RIM ENGRAVED U.S. NAVY CAMPAIGN MEDAL COLLECTION
United States Navy Campaign Medals were not authorized until 1908, & first began to be issued in 1909. U.S. Navy campaign Medals were issued with a receipt recording the “Badge” number & authorizing the recipient to also engrave on the rim of the badge, the recipients name, rank at the time, & name of the vessel to which they were attached. The only Navy Medals rim engraved by the government were the Dewey & Sampson Medals.
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These receipts continued to be issued with U.S. Navy medals throughout the mid 1930’s when numbering on Campaign Medals ceased. Post 1930’s rim engraved medals are considered extremely rare, as the Navy no longer issued a receipt authorizing the engraving. |
The rim engraving would typically be performed by a jeweler or skilled shipmate. Some sailors even engraved their medals themselves. Rim engraved examples are rare because sailors would have to incur paying for the engraving out of their own pocket, many chose not to. Below you will see a nearly complete set of rim engraved U.S. Navy Campaign medals, spanning from the Civil War through World War II. |
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