NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: SEPTEMBER 7, 2025

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 36, 2025, Article 17

Numismagram's Jeremy Bostwick sent along these five items 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

103048 | GERMANY. Praise the Lord silver Medal. Issued circa 1750 (31mm, 9.26 g, 12h). By Johann Leonhard Oexlein in Nürnberg. DAS GESCHLECHT DER FROMMEN WIRD GESEGNET SEIN • PS • CXII (the descendants of the pious shall be blessed, –adapted from Psalm 112), draped figure of Charity seated facing, head lowered, holding open book and instructing three children around her; above, radiant manus Dei emptying flowers from overturned cornucopiae; Ö (for Oexlein) to lower right // DIE FORCHT DES HERRN IST DER WEISHEIT ANFANG • PS • CXI • (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, –adapted from Psalm 111), scholar seated right at table, being admonished by veiled figure of the Church, holding long cross and pointing upward at radiant ???? (tetragrammaton) above; compass, globe, and measuring stick on ground below. Edge: Plain. GPH –; Plato –. PCGS MS-63. Extremely lustrous and flashy, with some elegant toning throughout as well. A scarce and impressive religious issue. $395.

Biblical themes were a very popular topic in German medallic art from the 17th-19th centuries, with parabolical medals–those that presented a Biblical lesson or recounted a passage from the Bible–a large portion of such medals. Figures from the Bible, baptisms, weddings, and the Ten Commandments are examples of the various themes that these medals would cover. One of the leading references for this area of medallic art is Kreß auction 115 from 1960, which presented the combined collections of Marie Luise Goppel and Dr. Plum-Holler, commonly referred to as Goppel-Plum-Holler, or simply GPH.

103311 | RUSSIA. Presentation & Baptism of Christ wooden Icon. Made circa 1820-1860. (236mm x 293mm [9-1/4" x 11-1/2"], 769.7 g [1.7 lbs]). Four-part scene divided by central cross decorated with scroll pattern; to upper left, the presentation of Christ in the Temple of Jerusalem: St. Simeon the God-Receiver standing left, holding the Infant Christ; to left, St. Anna and the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) standing right; to upper right, the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan: Jesus Christ facing slightly left, being baptized by John the Baptist standing to left; to right, angel standing left; to lower left and right, two saints each standing facing, holding Gospels and raising hands in benediction; though uncertain, the saints may well be Andrew, Basil, John, and Paul, respectively; all within off white border—all of which is painted in tempera atop wood. Back and sides: Wood exposed, with some scattered scuffs and marks. Extremely Fine. Some scattered cracking of the paint, though remaining largely intact; some minor cleaning is noted, as well as slight curvature, giving a minor convex nature, as is often the case. Screw and string attached at the top for suspension, and a few inventory numbers are mentioned for completeness. $595.

Following the conversion of the peoples of the Ancient Rus' (those in the eastern and northern portions of Europe) to Orthodox Christianity in the late 10th century, queues were taken from Byzantine art and iconography. As time progressed, and given the lack of more personal representations of religion, the practice in the emerging tsardom of Russia began to emulate the artistic traditions in western Europe within the Protestant and Catholic spheres. Thus, the Russian icon was born—a representation of one's religion and hopes, all in the form of a small-scale, craft-oriented image, usually done on wood and with the ability to venerate in one's house. The imagery would usually focus upon Christ or the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary), but could vary widely to other lesser-encountered saints and passages, even to those more native to the Orthodox church in the Russian dominion. The various images would generally be painted in tempera, a type of paint mixed with egg, and featured a gilt-infused background in order to elevate the flair and magnificence.

