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Medals & Decorations

The Ashmolean Museum has a very good collection of British historical medals, dating from the Tudor period to the present day, with particularly high concentrations for the 18th and 19th centuries. Its continental and world holdings are very diverse, with some particularly significant medals of the Italian Renaissance; Germany and the Low Countries in the Renaissance and Baroque age; the papacy; etc. The decorations are mostly British and date from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.

American commemorative medal - tercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare (HCR95777)

Period

Modern

Dating

1916

Obverse

1616 / NEW YORK CITY SHAKESPEARE TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION / 1916, coat of arms of William Shakespeare, with eagle holding lance; above, leaves of laurel

Reverse

CALIBAN / PARTICIPANT / By the / YELLOW SANDS, theatrical mask with tie

American commemorative medal - tercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare (HCR95778)

Period

Modern

Dating

1916

Obverse

1616 / NEW YORK CITY SHAKESPEARE TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION / 1916, coat of arms of William Shakespeare, with eagle holding lance; above, leaves of laurel

Reverse

CALIBAN / PARTICIPANT / By the / YELLOW SANDS, theatrical mask with tie

Bronze/copper medal of German Empire - Lord Balfour and the "Lusitania", Satirical Medal (HCR98597)

Period

Modern

Person

Sir Winston Churchill, Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

DIFFICILE EST SATI RAM NON SCRIBERE / DIE · LVSITANIA · MVENZE / GIBT · LORD · BALFOVR / STOFF · Z · REDEN / 9·XI·1916, First Lord of the Admiralty Arthur Balfour showing Goetz’s Lusitania medal to Prime Minister H. H. Asquith (or David Lloyd George?) and Lord Grey (or Sir Winston Churchill?); Goetz in the background sketches the scene while being reprimanded by Lord Grey (or Sir Winston Churchill?); Latin inscription a quotation from Juvenal (Juv. 1.1.29)

Reverse

ENGLISCHE HETZ ARBEIT IN SCHWEDEN / ENGL / FLUG / BLATT / EIN / DEVTSCHER / SEE SIEG / LU / SITA / NI / A / M / EDAI / LLE / 1916 / K · G, Scots military piper, (personification of perfidious Albion) walking right whilst playing, wearing inscribed scroll

Iron medal of German Empire - Lord Balfour and the "Lusitania", Satirical Medal (HCR98603)

Period

Modern

Person

Sir Winston Churchill, Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

DIFFICILE EST SATI RAM NON SCRIBERE / DIE · LVSITANIA · MVENZE / GIBT · LORD · BALFOVR / STOFF · Z · REDEN / 9·XI·1916, First Lord of the Admiralty Arthur Balfour showing Goetz’s Lusitania medal to Prime Minister H. H. Asquith (or David Lloyd George?) and Winston Churchill; Goetz in the background sketches the scene while being reprimanded by Lord Grey; Latin inscription a quotation from Juvenal (Juv. 1.1.29)

Reverse

ENGLISCHE HETZ ARBEIT IN SCHWEDEN / FLUG / BLATT / EIN / DEVTSCHER / SEE SIEG / LU / SITA / NI / A / M / EDAI / LLE / 1916 / K · G, Scots military piper, (personification of perfidious Albion) walking right whilst playing, wearing inscribed scroll

Bronze medal of the German Empire (HCR139206)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

L19, Crowd of male figures atop sinking airship at sea waving for help at departing ship

Reverse

FLVCH . DEN . BRITEN / ZVR . SEE . FLVCH . EVREM / SCHLECHTEN . GEWISSEN / HILFESVCHENDE . SCHIFF - / BRVECHIGE . HABEN . VNTER / GEHEN MVESSEN / K G, At top, eye in triangle surrounded by rays; at bottom scale of justice.

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139207)

Period

Modern

Person

W. Eberbach, Mayer and Wilhelm

Mint

Stuttgart (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

HEIMTÜCKE. U. GEW -- ARNTER. LEICHTSINN. AN. BORD. D. LUSITANIA, Death standing over sinking ship Lusitania.

Reverse

DEM / VERÄCHTER / DER. WARNUNG / WOODROW / WILSON / 1916, Design surrounding legend.

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139210)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Dating

1916

Obverse

L19, Crowd of male figures atop sinking airship at sea waving for help at departing ship

Reverse

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139219)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

RAENKE-SCHMIEDE BEI DER ARBEIT / K·G, On US soil, French President Henri Poincaré and English Tommy attempt to persuade a top-hatted US President Woodrow Wilson of the danger of the German submarine lurking on the horizon; inscription around

Reverse

DEUTSCHE : U : BOOTE IN AMERIKA 7. OKTOBER . 1916 / in field: "Reuter / Gezeter", A telegraph pole, decorated at top with two heads, each looking the opposite direction, bearded, wearing hat and mouth opened shouting

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139221)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

FRIEDENS ANGEBOT / DER MITTELMAECHTE / in field: 12. / DEZEMBER / 1916 / K G, Two hands in medieval armor, holding a dove with laurel branch in its beak.

