thanks for your help Yvonne, I have obtained a powerful magnifying glass and am able to make out the lettering above the man's head on the medal.
It is - ORONHYATEKMA
I do not know if it is a word, a name or what, maybe this will be known to someone and they can let me know and perhaps the mystery can be solved. I would appriciate any information anyone can provide.
Rating
Gold Medal Appraisal by: Anonymous
If it is the profile of a man it could be for military service or another male dominated service area. A photo of the medal would be most helpful, indeed essential, for instance, one possibility is that the medal could be a Canadian service medal, the maple leaf as you know is the national symbol of Canada.
Military & service medals have been awarded throughout history to soldiers in all branches of the Canadian & United States military. Awards are received for meritorious achievement, bravery and acts of valor, and distinguished service.
Searches of the service medal records is almost by necessity the starting point for any work on any man's record, - provided of course that the man saw overseas service and had service medal qualification.
If it was some kind of military service medal and absolutely nothing is known about the man's military service it may still be possible to make a positive identification in the Army Medal Office records or the service records depending what other information is known about him, - the man's name can be a major factor here and it is obviously much harder to pin-down a "John Smith" than it is to deal with someone who may be called Harold George Postlethwait !
Another idea is to get this item appraised by experts in this specific area. An Expert in this area will hopefully, be able to provide the missing pieces, or at least some of the missing pieces, concerning the historical significance of your intriguing gold medallion puzzle. Photos of the medal, that you have described rather well, preferably five from different angles, will be required.
The 18k is the gold purity mark. The medal is made of 18 carat gold.
If you would like to get started on the medallion appraisal - the expert appraisal form can be found HERE
