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Circular silver-gilt medal on laterally-pierced ball suspension; the face with an oak-crowned female head facing left, representative of the French Republic, circumscribed ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE’ and signed ‘ABorrel’ (for the great French sculptor, engraver and medallist Alfred Borrel, 1836-1927); the reverse with a rectangular plaque bearing the attribution ‘J. MASSIERE / 1974’, imposed on a staff of Hermes (Mercury), a flaming torch and oak and ivy leaves, ribbons below inscribed ‘HONNEUR TRAVAIL’, circumscribed ‘MINISTERE DES AFFAIRES SOCIALES’, signed ‘ABorrel’, with Paris Mint cornucopia ‘1’ silver assay marks; on original tricolour ribbon with rosette; in embossed case of the Syndicat Général du Commerce et de l’Industrie.
The Medal was instituted on 13 July 1886 to reward long and faithful service in employment .and reorganised on 15 May 1948 . The present example is of the second version, introduced in 1913, at which date 40 years’ service (30 years in the French Colonies) was required for the silver-gilt medal, now reduced to 30 years.
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