak of the Sino-French War, France established the Tonkin Protectorate in Tonkin in AD 1885, according to the Second Treaty of Hue, governing separately from the protectorate of Annam. During this period, Tonkin served as the administrative centre of French rule in northern Vietnam. Nevertheless, following the failure of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, France lost control of Tonkin. After the expulsion of French colonial forces by the Vietnamese people, the name Tonkin gradually faded into obscurity and ceased to be used.
物件編號: M272
年代: 公元 1885 年
材質: 銀
尺寸: 89.7 x 29.8 x 1.9 mm
重量: 16.3 g
製造地: 巴黎造幣廠
來源: 賽姆勒商店 2022
此物件為公元1885年9月6日,法國政府授予之銀質「東京遠征紀念獎章」(法文:Médaille commémorative de l’expédition du Tonkin)。此獎章依照軍種的差異,有「陸軍」和「海軍」兩種版別,該物件為「海軍」版本。這枚獎章的特殊之處,背面上方的扣環有一個橢圓形戳記,內部依稀有側臉的浮雕。