Ottoman Empire. An Unofficial Second Constitutional Era Commemorative Medal

(Nişan-ı Hürriyet Type Unofficial Medal), a privately manufactured bronze piece measuring 33.3 mm x 38.0 mm including the suspension lug and struck in bronze, the obverse displaying the tughra of Sultan Mehmed Reşad beneath a seven-star arch and set within a laurel wreath tied with crossed standards at the base, the reverse bearing the Ottoman Turkish inscription “عضو عصابة حرية” (Member of the League of Liberty) within a wreath and surmounted by a star, the surfaces showing period wear and patination, the suspension lug pierced for wear as intended.

Footnote: Following the declaration of the Second Constitutional Era (İkinci Meşrutiyet) in July 1908, various political groups—most notably the Committee of Union and Progress (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti)—commissioned privately made commemorative medals. These pieces, known contemporarily as “Yahudi Madalyası” in the marketplace, were produced both domestically and abroad and often featured patriotic slogans promoting constitutionalism such as liberty, equality, and justice. They were not official state decorations but rather symbolic items worn by supporters, used as lapel pieces or keepsakes, typically struck in bronze or brass. The tughra of Sultan Mehmed Reşad (r. 1909–1918) appears widely on such unofficial medals, linking them stylistically with the political culture of the revolution and its aftermath.