Cuban Medals - Carlos Berenguer - Bog

Medals and decorations arise from the need that different civilizations have had to honor events or individuals for their deeds, and in general they are made of metal, hence their name that comes from Latin, metallum. They are usually of a size that is easy to handle and in different ornamental shapes.We know of medals that date as far back as the Roman Empire, going through the renaissance to our days.Phaleristics or faleristics is the study of medals; it is considered a branch of Numismatics. It includes its classification, description, authentication and provenance, etc.In general medals are circular, oval-shaped, square or rectangular, although some are more sophisticated and resemble stars and other more elaborate geometric shapes.There are some very complex classifications based on, for example, their parts: obverse, heads, ribbon, busts, relief, etc., their manufacture: struck or stamped, die-cast, milled, plated with different materials, countermarked, etc., and so on, finally based on the purpose for which they were issued: military, school or sport achievements, religious, awarded to people or entities, because of events that are considered significant.Medals and decorations in general have a band or ribbon made of fabric, which enables them to be used as uniform adornment or otherwise be added to accessories such as belts or hats.They are made of different materials, from simple brass, going through bronze, nickel, to silver and gold in the most exclusive ones. Some that were even made of leather, cardboard or iron have been preserved to our days.In our work we have classified them in five large groups: -Orders issued in colonial times -Medals, orders and decorations -School medals-Sport medals -Medals issued after 1959* by the revolutionary government -Medals issued after 1959* by the Cuban Exile in the USA I write, rather I publish books, with topics that I am passionate about, it does not matter if I only get a few interested, I do it to present an idea, share an experience or in this case a collection, of something that I consider valuable and such Once some people might be interested and believe me I am gratified with that small achievement. I once read a phrase by Peter Rubí about three bad ideas for making a good book; that it showed familiarity, that it was really important and that everything written was true, because at that moment I knew that my book would not be a best seller as I would have liked. After this sympathetic reflection, I can only say that I have put my efforts into making a subject that is too serious like that of the Medals issued in and for Cuba pleasant.