NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: AUGUST 9, 2026

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V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 32, 2026, Article 20

Numismagram's Jeremy Bostwick sent 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. -Garrett

103650 | GREAT BRITAIN. Victoria white metal Medal. Issued 1862 for the International Exhibition held in London (52mm, 3h). By George Dowler.

H. M. G. MAJESTY VICTORIA, crowned and mantled "gothic" style bust left // THE BUILDING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION / (SOUTH FRONT VIEW) / OPENED MAY 1ST / 1862, perspective view of the exhibition hall; in seven lines in exergue, COVERS A SPACE OF 26 ACRES. LENGTH 1200 Ft / WIDTH 700 Ft, HEIGHT 100 Ft, NAVE 85 Ft WIDE. / THE BUILDING IS OF BRICK. THE DOMES / ARE OF IRON & GLASS, HEIGHT 250 Ft / AND 160 Ft DIAM: AT BASE. / (THE LARGEST DOMES EVER ERECTED) / COST £300,000.

BHM 2724 (R); Eimer –; Allen SK-B075 (RR); Taylor 182d. PCGS SP-62. Extremely lustrous and prooflike, with some scattered marks typical of the metal type, but nevertheless highly enchanting, all while featuring a bust type made popular by the 1847 "gothic" crown and subsequent related florins.

The Great London Exposition was held in the South Kensington area of London from 1 May–1 November 1862, and featured exhibitors from 36 countries covering areas of industry, technology, and the arts. Queen Victoria, still in mourning for the loss of her husband the previous December, was not in attendance for the opening of the event which would see over six million attendants throughout its six months. Works of note on display were a refrigerator capable of producing ice, the Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel, and Charles Babbage's analytical engine–an early form of a computer.

103646 | GERMANY. Georg Hirth cast bronze Medal. Issued 1910 to celebrate the writer and influential publisher (111mm, 364.70 g, 12h). By Ludwig Dasio for Carl Poellath in Schrobenhausen.

• GEORG • HIRTH • MVENCHEN • ANNO • DOMINI • MCMX, head right // • APHRODITE • DV • HOLDE • DIR • SEI • HEIL • VND • SIEG (oh Aphrodite, you lovely one, may you be safe and victorious), nude Aphrodite standing facing, removing tunic; LVDW - DASIO across field. Edge: «hallmark» C. POELLATH SCHROBENHAUSEN «hallmark».

Heidemann 238. Mint State. Warm brown surfaces, with a light matte nature and some scattered spots, most notably at the nape of his neck. Very rare and provocative.

Born in in 1841 in modern-day Thuringia, Georg Hirth had a career in journalism at Münchner Neueste Nachrichten before founding Jugend in 1896. This influential magazine focused upon German arts and crafts, and was known for its "...shockingly brilliant covers and radical editorial tone." So influential was it that the magazine's very name came to influence the corresponding Art Nouveau movement in Germany and Austria.

103516 | FRANCE. Electrical Construction Union bronze Award Medal. Issued circa 1925-1935, and engraved and awarded to Mr. Louis Retel (68mm, 150.23 g, 12h). By Charles Pillet at the Paris mint.

Female personification of Electricity, nude except for billowing drapery, soaring left among the clouds and hurling thunderbolt // SYNDICAT · GENERAL · DE LA · CONSTRUCTION · ELECTRIQUE ·, view of hydroelectric power plant, with mountain scape in background; below, shield with panel engraved "M. LOUIS RETEL". Edge: «cornucopia» BRONZE.

MdP –; Maier –; Silich –; cf. Musée d'Orsay RF MO MEDOR 2018 2 (for obv.). Choice Mint State. Tan-brown surfaces. An enticing design.

The Syndicat Général de la Construction Électrique awarded medals like these to employees following years of service, usually in the amount of 25 or 30 years, with the silver issues being the more prestigious with respect to time served to the company. Pillet's classic design is the earlier of the two Art Deco renderings for this award (with the latter being that of Pelletier).

103194 | GERMANY. Zeppelin, Eckener & Dürr silver Medal. Issued 1929. Commemorating the world tour of the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin (36mm, 24.91 g, 12h). By Oskar Glöckler at the Berlin mint.

• ZEPPELIN DER SCHÖPFER • ECKENER DER FÜHRER / • DÜRR DER ERBAUER •, busts left of Zeppelin, Eckener, and Dürr // I WELTFAHRT DES LUFTSCHIFFS »GRAF ZEPPELIN«, view of the Earth centered upon the North Pole, with the airship's flight path outlined throughout. Edge: PREUSS. STAATSMÜNZE • SILBER 900 FEIN.

Hans Kaiser 511; Button 243; Müller 2249. PCGS SP-66. Highly brilliant and prooflike, with some deeper iridescence nearer the peripheries.

Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and aircraft manufacturer, who later founded the airship company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. Following Zeppelin's death in 1917, Dr. Hugo Eckener became the head of this company and oversaw post-war fundraising to expand upon its production, even serving as commander for the LZ-127 on numerous occasions. When this airship first entered use, it was the first commercial passenger transatlantic flight service in the world, eventually making 590 flights over nearly a decade. In 1940, she was scrapped for metal for the German efforts in World War II. Meanwhile, Ludwig Dürr served an important role next to Zeppelin in the early years of the company, assisting in the construction of the first airship and pioneering many of the parts. He often flew on board to oversee the flight and served the company until its dissolution in 1945.