Iceland Award Silver Medal - Iceland Presidential Medal of Honor

Iceland Award Silver Medal - Iceland Presidential Medal of Honor
22.47g. 30mm. UNC/UNC. With box. The medal, instituted in 1954, is awarded to both Icelandic citizens and foreigners for exceptional service to the President of Iceland.The circular silver medal features a loop for ribbon suspension. The obverse depicts a full-length figure of Ingólfur Arnarson, the first Nordic settler in Iceland, holding an upright harpoon in his raised left hand, with his right elbow resting on the dragon-head prow of a Viking longship. The inscription reads ‘HEIDURSPENINGUR FORSETA ÍSLANDS’ (President of Iceland’s Medal of Honour). The reverse bears the arms of Iceland and is on its original ribbon, mounted for wear.The design of Ingólfur Arnarson is inspired by the statue created by sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874–1954), located on Arnarhóll Hill overlooking Lækjatorg Square in central Reykjavík. With Iceland's population of about 300,000, the medal is awarded sparingly, making it extremely rare and highly sought after.