NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: FEBRUARY 23, 2025

PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE FULL ISSUE PREV FULL ISSUE

V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 8, , Article 16

Jeremy Bostwick at Numismagram forwarded along these five items from his upload of new medallic art to his site For all of the new items, please visit https://www.numismagram.com/inventory. -Editor

103081 | GREAT BRITAIN. England. James I with Prince Charles silver faux-engraved Jeton or Gaming Counter. Issued circa 1625-1629/30. Series 1: James I & Prince Charles (27mm, 2.30 g, 12h). By the school of Simon van der Passe. GIVE THY IVDGEMENTS O GOD UNTO T(HE) KING, ermine-mantled bust of James facing slightly right, wearing elaborate collar and hat with brim and jewel // AND THY RIGHTEOVSNESSE UNTO T(HE) KINGS SONNE, mantled bust of Charles facing slightly right, wearing elaborate collar. Mitchener 4784. Choice Very Fine. Deeply toned. Includes old dealer ticket from Robert Ball in Berlin. Compare to a similar example that realized a total of $480 in the recent 19 February 2025 CNG e-sale, lot 1018. $295.

Gambling and games of chance have served as a form of entertainment and excitement during much of recorded history in one way or another, and many of these games necessitate some form of accounting during play. In early modern Europe, jetons were commonly employed for these purposes and allowed for skilled engravers to promote their artistry. One such engraver was Simon van der Passe, born in Utrecht circa 1585.

Van der Passe worked in England from 1616–1621/2, having founded a school after being exempted from the royal monopoly given previously to Nicholas Hilliard. This exemption allowed for the "graving and imprinting medailles" and small portraits of the king, and van der Passe utilized his technique for the production of numerous series of jetons or gaming counters, initially employing portraits of the Stuarts, James I and later Charles I with his wife, Henrietta Maria. Though Simon would return to Holland in 1621/2, his London-based school continued under the management of his brother, William. Subsequent issues of these jetons would feature Gustav Adolph and his wife, Maria Eleonora, the sovereigns of England, 'classical portraits' of historical and biblical figures, 'street cries,' and the commonwealth.

Of even greater interest and debate among numismatists over the past century has been the method of manufacture of these jetons. Their appearance at first glance would lead one to believe that they have been individually engraved owing to their incuse design. It is thought that, in fact, these ornate counters were skillfully cast and polished in order to generate this 'faux-engraved' effect.

103087 | GERMANY. Augsburg. Engraved brass and wood Perpetual Calendar. Issued circa 1675 (80mm x 60mm x 9mm, 45.01 g). Three pieces in brass, with two disks and backing hand engraved and fully functioning; left disk: various bands with text and applicable cutout to reveal the corresponding information when spun: "FEST VNDE EVERTAG" (feasts and their days), "Monath des Jahrs" (months of the year), "Sonen lauff" (running sun sign [zodiac]), and "leng Tag / leng Nacht" (length of day/night); right disk: one band with text and applicable cutout to reveal the corresponding information when spun: "Perpetuum Calendarium", with central panel reading downward at 90º angle, the days of the week (Sont, Mont, Dingst, Mitw, Donnerst, Freyt, Sam), along with their respective symbols (¤, ?, ??, ?, ?, ??, ?); backing: below left disk, engraving pertaining to saints' days and festivals, the beginning of each zodiac sign, a depiction of the zodiac sign, and numbers pertaining to the hours of day/night; below right disk, circular band with the numbers 1 through 31, representing the day in the month in question; charming floral-like scrollwork in the margins. Cf. Numismagram item 102676 (for a similar issue from around the same period and region); cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) accession 03.21.70 (for a similar example of Dutch origin); cf. British Museum accession 1888,1201.332 (for a similar example); cf. Christie's 3025 (27 March 2013), lot 3 (for a similar example of Dutch origin, which realized a hammer of £3,500 [~$4,300, plus buyer's fee]). Choice Very Fine. Some minor staining of the brass near the screws; otherwise quite pleasing and fully intact. A very rare survivor of the type, much more so as a one-sided dual-disked piece mounted to wood, as opposed to the many others of the type, which usually feature the disks on opposite sides from one another. $1,295.

