United States. A Spanish-American War Cuban American Legion Of Honor Medal

In bronze gilt with white enamels, illustrating an American soldier bearing a rifle standing beside Liberty, her left hand resting upon a flag pole flying the American flag, a child kneeling at her feet, backed by a mountainous landscape, marked "PHILA." (Philadelphia) below the flag, surrounded by the inscription "CUBAN AMERICAN LEGION OF HONOR" and crossed branches of laurel leaves, measuring 42.5 mm (w) x 43.5 mm (h) inclusive of its integral ring suspension, repair evident in the white enamels on the star point at 7 o'clock, the original frayed Cuban flag style ribbon suspended from a bronze hanger with pinback which has separated from the award, very fine.

Footnote: Little is known of the origin of this medal. It is documented (page 85) and illustrated (page 228) in "American Society Medals", by Lee Bishop and J. Robert Elliott (1998). They postulate that it was created and issued by the Cuban-American League, a New York organization founded after the Spanish-American War, to further Cuban interests.