I got another batch from the old time collection. There are some nice UNC coins in the batch. The one coin from Honduras has been very harshly cleaned. My two favorites are the German medal and the Russian 50 Kopeks. The 50 Kopeks has sharp rims and great lettering on the coin’s edge. Here are the coin descriptions which you can match to the photos: 1912 Costa Rica 5 Centimos 1916 Austria 1 Corona 1915 Austria 1 Corona 1913 Italy 1 Lire 1913 Bulgaria 50 Stotinki 1869 Honduras ½ Real 1879 Hungary Forint 1912 Russia 50 Kopeks 1919 Portugal 4 Centavos 1913 Leipzig Medal 1924 Thailand ¼ Bhat 1905 Haiti 5 Centimes 1915 German ½ Mark 1909 Italy 5 Centesimi China Yunnan 50 Cent Thanks for letting me share & please post your new purchases.
This is the German Leipzig medal. The flock on the obverse is awesome. I hope that someone at CT can further explain this piece. Sorry that I didn’t take close-up photos of any of these coins. This is just the same photo as above. I have simply cropped it to show the one coin.
Katl Goetz http://www.derrittmeister.com/productpages/2738.htm 2738 TABLE MEDAL 100 YEAR COMMEMORATIVE VÖLKERSCHLACHT DENKMAL LEIPZIG ORIGINAL PRESENTATION CASE. http://www.derrittmeister.com/tablemed.htm Sweet piece! Are you keeping or reselling?
The Web-link from The Noost informs us that this medal commemorates the monument. This large monument is located in Leipzig and includes a reflecting pool and large grounds. The monument was dedicated in 1913. It salutes the struggles and participation of Saxony and Prussia 100 years before during the 1813 Napoleonic War. [Back in 1913, the Kaiser Wilhelm II and Saxon’s König Friedrich August III were present at the dedication]. The side with the flock of four battling eagles is actually the medal’s reverse side. Three of the eagles are attacking the fourth. According to the Website, the attacked eagle represents France and Napoleon’s forces. Two of the attacking eagles represent Prussia and Saxony and the third eagle may represent a smaller German state with whom they were allied. The medal’s edge displays the dates "16-18 Oktober 1813" which was the date of the heroic battle. This type of medal is apparently called a “Table medal”. Table medals were issued for many occasions & were supposedly an integral part of Imperial German culture. People that supported various occasions would purchase quality table medals and place them on display in their patriotic home. Many thanks to derrittmeister.com for this information.
Strange. After all there was no "Germany" in 1813, and Saxony was an ally of France in the Napoleonic Wars, and in that battle. But maybe the 1913 patriotism (one year before the beginning of WW1) conveniently ignored such minor details ... Christian
I have one similar to yours but different on one side: here is my page on the monument with pics of the outside and inside. I find it pretty impressive but I believe Chris claims to be less than impressed with it. http://www.cachecoins.org/patriotenbund.htm
Excellent coins, glad to see such great condition examples! Where did you pick up the collection BTW?
Thanks Christian, I changed my original post from "Germany" to "Prussia" with reference to 1813. I wonder if the Website's description of the 3-on-1 eagle fight was accurate. If Saxony was on the side of France (as you say), then perhaps Saxony & France are represented as two of the three eagles which were battling the one (Prussia). Let me know if you have a better description for this flock of fighting birds. I bought this medal solely because I liked the sculpture of the birds in motion.
Hello Sasha, There is a local old time collector that lets me go through his albums and pick what I need for my collection. These CT posts describe many of the coins I've purchased from this old time collection: http://www.cointalk.com/t76664/ http://www.cointalk.com/t93504/ http://www.cointalk.com/t82300/ http://www.cointalk.com/t69797/ http://www.cointalk.com/t63025/ http://www.cointalk.com/t60311/ http://www.cointalk.com/t55827/ http://www.cointalk.com/t53650/ Someday, this guy will let me post his material for sale but for right now, the entire collection is not for sale.
Wow, what a great experience! Thanks for posting all of those, I rarely get a chance to see so many high grade world coins at once! I'd love to know what else your friend has in his collection, I bet it's a treasure trove!
Hmm, the allies fighting against Napoleon in that battle were Prussia, Austria, Russia and Sweden. An attacking eagle looks impressive on such a design; besides the eagle was a national symbol in three of these four countries. So maybe - this is just a guess - Goetz used the four eagles as symbols of the anti-French coalition. Now there is something between those four eagles (see the marked area in the attachment). And from what I know about Goetz and his propaganda medals, that might be a battered rooster, symbolizing defeated France. All that aside, yes, those eagles "in motion" look good. Germany issued a coin http://www.muenzauktion.com/witte/pic/p00172.jpg on that occasion, with the same monument on one side and the national eagle on the other side. Not that great compared to your medal. Christian
Is this medal by Karl X. Goetz? Just wondering as I cannot find it here nor does it have his KG sig: http://www.karlgoetz.com/ Not to say if it isnt there, or isnt signed, its not by him. Mine came in a box with the name Heinrich Schneider who apparently work in Leipzig though mine is certainly different than yours.
Technically Goetz sure was excellent. Except that many, if not most, of his medals, have jingoistic and partly racist designs and themes. Somewhere I read they are political cartoons or propaganda posters, just not printed but minted. Sounds quite right to me ... Christian
Thanks for posting the link. I really enjoyed viewing all the engraving atributed to Goetz. I recommend others at CT click on the link.
I learned a new word today. I learned that “Jingoism” is belligerent nationalism or extreme patriotism expressing itself especially in hostility toward other countries.
There is no doubt that a lot of his work is pure political, nationalistic, and some out right propaganda and racist. That actually adds to the interest in some way. There are a few pieces on that site that are way over the top. The artistry is simply outstanding though and to get some themes like that is just a product of the time and place.
