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German hand-engraved medal dated 1901
Göttinger
Posts: 218 ✭✭✭
Dear collectors, experts and enthusiasts,
a few days ago I picked up this hand-engraved medal at a yard sale for 12€ (15 Dollars). It's made from cupro-nickel (I guess), dated May 1st, 1901 (in German) and measures about 4.5 centimeters in diametre (1¾ inches), weighing around 22 grams.
Since I have never seen anything like that before, I would like to hear your oppinion about this find.
Best regards from Germany,
Göttinger
3
Comments
I have never seen anything like it before either, but it's beautiful. The quality of the engraving is superb. Think of how many hours of someone's time it took to accomplish it.
Have you been able to identify the location of the scene?
Beautifully done. For $15, I think it is a great buy just for the artistry.
I can't think of any European coins that are 45mm and made of nickel from that period. Is it magnetic? Is there any lettering on the edge?
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Thanks for your replies. I agree with you, the quality of the engraving and the artwork are very high.
As far as I know it's not made from a coin, the medal is too large in diametre to match any contemporary coin.
The edge is completely plain. The alloy is non-magnetic. I've tested it with my metal detector and the signal is too high for a steel alloy, but also too low for a silver alloy. That's why I think it might be a cupro-nickel-alloy, it also corresponds with the light yellowish tint of the otherwise silvery alloy.
Oh, and I haven't identified the location depicted on the medal yet. Research is difficult, I haven't found the right clue yet.
So any kind of help and suggestions are welcome.
Narrowing down a location will be tricky - the most distinctive feature in the image is probably the electric tram, but lots of German cities and towns had electric trams by 1901.
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After thinking for 42 minutes (!!) chatgpt said it could be Weimar with an 80% probability.
some pictures:
A privately commissioned German engraved commemorative medal, probably a wedding or engagement gift, Weimar, dated 1 May 1901.
The birds may be swallows, but they could also be generalized lovebirds or doves. What matters is the complete combination:
two birds presented as a pair;
roses and other flowers;
a private monogram;
one exact date;
an apparently personally meaningful town view.
That combination makes a wedding, engagement or romantic commemorative gift considerably more likely than an official medal. (chatgpt)
Likely it is so-called German nickel silver which was widely utilized at that time.
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That is exquisite.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.