(sold for $26.0)

1800, France (Constitutional Monarchy).  "Court of 1st Instance" Oval Badge Medal.

Mint Year: ca. 1800  Medallist: J. M. Maurisset     Reference: H.cf 571. Rare!  Denomination: Oval Badge Medal - Court of 1st Instance Condition: Removed suspension loop, minor edge-bumps, a few scratches in fields, otherwise a nice XF-AU with most of the original gold plating preserved! Material: Bronze (gold plated) Weight: 19.02gm  Diameter: 41mm

Obverse: Figure of Liberty with fasces holding staff topped with revolutionary bonnet standing on base, which is derorated with scales and scepters in saltire. Medallist´s signature (MAURISSET) below. Legend: REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE Reverse: inscription in five lines within wreath. Legend: ACTION DE LA LOI TRIBUNAL DE PREMIERE INSTANCE Translated: "Action of Law / Court of 1st Instance"

In France, the correctional tribunal is the penal jurisdiction of first instance, competent to judge misdemeanors (delits). In premier ressort, it judges matters that concern the commission of a criminal offence (infraction pénale) considered a délit, similar in severity to a misdemeanor. In French law a misdemeanor is an offense punished by a prison sentence (peine d'emprisonnement) or by a fine of at least 3750 euros. The law sets ten years as the maximum length of a prison sentence for a correctional infraction.