This miniature decoration & medal set comprises four miniature medals and decorations intended for wear on evening formal wear (such as a tailcoat). From left to right, these are the First Class Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Personnel Military Long Service Cross, the Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal, the Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Cross, and the Military Merit Medal. Housed in the same box as another set, “Decoration & Medal Set 2”, this set was in all probability awarded to the same individual.
Non-Commissioned Officers and Troops, 1st Grade, Military Long Service Decoration (Miniature)
The decoration was instituted in AD 1849 and could be awarded to those completing twelve years of service. The obverse features a central medallion with the Roman numerals “XII”, denoting twelve completed years of service, surrounded by an oak leaf wreath symbolising honour and strength. The medallion is supported by a cross whose arms gradually widen towards concave ends. The arms are stippled for decoration and finished with flattened borders. The reverse is plain, featuring a central rivet used to secure the obverse medallion, with similarly flattened outer edges.
Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal, Military Version (Miniature)
The medal was established in AD 1898 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his accession to the throne and to honour public servants who had served under his reign. The obverse features a central bust in right profile of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The reverse features a central rectangular plaque bearing the Latin inscription “SIGNVM / MEMORIAE”, meaning “Token of Remembrance”.
Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal (Miniature)
The medal was established on 2 December AD 1908 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of his accession to the throne and to honour public servants who had served under his reign. The obverse features a central medallion bearing a bust in right profile of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The reverse features the dates “1848 / 1908” at the centre, representing the years of Franz Joseph I’s reign up to that point, namely AD 1848 to AD 1908.
Military Merit Medal (Miniature)
The medal was established on 12 March AD 1890 by Emperor Franz Joseph I as a high-level personal commendation for officers. The obverse features a central portrait in right profile of Franz Joseph I wearing a laurel crown. The reverse features the central Latin inscription “SIGNVM / LAVDIS”, which translates roughly as “Token of Praise”.
Barac, Borna. Reference Catalogue Orders Medals and Decorations of the World: instituted until 1945: Part I Iron Book A-D. Craotia: OBOL d.o.o. Zagreb, 2009.
“Militärdienstzeichen.” Land Steiermark, https://www.verwaltung.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/74837878/DE/. Accessed 27 July 2026.
Heyer von Rosenfeld, Friedrich. Die Orden und Ehrenzeichen der k. und k. oesterreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie. Corrected and supplemented by Hugo Gerard Ströhl, Vienna, A. Schroll & Co., 1899.
Ortner, Christian; Ludwigstorff, Georg. Österreichs Orden und Ehrenzeichen. Teil I: Die kaiserlich-königlichen Orden bis 1918-. Wien: Verlag Militaria, 2017.
Procházka, Roman Freiherr von. Österreichisches Ordenshandbuch. Munich, Graf Klenau OHG, 1974. Internet Archive, www.archive.org/details/bwb_KU-314-000.
