The Coronation Medal of Emperor Haile Selassie I was issued to celebrate the 1930 accession of the Emperor to the Throne. This silver medal features a profile of the Emperor, in coronation attire and Imperial Crown, facing to the left. The inscription around the front of the obverse says “Haile Selassie the First” in Ge‘ez.
The reverse has text — “Ethiopia Shall Reach Her Hand Unto God”, the line from Psalm 68, the Song of David, from the Old Testament of the Bible — in Ge‘ez around the medal, which in the centre shows a trilobe pattern with a small Trinity star toward the bottom and ornamentation in the centre.1Medal in the author’s possession
The first Duke of Harar, one of the many recipients of the Coronation Medal, wore it in sixth rank with his campaign medals.2HIH Makonnen, Duke of Harar: Life & Records. 1957, Addis Ababa. The medal is, of course, still currently recognised, but was issued only at the time of the Coronation.
