Russia, Imperial. A Medal Commemorating the Creation of Parish Schools, c. 1909

Constructed of silver, on loop for suspension from its period original ribbon with a pentagonal bronze backplate and horizontal pinback, the obverse with raised leftward-facing profiles of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsar Alexander III, circumscribed by names and titles in Russian Cyrillic, the reverse with a raised open book bearing the first eight letters of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, flanked by dates “1884-1909”, topped by a Russian Othodox cross, the integral loop with a zolotnik mark of “84” for a silver content of .875, the edge stamped with a silversmith mark of “ИЛ”, measuring 28.30 mm in diameter, weighing 26.1 grams (inclusive of ribbon and backplate), in near extremely fine condition.