Gordian Medallion just a tad out of my price range

I guess the only interesting thing about it is collecting error coins! not my cup of tea...

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

True I guess.
I work for the Swiss National Bank (the Swiss Federal Reserve if you like). Not long ago I found a 5 Rappen (the denomination below Franc) in the cash box in our staff restaurant. The coin was from 1912. I thought that was quite impressive. The coin had circulated for over 100 years. Where else can you find this?

The Swiss Franc is of course one of the most stable currencies in the world. It was partially covered by large gold reserves right into the 1990s.

As for the different names: Schweiz (Standard German), Schwyz (Swiss German), Suisse (French), Swizzera (Italian), Svizra (Raeto-Romanic) and Helvetia or Confederatio Helvetica (Latin).

Yes, Switzerland has four large language groups. The Raeto-Romanic group is the smallest group that is confined to mountainous regions in the east. On the 50-Franc bill above "Tschuncanta Francs" is the Raeto-Romanic. Raeto refers to the old Roman province of Raetia and Raeto-Romanic is believed to be the closest language to ancient Roman Latin still in existance.

From the 3rd century the Germanic tribes of the Alamanni took over from the Romans. Swiss German is really an Alamannic dialect.

Since the national identity of Switzerland had to work for all ethnic groups, the Swiss reverted to the ancient Helvetii who lived in what is now western Switzerland during the time of Caesar, for inspiration for the country's name.

 

Hi All,

Origin of Helvetia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetii

- Broucheion

 

Well, maybe after 1848. But before that the over 20 cantons or states issued their own coinage with their cantonal arms so there is huge variety and the quality is generally very high. For example:

BASEL Half Taler 1765


BERNE 10 Kreuzer 1756




ST. GALLEN 6 Kreuzer 1807






ZURICH Quarter Taler 1652

 

RC, this Gordian III medallion is sold today..Hammer price 280 000 CHF!!!

 

Maybe it went to another CoinTalk member

 

More than twice the 125,000 CHF starting price!!!

 

Actually, Swiss coinage is the most beautifull in design. The Brits have not changed the Pistrucci Sovereign since 1818/ how refreshing. Like I said many times/ the classical coinage from Ancient/ Medieval/ Renaissance/ Baroque eras has no equals/ compared with the crappy designs of today. Germany is a good example/ the stuff produced after Kaiser Wilhelm II was/ is boring/ modernistic/ uninspiring. Here to prove Swiss coins are NOT boring/ few of mine

 

Be honest now, what would you rather have, that OP medallion or this sculpture that the New York Times reports
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/arts/design/sothebys-macklowe-auction-rothko-warhol.html
sold Monday for $78.4 million (including fees).



"The nose" by Alberto Giacometti.

 

Or from same auction, how about "No.7" by Mark Rothko for $82.5 million !



Apparently this sale was the product of a divorce. Maybe someone's taste in art was the issue ?

 

I would not even put that "junk" so called art in my house if someone gave them to me

 

Actually, some of the early Swiss thalers are quite interesting. Here's one from Zurich, a guldentaler, date 1512, Dav 8771, very rare:



This is not my coin (I wish!).

Now, how many ancients have so many individuals holding their heads on one coin as this one does?

 

Same here. I have seen a few in person. Not even decent quality workmanship, let alone art. The Fine Art market is always a weird popularity contest. A lot of self important people blow smoke about some artist or other, it becomes a fad, self fulfilling prophecy, dealers " in the know" make a ton of money. Rinse and repeat. I get it, fine art is about the emotions elicited in the viewer, but doesn't mean what I said happens economically is not true. Former dealers confirm this open secret if you find their books.

 

None!
I have a AV Goldgulden from St. Albans Abbey (near Mainz) that has Saint Albans holding his severed head (courtesy of the Romans)
and my fav. Swiss coin (which sadly I cannot ever afford to get)
AV 20 Dukaten 1741
Basel

 

"No.5" by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel made its creator a billionaire.

 

When I said collecting Swiss coins must be a boring hobby, I meant Swiss contemporary coins, from the late 19th c. until now. Of course. This Zurich taler was minted in 1512, it is representative of one of the most fascinating period in European arts, the Renaissance. There is the well-known Italian Renaissance with all these artists named after teenage mutant ninja turtles, of course, but there is also a Northern Renaissance, Flemish and German, illustrated by geniuses like Albrecht Dürer or Hieronymus Bosch (a direct precursor of surrealism). The spirit of the time influenced architecture (Chambord castle for ex. but also all that flamboyant Gothic style), and minor arts such as coin production. A collection of European coins of the late 1400s and the early 1500s must be a real splendour. In what other period would they create coats of arms representing giant turnips like this one for the bishop of Salzburg?

(not my coin of course)

 

In case someone gives you a painting by Rothko, Klein, Pollock, Soulages, any of those representatives of mid-20th c. painting (but not Bernard Buffet, I don't like at all), please let me know . The problem with these paintings is that they are not often fit for homes, they need to be hanged on large white walls with nothing else near them. They are fit for museums or large halls of monumental proportions. I am fond of contemporary art .

 

You could likely buy practically ALL extant Roman Medallions together for the price of that one something that has no intrinsic value whatsoever and looks like a piece of flea market trash to me.

I´d take Gordian any day.

 

I don't like abstract modern art, but with some there's at least some discernible skill of composition or color involved, and in others not so much ...

A lot of modern "art" seems to be performance theater rather than art per se. Piles of bricks, banana duct-taped to wall, dead sheep in formaldehyde etc. I guess this is rather like paying millions for an NFT. You're really just buying an idea.

Here's one done by an elephant (from Saatchi art gallery) that I'd say has a lot more artistic merit than Rothko's "No.7".



Or how about this one from elephantartgallery.com for only $275 ...



No doubt that'd go for millions too if it had a famous name attached, rather than "anonymous elephant". Maybe call it "No.8", since it has 8 brush strokes ?