Some of the allegorical designs of our 19th century coinage were inspired by French medallists, and I was wondering if any of you, like me, became interested in their medals. Here is one of my favorites: In 1814, the Canton of Geneva returned to the Swiss Confederation after 300 years of French rule. In 1864, this medal was produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reunion.
Thanks! There are a lot more where that came from, and I am hoping to see what others may have. Chris
You have a nice collection there. Isn't it great that NGC started grading European medals. Here's one you might like.
I like the medal commemorating the 1848 revolution. It has some neat details in it. I've seen one like the 1889 before. It is not an official medal of the exposition. It is a crude copy likely produced for the Schloss Co. Here is the official medal that was produced in bronze and silvered bronze. Chris
Those are some really beautiful medals!! I don't know much about them, but have picked up a couple of the more modern ones. Most folks seem to gravite towards the more complicated designs, but I like the simpler ones, like this... This is a massive hunk of copper (85mm, 258g) that I picked up for $12. I really like the artwork and thought that was a very reasonable price. I think it's a 1975 commemorative of Leibniz's invention of infintesimal calculus. Edit: The one above may be from Portugal. Here's one that's a bit older. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a medal. It's marked ".925 sterling" and is a presentation medal...as I learned after buying it. I was surfing the web looking for "leper colony" coins. I came across this and thought it was interesting...looks like a bottle of Jaegermeister. I don't know French, but it didn't cost much so I thought I would take a chance. As it turned out, this isn't a leper colony coin at all. Apparently, there was a constable with the last name of "Lepers" who worked in Berck...near Pas de Calais, France in the late 1800's. They passed a "No Poaching" law in 1876 and the "Society of Hunters Against Poaching" awarded this medal to Constable Lepers in 1891 for enforcing the "No Poaching" law. That's all I know about it, but thought it was pretty neat. I'm glad to have it in my collection...whatever it is.
Those are cool! I really like the first one! It's so different and refreshing to see compared to the ornate beauty of classic designed medals. I also quite like the Eustace stag. which, yes, Jager also employs.
Poor Eustace really went downhill after meeting up with that Stag! The roasting bull they speak of is also know as the Brazen Bull. I saw it on the History channel...what a terrible way to go!
Your octagonal piece is called a jeton. They were commonly used in Europe from the 13th through 17th centuries as counting pieces much the same way that orientals used the abacus. Later on, they were used for scoring in card games and gaming like we use casino chips today. Jetons continued to be used as commemorative medalets, like yours, on into the 20th century. They can be either round or octagonal and are usually smaller than 38mm. Thanks for sharing them with us. Chris Here is a jeton that I consider one of the simpler designs. In the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789 while the countryside was still in turmoil, the Austrian army decided it would be an opportune time to invade France and lay siege to the town of Lille. They bombarded the town for 8 consecutive days, but the townspeople refused to surrender. So, the Austrians packed up and left. In 1845, the "Column of the Goddess" was erected in the town square to honor the citizens who refused to capitulate.