Though manners of marking the days are seemingly ubiquitous now, with not just printed calendars on nearly every wall, but at one's fingertips in the form of smartphones and watches, this certainly wasn't always the case, especially centuries ago. As such, perpetual calendars like this example allowed the bearer the instant ability to know vital stats about that time of year, such as approximate sunrise and sunset, length of day and night, beginning of the next zodiac sign, and what day of the week it was. Similar to the various "skins" and cases for one's smartphone, these perpetual calendars also had hand engraving to make them unique for their respective owner. In the case of this example, a backing upon wood to help it further live up to the rigors of time spent in one's pocket.

On account of the first days of each zodiac sign, it becomes obvious that this example was produced in a time and region that still adhered to the Julian calendar, which steadily fell out of sync with the Gregorian calendar adopted in 1582 by decree of Pope Gregorius XIII. It is likely that this calendar dates to the latter part of the 17th century in Protestant Germany, as Prussia had already adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1610, and Catholic-leaning states in Germany had adopted it between 1583 and 1585, just after the papal decree. Augsburg also seems likely as a city of manufacture, as one of the saints' days referenced is that of Ulrich, the patron saint of Augsburg, whose feast day is 4 July, as mentioned here.

102892 | GERMANY. Scarcity of Living Space cast bronze Medal. Dated 1921. "Wohnungsnot 1921"—on the scarcity of living space following World War I (59mm, 66.18 g, 12h). By Karl Goetz in München. WAS–AUCH HIER NOCH EIN / WOHNRAUM? ("what, yet another living room?"), housing inspector standing facing, opening the door to a bathroom; disgruntled family to right // View of the typical living conditions: triple bunk bed, with each lower bunk shared by two individuals; small child sleeps in the drawers of a chest; a baby is sleeping in a wicker basket under the table; the child standing in the center of the room is urinating into a chamber pot. Edge: Plain. Kienast 280. Choice Mint State. Deeper brown surfaces. $565.

Following the ravages of World War I, the scarcity of living space allowed for a very small amount of square footage per person, and was enforced by inspectors who would record and utilize any surplus space. During this time, three to four families could be crammed into just one apartment, leading to obvious poor conditions and public outcry. Upload: 17 February 2025.

103103 | GERMANY. Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin silver Medal. Issued 1929. Commemorating the world tour of the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin (50mm, 12h). By Mayer & Wilhelm in Stuttgart. Z. ER. A. D. WELTFAHRT D. L. Z. 127 / 33737 Km. 287 Std. 36' / AUG.1929, capped bust right within inset hexagon // 15. 8. / FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 19. 8. / TOKIO 26. 8. / LOS ANGELES 29. 8. / LAKEHURST, view of the Earth from above, focused upon the North Pole, with the continents of Europe, Asia, and North America highlighted, along with the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Hans Kaiser 500.1; Button 252; Joos a.585; Bernd Kaiser V, 734a. PCGS SP-65. Deeply toned and exceptionally lustrous, with hues of cabernet, aquamarine, and cobalt enlivening it throughout. Exceedingly impressive, especially this well preserved, and the finest of three observed in the PCGS census. $895.

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. Here, four of the stops of the airship on its world tour are highlighted, beginning at Friedrichshafen on 15 August, and then continuing to Tokyo on the 19th, Los Angeles on the 26th, and Lakehurst, New Jersey on the 29th.

