A French Latin Union Medal
Item #EU14486
$60
France; Silvered white metal, unmarked, 39.3 mm (w) x 64.5 mm (h) inclusive of its wreath and ball suspension, original ribbon with dual prong pinback, intact enamels, scattered silvering wear, near extremely fine.
Footnote: The Latin Union Medal was produced in France, as a civil honour, issued to non-French citizens of Latin Union countries. The Latin Union was an international organization of nations that used Romance languages, with the aim of protecting, projecting, and promoting the common cultural heritage of Latin peoples and unifying identities of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world. It was created in 1954 in Madrid, Spain, and existed as a functional institution from 1983 to 2012. Its membership rose from 12 to 36 states, including countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. The official names of the Latin Union were: Unió Llatina in Catalan, Union Latine in French, Unione Latina in Italian, União Latina in Portuguese, Uniunea Latină in Romanian, and Unión Latina in Spanish. Due to financial difficulties, the Latin Union announced on January 26, 2012 the suspension of its activities, the dissolution of its Secretariat General (effective July 31, 2012) and termination of employment for all the organization's personnel.