Reverse : "la médaille matricule de l'armée belge"

Diameter : 35 x 22 mm or 1,4 x 0,9 inch

Weight : 7,2 grams

Metal : silver (hallmarked with an A for Argent on edge)

Numismatics of first world war in Belgium, under the German Occupation, includes a considerable number of medals. Some of these insignia from were only issued in a little numbers of copies. They mark the spirit of belgian population, its anxieties, its hopes and its confidence. It therefore seems that there is, among the populations of Belgium, a particular disposition of mind, which leads them to represent by emblems the principles they stand for and the men they honor. Thus, until November 11, 1918, this was on one hand, a tribute to the defenders, to the Fatherland, to their King, and, on the other hand, the utilitarian intentions of the Charity provoked a profusion of more than 3000 different metal types. Thus, during the occupation of Belgium by the German troops, a spontaneity appeared among the makers of Belgian medals, giving rise to a profusion of patriotic insignia and medals, charity or gratitude, spontaneity comparable to that of the spirit of decision and of duty which carried king Albert and his soldiers without hesitation before the invader.