BELGIUM 1939 ORIGINAL ART DECO CANAL ALBERT BRONZE MEDAL BY GODEFROID DEVREESE 82MM X 78MM NGC MS64

Beautiful original uncirculated French Art Medal certified MS-64 by the Numismatic Guaranty Company.

Godefroid Devreese was a Belgian sculptor and medallist. In 1889 he won the First Prize of the Concours Triennial at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (B) and was awarded with the Gold Medal at the Cologne Exposition. He made great fame with many monuments and medals. 

The Albert Canal was constructed from 1930 through 1939. The German construction company Hochtief AG worked on the canal between 1930 and 1934, but it was completed by Belgian companies. The Albert Canal was used for the first time in 1940 but, because of World War II and the German occupation, intensive use only began later, in 1946.

During World War II, the Albert Canal functioned as a defence line. The crossing of the canal by the German forces and the destruction of Fort Eben-Emael on 11 May 1940 was a milestone in the German invasion of Belgium.

During the Liberation of Belgium by the Allies in September 1944, the Second Canadian Division was the first Allied unit to cross the Albert Canal. The British Army also crossed the Albert Canal on its way north across Belgium and into the Netherlands and the U.S. Army entered Belgium further to the east on its way to liberate the rest of Belgium, and Luxembourg, and then proceed east to invade Nazi Germany. Hence, Belgium was liberated from the south by three different armies, two of which needed to cross the Albert Canal.

In 2002, the canal carried a record 43 million tons of goods of various kinds, amounting to more than half the Belgian waterway total. The canal is also a popular leisure and cycling destination, with well paved service roads on both sides traversing picturesque farm land, particularly around Smeermaas, Lanaken and Maasmechelen.

During the 1990's and early 2000's I concentrated on assembling a carefully selected high end collection of hundreds of European (mostly French and Belgian) medals and jetons. The Leonard Collection was the first such collection submitted to the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation for certification. In the process, over 400 pieces were certified. My primary goal was to collect and preserve choice examples of the medallic art of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. I am now beginning to sell many of my personal favorites from this collection. This medal is encapsulated in a special oversize holder measuring 7 1/2" X 5 3/4". 

The medal will ship via USPS Priority Mail.