Mongolian Koan Military School Medal

A silver metal fob or medal, approximately 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The obverse features a looming Asian figure in front of whom a cavalry charge is taking place. The image is strikingly similar to that design of the Soviet Medal for the Battle at Khalkin Gol, an engagement of the undeclared Soviet Japanese border conflicts fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Japan and Manchukuo (as the Japanese called the conquered puppet state of Manchuria) in 1939. The reverse of the badge bears Mongolian writing and the Chinese kanji for the “Koan Military School”. The cavalry charge includes a soldier carrying a flag which appears to have a crescent moon on it, and that design is similar to the flag of the Bogd Khaanate of Mongolia of the 1920’s. The medal was likely produced for graduates of the school.