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 aluminum 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 with an illegible master’s mark, measuring 28.28 mm in diameter, weighing 15.2 grams (inclusive of ribbon and backplate), in near extremely fine condition.