Historical and Art Medals

Medals Related to Aviation, France, 1920. France. Aeronautical Club of France, a silver-gilt prize medal by P. M. Dammann, female figure, FERIAM SIDERA, reverse birds taking off from cliff-top, named "L'Aeronautique-Club de France A D. Costes, 1929", 50mm. Extremely fine and very rare; in maroon fitted case

Awarded to the distinguished pioneer aviator, Dieudonnié Costes (1892-1973), for his flight from Paris to Hanoi and back, on 27-29 September 1929. The journey, a total of 24,175km (including 7,905km nonstop), was undertaken in the same Breguet monoplane, the Point d'Interrogation, used for his Paris-New York flight in 1930 (cf. BDW 4, lot 185). Other awards to Costes were included in the Baudey/Bricher Mailbid Sale, 1992, nos. 150 and 153. An early medallic design by Paul-Marcel Dammann, obverse signed M. Dammann