Sultanate of Oman Glorious 10th National Day Medal in miniature, produced as a reduced-scale example of the full-size medal instituted by Sultan Qaboos bin Said on 27 July 1980 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Sultanate of Oman. The miniature is suspended from its ribbon via a straight bar suspension, consistent with the issued ribbon pattern for this medal. The miniature construction is produced to the same design specification as the full-size medal, reduced in diameter for wear on the mess dress uniform or miniature medal bar.
The Glorious 10th National Day Medal was instituted in 1980 to recognise the military personnel and Ministry of Defence employees of the Sultanate of Oman who were in service on 18 November 1980 — the date of the National Day celebration marking the tenth anniversary of the Sultanate of Oman. Sultan Qaboos bin Said acceded to the throne of Oman on 23 July 1970, following the palace coup in which he deposed his father, Sultan Said bin Taimur, with the support of the British government and the Special Air Service. The decade that followed saw a transformation of the Sultanate, with oil revenues invested in infrastructure, education, and the modernisation of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, which had fought the Dhofar Rebellion from 1965 until its successful conclusion in 1975 — a counter-insurgency campaign in which British Army Training Teams and seconded officers played a central role alongside Omani forces. The 10th National Day Medal was the first in a long series of Glorious National Day medals instituted at five-yearly intervals to mark successive anniversaries of the nation, each bearing the same basic format with the full-size medal struck in cupro-nickel measuring 36mm in diameter. Sultan Qaboos reigned until his death on 10 January 2020, having served as Sultan for nearly fifty years.
The miniature medal is produced in a flat gilt finish consistent with Omani miniature medal production of the period, suspended from the correct white, scarlet and green ribbon. Omani Glorious 10th National Day Medal miniatures are collected as examples of Gulf States militaria, Omani regimental and service insignia, and medals associated with the Sultan’s Armed Forces during the modernisation era of the Sultanate of Oman. They are also frequently encountered in the collections of British Army and SAS veterans who served on secondment or attachment to the Sultan’s Armed Forces during the Dhofar campaign and its aftermath.
Condition Excellent
