German hand-engraved medal dated 1901

Göttinger · July 29, 2026 7:36AM

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

pruebas · July 29, 2026 9:29AM

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?

1960NYGiants · July 29, 2026 10:16AM

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?

Göttinger · July 29, 2026 11:46AM

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.

Göttinger · July 29, 2026 12:33PM

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.

Sapyx · July 29, 2026 6:51PM

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.

1984worldcoins · July 30, 2026 2:48AM

After thinking for 42 minutes (!!) chatgpt said it could be Weimar with an 80% probability.

1984worldcoins · July 30, 2026 3:02AM

some pictures:

1984worldcoins · July 30, 2026 3:47AM

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)

coinkat · July 30, 2026 5:32AM

Likely it is so-called German nickel silver which was widely utilized at that time.

lordmarcovan · August 2, 2026 11:38PM

That is exquisite.

JBK · August 4, 2026 2:53AM

One thing I noticed....

Three of the buildings have signs with lettering on them. Two are hand engraved and indistinct, presumably intentionally. The third, however, seems to possibly have been done with letter punches. If this is more obvious in hand, then perhaps that was the engraver's name.

Just a little idle speculation.

1984worldcoins · August 4, 2026 6:49AM

Maybe it is not german, but french? Au Coin ...? A restaurant? Like this one:

1984worldcoins · August 4, 2026 7:15AM

The Paris tram looks more like the one from the engraving:

1984worldcoins · August 4, 2026 7:38AM

The Multi-Tiered Mansard Roof: The defining feature at the top of your medal is the grand, towering roof stacked with rows of small windows. This is a direct representation of the building's 1843 iron-and-glass expansion. The store was famous for building a massive central glass courtyard roof (verrière) to flood the retail floors with natural light. This created a distinctive, high-built multi-tier roof silhouette on the Rue Montesquieu street corner.
The Neighboring Sign ("LA B..."): To the right of the central tree on your medal, you can see the engraved letters "LA B...". This perfectly places the scene at the corner intersection. Right down the street from Au Coin de Rue sat La Belle Jardinière—another legendary, massive rival magasin de nouveautés. The engraver included the edge of this neighboring commercial hub to anchor the exact neighborhood block.
The Broad Open Foreground: The wide, uncluttered street layout in the engraving reflects the prominent crossroads meeting point right outside the store, linking the Rue Montesquieu and the Rue des Bons-Enfants right next to the Palais-Royal corridors. Because the electric tram lines in this historic district drew power invisibly from underground slots or flat magnetic surface studs, the ground layout appears wide, flat, and completely clear of any overhead line poles.

JBK · August 4, 2026 8:21AM

The plot further thickens...

"Mai" is both German and French for "May". (Apparently the month is not capitalized in French unless it begins a sentence, but perhaps this usage qualifies for capitalization as it is a stand-alone date).

JBK · August 4, 2026 8:28AM

I'll engage in some more wild speculation.

If that is the restaurant "Au Coin", I'll hypothesize that it was the place of the event being commemorated here since it is the only sign that is legible. Engagement? Memorable visit? Scene of a Bonnie and Clyde style holdup?

Göttinger · August 4, 2026 1:42PM

Thank you for all your helpful clues and suggestions, you have helped me a lot! I'll keep you updated if I find out something....

The_Dinosaur_Man · August 5, 2026 8:32PM

I'm fairly certain I have seen that style of engraving somewhere before, perhaps during the year I spent with an auction house. If I can remember more at any point, I'll repost here.

German hand-engraved medal dated 1901

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