(Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, Officier). This is an older, early 19th century example that had its centre pieces removed and replaced during the middle of the 19th century. This was a common practice as governments and leadership in France changed throughout the century. In Gold with red, green, white and blue enamels, the badge a textbook Model "La Presidence" (1851) example with crown arches in the shape of leaves, with the centres being the type from the Second Empire (1852), Gold hallmarked with a ram's head on the tip of the ribbon on the reverse, weighing 17 grams, measuring 43 mm (w) x 66.3 mm (h) inclusive of its crown suspension, chipping evident in the green enamels on the wreath on both sides, in the blue enamels on both centrepiece rings and in the white enamels on one tip of the arm at 2 o'clock on the reverse, large rosette on an original period ribbon, hand-chiselled badge of excellent quality, very fine.
Footnote: These badges were mainly awarded for the Crimean War against the Russian Empire. It was a common practice for the Officers and Men to replace centres of the badges, in order to reflect loyalty to the new Regime (or new Emperor in this case), hence we often find older models of the Legion d'Honneur with later centres.