Can anyone id this medal?

[carpediem]

Ha ha ha! That's it! Not surprised!

[carpediem]

On the upside, it is genuine. Perhaps approaching the seller again may get you a bit of a refund, or a better price on another of his wares.

Posted below is a current "buy it now" listing in Poland for the same PRL era cross, in gold first class. Yours appear silver, 2nd class. Regardless, all about the same value. The asking price is the equivalent of $4US.

Attachment 1015439

It's worth noting that there are many variants of this decoration. Watch for ones with RP in the center disc. Some can be quite valuable. So don't forget the resource you have here to identify and authenticate any prospective purchases.

Cheers,
Tony

I had a discussion with the vendor this past Sunday (2/5) and he was pretty defensive about the whole thing. Poor old guy doesn't research and bought it based on the story I believe. We had quite a back and forth during which I shared your information with him and showed him one on Ebay for $19. At the end of a somewhat repetative discussion, he offered me a discount on some other merchandise when I see him again to "help get me out from under" the merit medal.
Thanks again for your help!