The round medal in silver has a depiction of the 3-mast ship with sails rolled and anchored to ice having a group of men, dogs and dog sleds beside, depicting the abandonment of the ship and the saving of some of its supplies. The reverse having an outer band of writing “Jeannette Arctic Expedition 1879-1882”, below this a blank area for the engraving of the survivors name that the medal would be given to. The bottom half “In Commemoration of Perils Encountered and as an Expression of the High Esteem in which Congress Holds His Services” “Act Approved Sept. 30. 1890.” The round medal having an attached small ring which is connected to an ivory colored silk ribbon attached to a pin with a spread wing eagle over a name plate “Jeannette”. NOTE: This medal was produced for either the survivors or the next of kin of those who had perished in the expedition. Eight gold and 25 silver medals were struck by the Philadelphia Mint and was designed by Asst Engineer M.A. Anderson. Records of the Philadelphia Mint indicate that there were three dies cast in 1892. According to the October 15, 1892, Army and Navy Journal 24 of the silver medals were engraved with names of the survivors or the deceased members of the expedition. This indicates that there was one medal that was unengraved and this medal that is being offered maybe that medal. The first gold medal was given to Engineer-in-chief Melville the only surviving officer of that expedition. Another of the gold medals having been given to the widow of Lt. DeLong. The story of the expedition was recounted in an 1882 book “Arctic Lost Ship Shipwreck Jeannette”. The account of the expedition and its survivors caught the attention of the American public and caused Congress to act with this medal. The crew consisted of 30 officers and men, and three civilians. It departed from San Francisco July 8, 1879. Shortly after September 4, it was caught fast in the ice pack near Wrangel Island. For the next 21 months, it drifted to the Northwest towards the North Pole, steadfast in the ice. On June 12, 1881 the pressure of the ice finally began to crush the Jeannette. It was at that time that provisions were unloaded and the ship sank the following morning. Three boats took off in hope of reaching the mainland. A storm blew up and one of the boats with eight men capsized and sank. The remaining two boats with 25 men continued on. George Melville’s boat with 11 men aboard reached safety; the other landed elsewhere and two men survived and met up with the Melville group. Our consignor has spent many hours researching this medal and refining the known history of the design, making, and dissemination of the medal. An alternate conclusion for the existence of this medal being offered is that it is a sample medal given to the Navy Department on June 17th. This would explain why there is no engraved name. This would mean that this is the first cast medal from the dies. In conclusion we do not believe that either possibility negates the rarity of this medal and its desirability amongst collectors. SIZE: Round medal: 1-1/2″ dia. With ribbon: 3-1/2″ l. CONDITION: Hardware in very good condition, ribbon in very good condition with only some slight soiling. 51917-1 (10,000-20,000)