Medal for the 1774 Peace Treaty with Turkey.
In silver, 42.4 mm in height incl. eyelet x 31.3 mm in width; weighs 10.6 g.
The obverse shows a portrait of Catherine II (the Great). Cyrillic initial Ю ("Yu") of the die cutter Yudin appears in the lower corner. The reverse bears writing "To the Victor" in circular wreath and "Peace Treaty Concluded with the Porte [court of Ottoman Empire] 10 July 1774."
Fine to very fine condition. There is wear to the obverse but most details of the bas-relief portrait are nevertheless well defined - far better than on most other original examples of this award that surviv
In silver, 42.4 mm in height incl. eyelet x 31.3 mm in width; weighs 10.6 g.
The obverse shows a portrait of Catherine II (the Great). Cyrillic initial Ю ("Yu") of the die cutter Yudin appears in the lower corner. The reverse bears writing "To the Victor" in circular wreath and "Peace Treaty Concluded with the Porte [court of Ottoman Empire] 10 July 1774."
Fine to very fine condition. There is wear to the obverse but most details of the bas-relief portrait are nevertheless well defined - far better than on most other original examples of this award that survived to our days. There are a few relatively small scratches as well as some die flaws (the latter are characteristic of the mass-produced medals of the period and not a result of wear) but no significant edge knocks. The reverse shows only some minor dings to the raised edge but very little overall wear; the raised inscription is exceptionally well-preserved, nearly pristine. Attractive even patina throughout.
The medal was established following the spectacular and victorious campaigns against Turkey in 1769-70, 1771 and 1772-74. Occasionally interrupted by lengthy negotiations with the Porte, the on-and-off conflict resulted in a great expansion of Russian southern territories, sealed by the treaty signed on 10 July 1774 at Kuchik-Kainadji by the Turkish Grand Vizier and Russian Field Marshal Rumiantsev. The medal was subsequently awarded to all enlisted men in the Russian Army of the South who were on active duty on the day of the peace treaty with the Ottomans. In total, there were nearly 150,000 specimens of this medal struck at the St. Petersburg mint. Interestingly, it was the first Russian medal for the lower ranks that was to be worn on the ribbon of the Order of St. George.
/See Dimitri Romanov, The Orders, Medals and History of Imperial Russia, pp. 86-87; Mikhail Diakov, Medals of the Russian Empire, Vol. 2, fig. 165.5 /
Please note, penny in our photo is for size reference.
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