103309 | UNITED STATES & ITALY. Christopher Columbus/"Civilization" oxidized white metal Medal. Issued 1892 for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America (102mm, 385 g, 12h). By Ludovico Pogliaghi & Angelo Cappuccio for Stefano Johnson in Milano. Central medallion reading CRISTOFORO COLOMBO and with robed bust facing slightly left; around, native princess and Columbia clasping outstretched arms; above, globe focused upon the Western hemisphere; below, eagle perched slightly left, head upturned right, with wings spread; all over wreath composed of palm fronds and laurel branches // The fruits of Columbus's first voyage: Winged personification of Civilization facing slightly left, head right, surrounded by Genii representing Education, Commerce, and Industry; to lower right, native chief, maiden, and two warriors crouching defensively; at a distance, coastline with the U.S. Capitol before rising sun; around, border comprised of alternating stars and state shields. Edge: A few light marks, otherwise plain. Eglit 106; Starlust ST-eg-106wm; Rulau B10. Choice About Uncirculated. A few light scuffs and stains scattered about, with some light rub upon the high points, but solid overall brilliance remaining among the protected areas. $1,595.

During the lead-up to the quadricentennial of Columbus's initial contact with the New World, numerous medals were designed and struck, both in the United States—in conjunction with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago—and abroad—sometimes for this event or for similar others. In this case, the so-called "Civilization" medal was produced commemorating the quatercentenary in Italy by the highly-accomplished medal manufacturer, Stefano Johnson in Milano, and features tremendous relief and intricacy—especially upon its obverse. Rulau mentions that "...this medal is generally considered to be the most beautiful of all Columbian medals." He also writes that "...the Columbus head apparently is an amalgam of design concepts from the Capriolo engraving, Yanez, and Rincon portraits, adapted by Pogliaghi," and that "...a spokesman for Stefano Johnson S.p.a. stated: 'It has received ecominum beyond expectation, being pronounced by the artistic world 'of marvelous art, rare artistic work and perfect in execution.'" That point is fully realized in this exceptionally impressive, ultra-large format.

103301 | GREAT BRITAIN & GERMANY. Charles Darwin uniface bronze Plaque. Issued 1911. Famous Men series (38mm x 50mm, 44.63 g). By Mayer & Wilhelm in Stuttgart. ZVM 100. / GEBVRSTAG / 12. 11. 1909, facing bust in frock coat; 1809 - 1882 across field; DARWIN on plaque below // Blank. Edge: Plain. Bernd Kaiser V, 134; Serie berühmter Männer 99; Heidemann –. Choice Mint State. Tan-brown surfaces, with a great glossy nature. Some minor staining upon the reverse. $225.

Issued just a few years after the centennial of the birth of Darwin, this plaque from Mayer & Wilhelm's famous men series (Serie berühmter Männer) features a stern facing bust of the famous naturalist and pivotal contributor to evolutionary biology. His works included "The Voyage of the Beagle," "On the Origin of Species" (which presents his seminal views on natural selection), and "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex."

One for our "authors on medals" list. -Editor

103173 | GERMANY & UKRAINE. General Felix Graf von Bothmer silver Medal. Issued 1915. Commemorating the Battle of the Strypa River (33mm, 18.50 g, 12h). By August Hummel at the Ludwig Christian Lauer mint in Nürnberg. GENERAL GRAF v. BOTHMER, uniformed bust facing slightly left // TROTZIG U KÜHN WEHRST DU DEM MÄCHTIGEN FEINDE, WARFST ÜBER DIE STRYPA IHN SIEGREICH ZURÜCK (defyingly and boldly you defended the mighty enemy, throwing him back victoriously over the Strypa), seminude male soldier standing right, holding sword and resting hand upon German shield deflecting arrows. Edge: SILBER 990. Zetzmann 4088 (R). PCGS SP-64. Exceedingly vibrant and prooflike, with deep toning offering great color across both sides. $495.

Commander of the II Royal Bavarian Reserve Corps, Felix Graf von Bothmer, along with Austro-Hungarian ally, Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin, was involved in the Battle of the Strypa River. The Strypa, located in Western Ukraine just to the southwest of Ternopil, was the location of a Russian offensive in December 1915 and, though boasting slightly superior numbers than the combined forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany, Russia would suffer casualties two to three times those of the other side, which ultimately resulted in Russia's defeat there by the Central Powers.

A bold warrior stance, with a strategically placed ribbon. -Editor