I love those 19th century Weiner cathedral medals. One has eluded me so far, mostly due to price. However, I found this lovely modern .925 silver proof (2008 Austria 10-euro Klosterneuberg Abbey commemorative) fits the bill nicely, and at 24 EUR delivered, was a nicely affordable alternative. Beautiful, and relatively cheap. Had to have it. Post any cathedral-related coins or medals you might have.
Yes! Now you're talkin'! Only thing is, I limit myself to stuff that will fit in a standard sized PCGS or NGC holder, and I believe these are oversized? Lovely pieces with stunning details, in any event.
A nice AR 82 from the Triton sale, lot 2389 altho I purchased it afterward. It's interesting that this is a proposed interior design so it doesn't match with the related 43 mm medal. Here's the description from the sale: ITALY, Papal States. Pius IX. MDCCCLXIX (1869). AR 82mm Medal. I. Bianchi, sculptor. PIUS IX PONT. MAX., capped bust left, wearing hooded habit and stole / PROSPECTVS INTERIOR BASILICAE VATICANAE DEO SACRAE IN HONOREM BEATI PETRI PR AP, proposed interior view of St. Peter's Basilica; I EQ BIANCHI DELIN ET SCVL AN. MDCCCLXIX in exergue. Europese Penningen 1576. EF, deeply toned. ($300) An exceptional example of Papal artistry, and a paragon of sculptural and medallic art. The incuse center of the reverse descends 8mm from the rim, rendering actual space to heighten the perspective. To compensate for the pitfalls of such a high-relief medal, the die is aligned such that the negative space of the reverse corresponds exactly with the high-point of the obverse bust. The reverse is accurate down to the molding and parietal inscriptions, and the end of the transept is rendered in atmospheric perspective. What fun
An example of the medal that @ldhair posted which I used to own: A massive 82 mm in diameter, commemorating the reconstruction of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls after a devastating fire.
Two medals currently in my collection, which feature the façades of two basilicas: Pope Paul V / Façade of St. Peter's Basilica Work of Paolo Sanquirico, Regnal Year 3 (1608). Bronze, 56.8 mm Ø, 59.2 g Obverse: Bust of Paul V facing right, bareheaded, wearing a decorative cope featuring a standing saint. Around, PAVLVS · V · BVRGHESIVS ROM · PONT · MAX · A · S · M · DC · VIII · PONT · III · (Paul V Borghese, Supreme Roman Pontiff, In the Year of Thanks 1608, the Third Year of His Pontificate). Beneath the bust, P · SANQVIRIC · . Reverse: Frontal view of the façade of St. Peter's Basilica. Above, TEM · D · PETRI · - IN · VATICANO (The Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican). Below, in exergue, ET · PORTAE · INFERI · NON / PRAEVALEBVNT (And the Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail). Foundation medal for the façade of the new Saint Peter's Basilica. The reverse illustrates the planned design for the façade by the architect Carlo Maderno. The exergual inscription on the reverse is taken from Matthew 16:18; Et ego dico tibi: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam; et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversum eam (And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it). One of the first tasks Paul V undertook was to complete the new Saint Peter's Basilica, which had been under construction for over 100 years, the first foundation stone being laid in 1506. Carlo Maderno was appointed as the architect charged with completing the structure. The two main tasks included designnig an extension the nave of the church (forming a Latin cross instead of the Greek cross from Michelangelo's plans) and designing the façade for the grand structure. Unfortunately, the extension of the nave destroyed the view of the front of the church. Though the view on the medal might be correct from a purely orthographic projection, the actual view from in front of the basilica finds the two small side domes completely obscured and the large central dome nearly so. On February 10, 1608, the first stone of the façade was blessed by the pope and ceremoniously laid into place. Published: This piece illustrated in Modesti 2006, no. 1047. Provenance: Ex Francesco Calveri collection. References: Miselli 2003, no. 22; Modesti 2006, no. 1047; Whitman and Varriano 1983, no. 34 Pope Clement XII / Façade of the Lateran Basilica Work of Ottone Hamerani, Regnal Year 3 (1733). Gilt Bronze, 71.5 mm Ø, 163.3 g Obverse: Half-figure of Clement XII facing right, hand raised in benediction, with tiara and decorative cope. The cope features a scene of a praying Saint Andrew Corsini and below, the papal coat of arms. Around, CLEMENS · XII / PONT · MAX · AN · III (Clement XII, Supreme Pontiff, in his Third Year). Below, on truncation, OTTO · HAMERANI · F · . Reverse: Frontal view of the façade of the Lateran Basilica. Around, ADORATE · DOMINVM · IN · ATRIO · SANCTO · EIVS (Adore the Lord in His Holy Court). In exergue, MDCCXXXIII (1733). Within cartouche, the ground plan for the basilica's façade and narthex, and the inscription LATERAN · BASIL · PORTICVS (Portico of the Lateran Basilica). To the sides of the cartouche, on the left · O · , on the right · H · . On the entablature, CLEM · XII · P · M · AN · IIII / CHRISTO · SALVATORI / ET · SS · IOAN · BAPT · ET · EV · (In the Fourth Year of the Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, to Christ Our Savior, and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist). On the border at the bottom, ALPX · GALILÆVS · ARCH · INV · . Foundation medal for the construction of the façade of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, engraved by Ottone Hamerani. The reverse illustrates the planned design for the façade by the architect Alessandro Galilei, likely taken from an engraving by Stefano Pozzo released in October of 1733. Though generally matching the completed façade, the papal coats of arms on the windows of the second level on the medal are not present on the finished façade. The inscription on the entablature indicates the dedication from the pope who commissioned the façade and the expected completion in Clement's fourth regnal year (though it was not completed until 1735, and thus the inscription on the completed façade has the correct regnal year of V). The inscription dedicates the structure to "Christ Our Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist". An example of this medal was placed in the foundation on December 8, 1733. References: Patrignani 1939, no. 19; Whitman and Varriano 1983, no. 168
Y'all are making my €24 Austrian newp look like a Chuck E. Cheese arcade token! I'm happy with it as a cheaper substitute, though. Need to add some moderns in my collection, in the interest of being truly eclectic. Keep the killer "cabinet candy" comin'!
And another big guy, AE 82 from 1864. I thought this was an interior view of St Paul's outside the walls but just noticed my record has it incorrectly referenced. At any rate, it's as big as the silver piece but considerably cheaper due the it's condition. It was pulled from a Maryland dealer's junk box for $8 over 20 years ago. Now that I finally have a half way decent papal reference library one of my 2019 goals is to recatalog and start imaging my collection.
An Aluminum 102mm medal for the 1925 Holy Year/Jubilee. It has all 4 of the Basilicas where a holy door was opened. This was a private issue, I think and is available in a variety of sizes.
Only one I could quickly find. Cologne Cathedral. Photo of actual Cathedral inserted for reference. a few Euros