Set of Two 1937 China Incident Commemorative Medals/支那事變記念章牌

Famous and quite popular among the collectors set.
Numerous fakes are known https://asiamedals.info/threads/fakes-of-1937-china-incident-commemorative-medals.13215/

Bronze.
Size 55 mm.
Weight 85.6 g.

Reverse

支那事變記念 - China Incident Commemorative Medal

昭和十二年 - 1937

造幣局製 - Made by Mint

Bronze.
Size 55 mm.
Weight 78 g.

Reverse

支那事変記念 - China Incident Commemorative

昭和十二年 - 1937

造幣局製 - Made by Mint


Original case.

支那事變記念章牌 - China Incident Commemorative Medal

造幣局製 - Made by Mint

 

Medals were made by Mint of Japan and sold by different retailers.
Original advertising leaflet from Mitsukoshi /三越/ department store https://asiamedals.info/threads/history-products-and-brands-of-mitsukoshi-co-ltd.19507
Printed in February 1938.

海軍 - Navy [Medal]

陸軍 - Army [Medal]

 

Advertising leaflet from Japanese Mint.

Original envelope.

財団法人 - Foundation

造幣局泉友會 - Mint Friends Association

 

Numerous variations of cases are known.
Here are some of them.

紀元二千五百九十八年 - 2598 Year of Imperial Reign = 1938

奉祝紀元節 - Kigensetsu Celebration (about Kigensetsu see https://asiamedals.info/threads/japan-national-foundation-day-badges-no.23155/page-2#post-351659)

第七回祝紀節奉祝大會記念品 - 7th Celebration Festival Souvenir

支那事變記念章牌 - China Incident Commemorative Medal

造幣局製 - Made by Mint

贈呈 - Gift

紀元節奉祝大會 - Imperial Reign Celebration Festival

 

Only 造幣局製 - Made by Mint in black kanji inside.

Size and weight.

 

造幣局製 - Made by Mint in gold kanji inside + ink stamp 13.1.10 = January 10, 1938.

"Navy medal".

"Army medal".

 

Full set with original paper insert.

支那事変記念章牌
China Incident Commemorative Medal.

(青銅製)
(Made of Bronze)

右
Right [medal]

勇猛果敢なる我が海軍の将兵が上海を中心に奮闘する有様を現はしたるものなり
It shows how brave Navy officers and men fighting around Shanghai.

左
Left [medal]


我が陸軍の精鋭が北支の戦線に不滅の武動を立て進撃する有志を表したものなり
It shows our army's elite volunteers who set up immortal martial deeds on the front of the North China and advance.

 

"Rounders".

 

Standard paper insert.

 

Sometimes these cases have additional stamp with the "medal title" that we saw in Mitsukoshi Department Store advertising poster.

陸軍 - Army

 

Beautiful blackening.

 

Rare variation.

記念章牌 - Commemorative Medal

造幣局泉友會 - Friends of the Mint Association (see their envelope above).

Stamped

陸軍 - Army

 

Square balsa case.

記念牌 - Commemorative Medal

造幣局製 - Made by Mint

Standard paper insert has square form and glued inside.

Medal.

 

Case made for the Youth League

青年團綱領交鎭 - Youth League Program Exchange

 

Another rare variation of the case.

Inscribed inside 三越 - Mitsukoshi.

Medal.

 

Maruyama Teru Unit Commemorative Medal.

In 1940 mint made interesting and rare variation of "Navy" medal.
It has numerous design differences from the original 1937 medal.
Obviously new dies were made.

支那事變出征記念章牌 - China Incident Dispatch Commemorative Medal

自昭和十二年八月 - from August 1937
至昭和十五年一月 - to January 1940

丸山輝部隊 - Maruyama Teru Unit

造幣局製 - Made by Mint

Salty specimen.