When purchasing a Swedish military morse key, it came with a brooch – a gold-colored brooch with a diameter of about 4 centimeters.

The back of the brooch clearly indicated that it was an award for a Swedish military telegraphist.

I then searched online for more information but could not find any written sources. Using Google Lens, I came across the website of SM6EAT on QRZ.com.

Since there were no other information sources available on the internet, I contacted SM6EAT directly.

SM6EAT provided the following details:

It is a Swedish military medal for telegraphy with a speed of 125 characters per minute (or 25 words per minute). I received mine in 1974 during my military service. My copy is one of the first medals issued.

You had to be proficient in both sending and receiving. For the 125 characters per minute, you were allowed to use an electronic keyer, which I did. For the lower speeds, you had to send using a manual (straight) key, and receiving had to be done with pen and paper.

The distinction had different levels:

• Bronze: 60 characters per minute (=12 WPM)
• Silver: 80 characters per minute (= 16 WPM)
• Gold: 100 characters per minute (=20 WPM)
• Medal: 125 characters per minute (= 25 WPM). The medal is slightly larger than the others

With the medal, you also received 45 SEK (Swedish kronor), which was later increased to 200 SEK.

SM6EAT owns all versions of this award but is unsure how long it was issued or how many were distributed in total.

By the way, SM6EAT also has a great website for practicing morse: https://morsning.qlf.se/