Medal "For the pacification of the Polish rebellion of 1863-64"

The original medal is in good collector's condition. Dark bronze, stamping. The diameter is 29 mm. The edge is smooth. The obverse depicts the coat of arms of the Russian Empire — a double-headed eagle. On the reverse — in the center of the medal dates in one line: "1863-1864", and along the edge — the inscription "FOR the PACIFICATION OF the POLISH REBELLION". A small four-petalled rosette is placed between the beginning and the end of the inscription. Guarantee of authenticity.

"For the pacification of the Polish Rebellion" is a medal of the Russian Empire, which was awarded to participants in the suppression of the uprising of 1863-1864 in the Kingdom of Poland, the North-Western Region and Volhynia. The medal was established in 1865, had two variants: light bronze and dark bronze, which were awarded to different groups of people. About 370 thousand light bronze and more than 230 thousand dark bronze medals were minted. They wore the medal on their chest on a white-orange-black ribbon. After the end of the January uprising, it became necessary to reward those who took part in the suppression of the rebellion. The first known document stating plans to create this medal is the order of Emperor Alexander II, given to the Minister of War D. A. Milyutin, issued on August 3, 1864. There is also a letter from the Governor-General of Vilna, one of the leaders of the suppression of the uprising, M. N. Muravyev, in which the draft award was outlined. It was assumed that the obverse of the medal should depict George the Victorious, on the reverse — the monogram of the emperor and the inscription: "For the suppression of the rebellion and sedition of 1863," and it was proposed to wear this medal on the St. Andrew-St. George ribbon. As a result, on October 1, a fundamentally different version of the drawing and ribbon was approved, which became final, and on December 5, 1864, the imperial decree approved the rules for awarding medals, which were clarified several times[2]. The establishment of the award was announced in the decree of the Emperor, given to the Governing Senate on January 1, 1865.

During the period from 1865 to 1868, 368,133 light bronze and 231,221 dark bronze medals were minted at the St. Petersburg Mint. The medals were made in several batches: in 1865, the entire circulation of light bronze medals and 24,800 dark bronze medals was minted, in 1866, most of the dark bronze medals were minted, namely 187,685 pieces, in 1867 and 1868, 9736 and 9,000 dark bronze medals were minted, respectively. The ribbons for the medals were produced by the manufacturer Losev and cost 48 kopecks per arshin. There were 3 vershka [~ 2] ribbons per medal. It is known about the supply of metal for the coinage of medals that tompak (light bronze) was supplied by the Wilmanstrand and St. Petersburg merchant of the 2nd guild Ivan Filipov. The cost of the metal was 15 rubles per pood.

The production of medals by private workshops was allowed, in connection with which there are known variants of medals that differ somewhat in the details of the image, as well as in size. It is known that on January 16, 1865, the Minister of Finance allowed the St. Petersburg merchant of the 2nd Guild Dmitry Nikolaevich Degtyarev to produce these medals for sale.