Mongolia, People's Republic; Manchukuo Empire. An Inner Mongolia National Foundation Merit Medal

Instituted in 1939. In silver with a gilt insignia, obverse illustrating a shepherd with a flock of sheep, with a Mongolian yurt in the background at the right, Uyghur and Chinese gilt characters for "Merit" above the landscape, encircled by two dragons and auspicious clouds, reverse with Uyghur and Chinese characters for "Genghis Khan Era 734th Year, 9th Month, 1st Day, Inception of Foundation Merit Medal" (to indicate its "free" Mongolian character, this government adopted a calendar dated from the birth of Genghis Khan), measuring 30.5 mm in diameter, original ribbon with hook and eye, very light contact, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The Federated Autonomous Government of the Mongol Borderland (AKA Mengkiang or Mengjiang) established the National Foundation Merit Medal on September 1, 1939, the medal was struck in Japan to commemorate the formation of this government in 1936. The Mongol Borderland was an autonomous area in Inner Mongolia, existing as a puppet state of the Japanese Empire under nominal Chinese sovereignty. Formed in 1936, it consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia. It is occasionally called Měnggǔguó or Mengkukuo (in analogy to Manchukuo, another Japanese puppet state in Manchuria). The capital was Kalgan, and the ruler was Prince Demchugdongrub. The territory returned to Chinese control after the defeat of the Japanese Empire in 1945.