Austria, Empire. A Scarce 1892/1893 Far Eastern Cruise Medal, c. 1895

(Seereise Denkmünze). Instituted November 11th, 1893. A circular gilded bronze medal, the obverse depicting a central fouled anchor topped by an Austrian Imperial Eagle, and placed within an open-ended wreath of exotic flowers, circumscribed “Reise S.M. Schiff - Kaiserin Elisabeth” in capitalized lettering, the reverse bearing the Royal Cypher of Empress Elizabeth within an open-ended palm leaf wreath, centrally inscribed “Ost Indien, Australien, Südsee Inseln, China, Japan” (East India, Australia, South Sea Isles, China, Japan) as well as “1892/93”, on a swivel ring for suspension from it’s period-original tri-fold ribbon (the opening of the tri-fold ribbon is too large to accommodate the swivel ring, so the medal is not able to be suspended from the ribbon), a extremely well preserved example of a scarce medal, in better than very fine condition.