UNITED STATES. Æ Medal (45mm, 41.25 g, 12h). The Visit of the American Legion to France. By P.-V. Dautel. Dated 1927
in Roman numerals. POVR TOVJOVRS (
for ever), French farmer standing right, reaching out to American legionnaire standing left; plow and field in background / VISITE/DE L’AMERICAN LEGION/EN/FRANCE/SEPTEMBRE MCMXXVII, the Arc de Triomphe before the Parisian cityscape, with the eternal flame within its archway; above, three ships upon the sea, with the upper part of the Statue of Liberty visible on the horizon. Edge: Plain. EF, attractive brown surfaces. An exceptional Franco-American art deco piece.
Formed by veterans returning from World War I, the American Legion acted as a social and mutual-aid organization promoting the interests of veterans and service members. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War I, the French government invited the American Legion to hold its national convention in Paris in September of 1927. This medal commemorates the event and the bond between the two nations, with a legionnaire and French civilian embracing in peacetime reconstruction on the obverse, and Franco-American motifs on the reverse.