102993 | GREAT BRITAIN, IRAN & CANADA. "Hands and Grille I" cast gilt bronze openwork Plaque. Issued 2006 (92mm x 63mm, 148.88 g, 12h). By Parviz Tanavoli for the British Art Medal Society, and cast by Sarber Jewellers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Two hands clinging to a grill // Fingertips of those same two hands on the grill bars. Edge: Plain. The Medal 50, p. 66, 2 & p. 95 (and also serving as the front and back cover art for the issue); Silich I, 392. Essentially as Made. Brassy yellow surfaces, with an intricately tactile nature. Fairly scarce and impressive, with a total output of just 60 pieces. Compare to a similar example, the aforementioned Silich specimen, which realized a total of £2,480 (˜ $3,161) in March 2024 [Noonan's], and a vastly inferior example which realized a total of £1,750 (˜ $2,160) in June 2022 [Ewbank's]. $2,095.

In "The Medal" 50, the writeup for this medal mentions that "...Parviz Tanavoli was born in Tehran in 1937. He trained at Tehran's High School for Fine Arts and the Accademia di Belle Arti, Carrara, Italy, and from 1958 to 1960 worked under Marino Marini at the Brera Academy in Milan. After a spell of teaching at the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design, USA, he returned to Iran, where he was head of sculpture at Tehran University until 1979. He is now Iran's foremost sculptor and lives in Tehran and Vancouver, Canada. Hands and Grille is one of Tanavoli's first medals. The artist explains: 'I was inspired by Shi'ite Pilgrims who grab the grilles of shrines and talk to their Imam and ask him for help.'"

A further article in the same publication written by Marcy Leavitt Bourne provides further context on the basis for this medal. "Tanavoli has worked not only on a very large scale but also on a small scale, in making jewellery, and therefore, when invited by Philip Attwood to make a medal for BAMS, he was intrigued. 'I didn't have any idea that medals had come so far. The British Museum really opened a door. The scale didn't scare me. It was not unfamiliar to me. But what I have tried to do is to reduce, to minimise, to concentrate these themes on a smaller scale. I said, 'Okay, let me do something that I have done before, but in a larger scale in bronze, and I will do these in a smaller scale.' The medal Hands and Grille, produced for BAMS, in a curious way relates to locks. At first sight of the obverse, one might identify in one's imagination with someone contained or trapped, looking to the outside. Quite the reverse is true. These small, rounded hands, with delicate digits, each gently inserted into the grid, belong to a supplicant, clinging from the outside to the grille that surrounds the tomb (emamzadeh) of an Imam, asking, hoping, that the problems they have brought to him will be unlocked in his presence. This is a theme I have been working with, inspired from the Shi'ite Muslims who go to the shrines and put their hands on the grilles. They can say their vows, and they pray, and they can talk to the Imam. They have a lively conversation with their Imam. It is very impressive, actually, to see all these hands on these grilles, hundreds of them? Within the shrine, made in the manner of a small room, is the tomb of an Imam, one usually of some historic importance. Unlike, for instance, the Catholic confessional, where one receives an answer, here the faithful worshippers must solve their own problems. 'They tie strings to the grilles. The string is symbolic of locks, as they were traditionally used in locks. With the string you lock up. You make a knot and lock it up to the grille in order to unlock your problems. The philosophy is that to touch the grille is a reminder of the holy man who is buried there. You tie something up with a lock in order to remind him of your wish, and you hope by tying it, by locking the lock, that it unlocks your problems.' In the Middle East the imagery of the grille would resonate immediately. With what Westernised eyes one looks at works of art from another culture. The medal is about neither prison nor politics, but about the life of the soul. The reverse of the medal would be the view across the tomb, seeing on the opposite side all the fingers of those praying to the Imam. One could almost see them as rows of little heads, in a different scale. From both front and back, the hands are contained within the grille framework, overlapping only where the wrist would come, were they more realistic. The thumb is faceted, starting with a slightly inclined tip, not rounded, but as if it were the beginning of a letter, written with a large downward sweep of a calligraphic brush. Multiple meanings are vested in hands, in art from the Middle East perhaps even more so than in Western art. Because depiction of the human form is proscribed by the Shi'ite faith, the human hand expresses a whole artistic language for the sculptor."