FRANCE, Troisième République. 1870-1940. Plaquette (Bronze, 71x52 mm, 131.09 g, 12 h), issued by the Ministère de l’Air. By R. Delamarre, no date (1930). AD EXCELSA / PER EXCELSUM Nude woman to left, facing backwards, is carried in flight with three large herons. Rev. "VIEILLES TIGES" / DURAFOUR François / Breveté le 10-11-1910 in three lines. Rare. Tiny marks and glue residue, otherwise, extremely fine.



This plaquette was dedicated to the early aviation pioneer François Durafour (1888-1967), who earned his pilots license on 11 November 1910 (Swiss Licence no. 3). In 1919, he was the first person to make a long-distance flight from Paris to Geneva. In 1921, he made a landing on the Mont Blanc glacier.