83rd Anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Lille
Engraver:
A. Bureau
Year:
1875
Country:
France
Diameter:
110 mm
Obverse:
The coat of arms of the city of Lille capped with a crown of towers. The coat of arms is flanked by two branches. Around the edge are the coat of arms of the communes of the Nord department: Dunkerque, Hazebrouck, Avesnes, Douai, Valenciennes, and Cambrai (counter-clockwise from top).
LILLE. (NORD)
A. BUREAU INV. & SC.
Reverse:
A large wreath encloses the text. In the center is an exploded bomb shell with a barber’s shaving brush. This is in reference to a famous picture depicting an actual event during the siege in which a barber used an actual bombshell to shave his patrons.
EN 7 JOURS, 60,000 PROJECTILES (BOULETS, BOMBES, OBUS) FURENT LANCÉS CONTRE LA VILLE
SOUVENONS NOUS!!
83E. ANNIVERSAIRE DE LA LEVÉE DU SIÉGE DE LILLE 8 OCTOBRE 1875 - 8 OCTOBRE 1792
OVIGNEUR, TA MAISON BRULE! JE SUIS Á MON POSTE, J’Y RESTE
PLAT A BARBE LILLOIS
This medal was made to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Lille (1792 - 1875).
This is one of the largest medals in my collection and potentially one of the largest medals ever minted in France.
