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Large Goetz Medal - The Three Counts of Spee

Commemorative medal by Goetz, World War I depicting Admiral Count Heinrich von Spee, His Death and of his two sons, Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914.

Diameter: 102.6mm. Kienast 146. I found this interesting original article from 1918 by the New York Times highlighting this medal among others as having an "Appeal to the Passions" as War Propaganda. 1918 NY Times Article

Obv. Count Maximilian Spee, sons Heinrich and Otto, 10-line tribute, Off the Falkland Islands on the High Seas lie three German Heroes, three Counts Spee.
Rev. Eagle with laurels over South Atlantic. E200-300 Sunk in battle off the Falklands were S.M.S. Scharnhorst, commanded by Admiral von Spee; Gneisenau and Nurnberg, served by his sons, 6 December, 1914. Heinrich von Spee commanded the German squadron on the Scharnhorst , his sons Maximilian and Otto were Lieutenants on the Gneisenau and Nürnberg respectively

image

To give you a sense of the large size of this medal, see it aside a 60mm shooting medal I have.

image

Habsburg Talers

TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.

Comments

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,949 ✭✭✭✭✭
    That thing is huge!

    Nice pick-up, Z.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 44,976 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So 'tis a vertiable manhole cover, then? Wow.

    A handsome one, at that.

    What's in the water, directly below the eagle's talons? An oddly stylized wave, breaking?

    Or is it the fingertips of a drowning man who's going under for the last time?

    I initially made that latter comparison facetiously, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. And since the medal IS about drowning, when you get right down to it, maybe it is just that? Seems like Goetz would've given us a hand hand sticking up out of the water to clue us in, if that were the case, but then again, maybe he wanted to be more subtle about it.

    Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.

  • DorkGirlDorkGirl Posts: 9,994 ✭✭✭
    Love Goetz.image
    Becky
  • gummibeargummibear Posts: 786 ✭✭✭
    Nice piece with a neat story behind it.

    Richard
  • I have a couple of the giant sized ones. They're pretty tricky to store away.
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Please show!
    Habsburg Talers

    TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.
  • Yes, please show them. I just love these Goetz medals image
  • danglendanglen Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭
    Goetz did make some pretty large medals. This one is 139 millimeters in diameter.


    1936 Goetz Olympic Medal
    danglen

    My Website

    "Everything I have is for sale except for my wife and my dog....and I'm not sure about one of them."
  • cachemancacheman Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭✭
    anything 80.0mm and larger is considered a "medallion" in the medallic art world.
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