Spain, Fascist State. A Butane Distributors Union Group Plaque, Named to Francisco Franco Bahamonde 1973

Six-piece construction, the rectangular base in silver, the upper left hand corner on the obverse exhibiting a 27.5 mm (w) x 32 mm (h) shield-shaped insignia in Gold with azure blue enamels, the insignia composed of four pieces and placed at the junction of two rows of silver ornate swirls that frame the engraved text, the swirls secured in place by three screwposts with nuts, inscribed "AL CUMPRISE EL X ANIVERSARIO DE LA CONSTITUCION de la AGRUPACION SINDICAL DE DISTRIBUIDORES DE BUTANO Las 942 Empresas que la forman testimonian su inquebrantable adhesión y gratitud A SU EXCELENCIA D. FRANCISCO FRANCO BAHAMONDE JEFE DEL ESTADO Y CREADOR DE BUTANO, S.A. MADRID, Mayo de 1973" (On the 10th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Butane Distributors Union Group, the 942 companies that form it testify to their unwavering adherence and gratitude to his Excellency Mr. Francisco Franco Bahamonde Head of State and Creator of Butane, Madrid Anonymous Society, May 1973), the reverse with the wall mounting screwpost behind the shield intact, while the other three corners have the die-holes in place but are missing any attachments, measuring 262 mm (w) x 200 mm (h), the bottom of the shield with chipping and loss evident in the azure blue enamels, the silver base exhibiting tarnishing and undulation, better than very fine. Footnote: Francisco Franco Bahamonde (December 4, 1892 - November 20, 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975 as a dictator, assuming the title "Caudillo"(a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power). This period in Spanish history, from the Nationalist victory to Franco's death, is commonly known as Francoist Spain or as the Francoist dictatorship.