NUMISMAGRAM MEDAL SELECTIONS: MARCH 9, 2025

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 10, , Article 15

Numismagram's Jeremy Bostwick sent 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

102947 | ITALY. Papal States. Pope Pius IX/Opening of the Albano-Ariccia Bridge bronze Medal. Issued 1854 (82mm, 227.44 g, 12h). By Giuseppe Bianchi & Niccolò Cerbara in Rome. PIVS IX PONT MAX, bust left, wearing zucchetto, mantum, and decorative pallium; all within ornate border of oak and laurel wreaths // PROVIDENTIA OPTIMI PRINCIPIS / ARICIAE CLIVI PERICVLO SVBLATO, view of the bridge of Ariccia with the three rows of arches; the Lazio hills in background; in foreground, between fields and paths, the old road that climbs and leads to Ariccia; in three lines in exergue, VIA INGENTI MOLITIONE ARCVBVS IMPOSITA / COMMEANTIVM SECVRITATI / ANNO MDCCCLIV. Edge: A few light marks, otherwise plain. Mazio 699; Bartolotti IX, 9. Choice Mint State. Deep brown surfaces, with a great lustrous and glossy nature. Given its large-format status, extremely rare in this advanced state of preservation, with no scuffs, distracting marks, or bruising. $795.

Architecture in general plays a heavy role in the medallic art of Pius IX, given the number of restorations done to religious edifices during his rather lengthy reign. In the case of this medal, the opening of the Albano-Ariccia Bridge, which was built between 1847 and 1853, and is considered one of the most important engineering works of the 19th century.

Pius IX presided over the longest verified papal reign in history, serving as pope from 1846 to 1878, and also saw the loss of papal dominion over the states (parts of central mainland Italy) to which it laid claim for centuries. Following Italian unification under the King of Sardegna (Sardinia), Vittorio Emanuele II, the peninsula began to coalesce under a single regnum, leaving the rule of Pius in question. When Rome fell, then taking a new role as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, Pius became trapped, literally and figuratively, and considered himself a prisoner in the Vatican—a standoff between the papacy and the kingdom that would last for nearly 60 years. In 1929, and brokered by then-Pope Pius XI and leader of the Fascist Party, Benito Mussolini, the Lateran Treaty ended the longstanding feud between the two factions over the sovereignty of the papacy within the kingdom. The treaty gave the Vatican City to the papacy—a separate city-state headed by the pope within the city of Rome itself—as well as compensation to the papacy by the Italian government for the loss of the territory within the former papal states.

103050 | SWITZERLAND. Bern. Silver Academic Prize Medal or "Gärtnerpfennig" of 3 Francs. Issued circa 1855-1857 for outstanding pupils in the canton (31mm, 12h). By Nikolaus Lendi.LABOR OMNIBUS IDEM (work is the same for all), bees in flight around a beehive set upon an elaborate bench; flowering shrubs to left and right; PRÆM DILIG (a prize for diligence) in exergue // RESPUBLICA BERNENSIS, crowned cantonal coat-of-arms of Bern within a laurel wreath. SM 708; Meier & Häusler 167. NGC MS-65. Deeply toned, with tremendous brilliance and crispness. Fairly rare in this elevated and rather attractive state of preservation, and the finest of just three observed in the NGC census. $395.

Quite popular in the canton of Bern during the 18th and early 19th centuries, the so-called “Gärtnerpfennigs,” or "gardener's pennies," were a special form of scholastic prize given to deserving students for their academic achievements. They would sometimes feature a kneeling gardener on one side (accounting for the name), as the gardener was considered an allegory of diligence. Here, however, the iconography of industriousness is represented by a beehive with numerous bees flying around.

103115 | UNITED STATES. Christopher Columbus gilt bronze Medal. Struck 1893. World's Columbian Exposition (50mm, 58.67 g, 12h). By Ferdinand Massonnet. 1435 CHRISTOPHUS COLOMBUS 1506, capped and robed bust facing slightly right // WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION / CHICAGO / 1892–93, aerial view of the exposition grounds. Edge: Plain. Eglit 99; Rulau X16 (though the engraver is mentioned as François Massonnet). Choice Mint State. Highly lustrous and brilliant. Rather scarce in gilt. Compare to another choice gilt example, an NGC MS-63 PL, which realized a total of $468 in Kagin's 2020 ANA/National Money Show auction (lot 3132). $435.

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 the case here, this classic by the French engraver Ferdinand Massonnet, features a view of the expo grounds in Chicago and has become known for its designer, standing within the series as "the Massonnet medal."

103108 | GERMANY. Zeppelin, Eckener & Dürr silver Medal. Issued 1929. Commemorating the world tour of the LZ-127 "Graf Zeppelin" (36mm, 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-67. Exceptionally vibrant and attractive, with some alluring colorful toning as well. Tied with a small handful of others for the top spot in the PCGS census. $395.

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.

103013 | GREAT BRITAIN & NETHERLANDS. "Together" cast bronze Medal. Issued 2004 (66mm x 62mm, 257.20 g, 12h). By Theo van de Vathorst for the British Art Medal Society, and cast by the Bruining foundry in Haarlem. Nude male and female seated facing, each with one arm around the other's back and with the other arm placed in front, clasping hands // The backs of those two figures. Edge: Plain. "The Medal" 46, p. 102 (and also serving as the front and back cover art for the issue). As Made. Olive-bronze surfaces, with some hints of green for highlights. Fairly scarce and thought-provoking, with a total output of just 55 pieces. $595.

Theo van de Vathorst (1934-2022) was a prolific sculptor and medallist from Utrecht. In "The Medal" 46, the writeup for this medal mentions that he had "...always been fascinated by the challenge of projecting ideas, by way of sculptural forms and solutions, onto the relatively small scale of a medal. The two-sidedness, though posing an extra problem, is in fact a bonus. I always strive for a direct link between the two sides. Most of my medals are concerned in one way or another with human beings and their relationships. For 'Together' it is hardly necessary to explain what it is about. But it is too simple to see only the two figures. Underlying them is an abstract composition binding all elements involved into an interesting object." This item was featured in our E-Sylum ad.