Norwegian Medal? (identification help neeeded, please)

[GREG E.]

I recently picked up a some miscellaneous military medals from a private source in Clifton Forge, Virginia. One of the pieces is shown here. It looks "Norwegian" to me, but I could be wrong (several countries use the rampant lion in one way or another...)

It measures approximately 1.5 inches in diameter (circa 4 centimeters). Can anybody help me to identify this medal? Is it even a medal? Is it even military?

Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to contribute!

[GREG E.]

Medal in Context

Here is the unknown medal in the actual context as it was found. As you can see, the medal & ribbon bars on the right-hand side of the photo show a clear connection with Korea. The Norwegians fought in Korea too. Was this perhaps a medal awarded by the Norwegians to their allies?

[peter monahan]

Agree with the 'Norwegian' diagnoses but I wonder whether it was military per se. The 'rays' on the back seem odd for soemthing one would expect to have a blank space for naming or some other design to complement the obverse. Possibly a souvenir item [brought to Korea?] presented to the US owner by Norweigian troops he served with?

[Kvart]

Yeah, its Norwegian, but it is not an offical medal. Most likely a private sports medal or something like that. The small lion at top of the crown was removed in 1936. So I doubt it has anything to do with the Korean war. This version of the coat of arms was used from 1905 to 1936, which was quite a national romantic time, following the independence from Sweden in 1905. So the coat of arms was used a lot on all kinds of medals and awards, even though they were very privately made and issued.

[GREG E.]

Norwegian Sharpshooter

UPDATE! I recently sold this medal on Ebay. The buyer was from Norway and these were his exact words when I asked him about it:

"It’s a rare medal given to Norwegian sharpshooters among the few years of war. It was given in silence and therefore not many listed public."

So there you go! Some additional information, whatever it may be worth...