Miniature silver-gilt metal and white enamel five-pointed star with ball-tipped finials, with gilt ribbed arms between the points supporting a green enamel laurel wreath, on laurel wreath suspension, the ribbon loop with hallmark; the face with a circular central silver-gilt medallion with a full-face head of a lion within a blue enamel ring inscribed in gilt letters ‘HONOR ET GLORIA’; the reverse with a circular central silver-gilt medallion bearing the date ‘1939’ within a blue enamel ring inscribed in gilt letters ‘PRAEMIUM MERITI’; diameter 14.99mm (0.59 inch); on original ribbon cut short. The National Order of Merit was established by Marshal Francisco Solano López (24 July 1827-1 March 1870) who succeed his father as president of Paraguay in 1862 and held the office until his death in combat in 1870. He is remembered above all for bringing upon Paraguay the catastrophic war against the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay but his reputation has recovered in recent years, driven by nationalist sentiment. Originally the Order was for military only but it was revised in 1939 and is now Paraguay’s highest order for military and civil merit. An excellent example of a hard-to-find order.
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