Description
The Famous General Gordon’s Star for the Siege of Khartoum, a Pewter sand cast copy of General Gordon’s Turkish Order of the Medjidie Badge.
A complete example with attached crescent suspension.
Some nice detailing on this example, quality varies wildly due to the crude process of manufacture.
Order of Medjidie obviously NOT INCLUDED in the sale, but I have taken a side by side photograph as an interesting comparison of the badge it was modelled after. General Gordon owned what would be a near identical 4th Class Medjdie Badge.
As you can see the central Tughra of the Sultan of Turkey has been replaced, by what is believed to have been the Royal Engineers “Grenade” badge which belonged to General Gordon.
Also the Arabic Script around the centre was replaced by “The Siege of Khartoum” and dated in the Arabic Calendar translation to 1883/4.
With a small piece of cord attached, contemporary records believe that they were sometimes worn with a red braided ribbon, however shortly after they were made, the Mahdists overwhelmed Khartoum and murdered General Gordon, it is then believed that the Star would paint a large target on any wearers.
