NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: JUNE 8, 2025

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 23, 2025, Article 17

Jeremy Bostwick at Numismagram passed along these four medals from his most recent upload of new material to his site. For all of the new items, please visit https://www.numismagram.com/inventory. -Editor

103158 | SPAIN. Toledo. Primate Cathedral of St. Maria bronze Medal. Issued 1865. Issues paralleling the Most Remarkable Edifices of Europe series (59mm, 91.34 g, 12h). By Charles Wiener in Brussels. CATEDRAL DE TOLEDO 525 POR S EUGENIO, REEFICADA EN EL STYLO GOTICO EN EL XIIIº SIGLO. ARQUITº Pº PEREZ, perspective view of the cathedral exterior from the southwest, from the vantage point of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento // Perspective interior view. Edge: Plain. Ross pp. 20-1, fig. 7. Choice Mint State. Rich brown surfaces, with great glossiness in the fields. A rather scarce offering not from Jacques, but instead from Charles, done in the style of the former's "Most Remarkable" series. $595.

From what is today eastern Netherlands and western Germany, the Wieners were a Jewish family of exceptional medalists, especially known for numerous numismatic works throughout the Kingdom of Belgium. Eldest brother Jacques, along with younger brothers Leopold and Charles, created some of the finest works of medallic art of the 19th century, and all are particularly noted for their work in the highly detailed and intricate work of architectural renderings.

103188 | GERMANY. Generalleutnant Erich Ludendorff silver Medal. Issued 1914. World War I series: "Germany's unshakable will" (33mm, 12h). By Ludwig Christian Lauer in Nürnberg. GENERALLEUTNANT LUDENDORFF, uniformed bust facing slightly right // MIT DEM UNERSCHÜTTERLICHEN WILLEN DURCHZUHALTEN UND DEM FESTEN GLAUBEN AN DEUTSCHLANDS ZUKUNFT! (with the unshakeable will to persist and the firm faith in Germany's future), downward sword dividing date (19 14), partially within oak wreath. Zetzmann 2045. PCGS SP-62. Exceptionally brilliant and prooflike, with a mostly argent nature near the center and a peripheral ring of vibrant iridescence. $325.

One of the leading German military figures of World War I, Ludendorff was instrumental in the early victories at the Battles of Liège and Tannenberg. Later, he was appointed as First Quartermaster General of the German General Staff in 1916, which essentially set up a military dictatorship (under the command of Ludendorff, Paul von Hindenburg, and Kaiser Wilhelm II) until the end of the war and the dissolution of the German Empire.

103203 | FRANCE. Télégraphie sans Fil [Radio] Art Deco bronze Medal. Issued 1927. The emergence of wireless or radio communication (99mm, 401.40 g, 12h). By Paul-Marcel Dammann at the Paris mint. IRIS, Iris striding right among the clouds, head lowered, holding trident-headed scepter and streamers; in background, zodiacal band with Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn // View of the Earth, focused upon Europe and Africa, surrounded by hexagonal, segmented antennae, the bottom segment of which is emitting radio waves; stars in the background, T S F [Télégraphie sans Fil = telegraph without wires] below. Edge: «cornucopia» MONETA 35. Jones, Art of the Medal, 423. Choice Mint State. Warm brown surfaces, with a great matte nature. Likely one of the finest known of this small output in the larger (99mm) module, of which this is numbered (on the edge) as #35. One of the iconic and rarer Art Deco medallic works of the period. Ex Paul Fellerman Collection. $965.

Following the proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves by German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1887, a flurry of other scientific minds turned to a new medium for study—the "airwaves." Guglielmo Marconi's invention of the radio, for which he won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics, furthered what would become a rapidly growing industry during the first three decades of the 20th century, as communication now need not be reliant upon the connection of wires. Here, Dammann captures this novel technology and pairs it with another movement indicative of its era—the refined, elegant, and geometric artistry that embodies Art Deco.

103177 | VATICAN CITY. Pope Pius XII silver Medal. Issued 1949/Year XI. Commemorating the defense of the Catholic faith against communism (44mm, 39.11 g, 12h). By Aurelio Mistruzzi at the Rome mint. PIVS • XII • PONTIFEX • MAXIMVS • AN • XI, bust left, wearing zucchetto, stole, and pallium // DEFENSIO • FIDEI • CATHOLICAE, radiant female personification of the Catholic Church seated facing on throne, holding long cross and Gospels; in foreground, armored angels standing facing, heads turned slightly inward, holding shields respectively inscribed VERITAS (truth) and IVSTITIA (justice). Edge: Plain. Bartolotti E949; Rinaldi 143; Cusumano-Modesti 66; Ehling/Ernesti 38. Gem Mint State. Stunningly brilliant and prooflike, with enchanting frosting upon the devices. $245.

Evocative of Mustruzzi's Fascist style, this medal takes aim at the perceived threat of communism at the doorstep of the Vatican. As mentioned in Glänzende Propaganda, the parliamentary elections of 18 April 1948 saw the Democratic Popular Front, an electoral alliance between the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) and the Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) receive 31% of the vote, and along with it, 183 seats in the Italian parliament. In the post-war years, the political left and many within the Catholic ranks became intertwined, as can be seen in Giovannino Guareschi's "Don Camillo" novels, in which communism was portrayed, in the Church's eyes, in a positive light.

Gorgeous medals - I love these last two, and both came very close for my pick for Image of the Week. -Editor