Numismatic Auction #18

TURKEY: Abdul Mejid, 1839-1861, AR medal, AH1270 (1854), Medal of Glory (Iftihar Madalyasi), circular silver medal, pierced for ribbon suspension with ring and suspension bar; the face with the tughra of Sultan Abdul Mejid I above the date AH1270 (= 1853AD) within a beaded circle imposed on crossed standards and a laurel wreath, a left-facing crescent and faceted six-pointed star above / a faceted six-pointed star imposed on a faceted twelve-pointed star above a ribbon inscribed in Arabic letters Nishani Iftihar, a six-pointed star to either side and one below on a spray of laurel; with original ribbon, cleaned EF.
The medal was instituted in 1853 and awarded for participation in the Danube Campaign early in the Crimean War with Russia and, later, for other campaigns where no specific campaign medal was struck. The medal is therefore sometimes referred to as the General Service Medal or Danube Medal.