Reverse

In exergue: DIE TAUBEN, Foreground: two male figures; to left: seated male holding a dove in righthand and about to put it into a box, which is held by second male on right: bearded, wearing large head and fur coat; background: crowed of people.

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139240)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

S.M.S. MÖWE . HEIMKEHR, A lion wearing helmet on sea, its paws each in a vessel, gull flying by.

Reverse

4. MÄRZ / 1916 / DAS WELTMEERBE- / HERRSCHENDE ALBION / ZEICHNET IN GOLD / EINE MILLION / in exergue: IV. REICHS-KRIEGS / ANLEIHE, Two fish, creating border for legend.

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139242)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

ENTWEDER - ODER, US President Woodrow Wilson wearing knight’s armor sealing a document inscribed: Note an Deutsch unverzug einstell v.d. U-boot Krieg dabbruc – Wilson to right: Justice, naked, only one eye covered, holding scale, from which hangs a sheet of paper on which is indicated 20. April 1915

Reverse

DEVTSCHE . ANTWORT AN AMERIKA; in field: Der .V. Boot Waffe / leisten wir nicht / Verzicht! / Volkerrechtswid / rige Methoden / England / vom Zaune bricht / den Krieg Ihr kurzeres / so Ihr stellt die / Waffenlieferung ein / Wilson will doch der beste Neutrale / sein!, Two armored arms holding sealed document

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139244)

Period

Modern

Person

W. Eberbach, Mayer and Wilhelm

Mint

Stuttgart (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

BRITANNIA. RULE -- THE. WAVES. THOUGH? / WTH / EBER- / BACH, Death waist-deep in the sea sinking a British battleship

Reverse

DEM / ERSTEN / SEELORD / FISHER / 1916, Design surrounding legend

Medal of the German Empire (HCR139255)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1916

Obverse

GENERAL . HERMANN -- VON . KOEVESS, Hatted bust to left

Reverse

KAPITVLATION . MONTENEGROS / 13 . JANVAR . 1916, Column (monolith), reading: "ERSTVR / MVNG / DES / LOW / CEN"; foreground: snake, entangled around scepter and sword; background: mountain tops.

British commemorative medal - tercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare (HCR165755)

Period

Modern

Person

William Shakespeare, Messrs Vaughton, Dorothy Dick

Dating

1916

Obverse

SHAKESPEARE TERCENTENARY / Dorothy Dick, draped bust of William Shakespeare, closely following the Stratford memorial bust, bare head facing; signature of the artist, bottom

Reverse

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE · BORN 1564 DIED 1616 · / STRATFORD-UPON-AVON · 1916 ·, Arms of Stratford-upon-Avon on leaves. Inscription in two concentric circles around

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139213)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Dating

1917

Obverse

FRIEDENS ZIELE / K G, Uncle Sam seated on the stern of anarmed sailing boat attempting to steer, his back to the bow

Reverse

3. FEBRVAR . 1917, Drowning Englishman reaching for a life-preserver on which: AMERIKA

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139248)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1917

Obverse

FLANDE RN . 1917, A roaring lion (left), representing England, and a German soldier separated by fence with barbed wire.

Reverse

SIEGESPREIS / K.G, A tombstone for an unknown soldier inscribed: ? / KM; on top of cornerstone: snail; background: landscape with dead tree and fences made of barbed wire.

Bronze medal of the third French Republic (HCR9333)

Period

Modern

Person

René Gregoire

Mint

Paris (at Pessac) (Modern)

Dating

1917

Obverse

WILSON, Facing bust of US President Woodrow Wilson, torch to left, fasces to right, eagle below, stars around

Reverse

Le Droit est plus précieus que / la Paix...Nous nous battons / pour la Liberte, Three women representing England, France and America greeting one another, battleground and ruins of Reims cathedral in background

Trial strike for an American advertising medal (HCR95033)

Period

Modern

Person

Federal Advertising Agency Inc., Wheelock · Sculptor W. & H. Co. Newark, N. J.

Dating

1928 (stated)

Obverse

MCMXXVIII : FEDERAL : ADVERTISING : AGENCY INC : / "IDEAS ARE / THE COINAGE / OF BRAINS" / SHAKESPEARE, bust of William Shakespeare, left

Reverse

WHEELOCK · SCULPTOR / W. & H.CO.NEWYARK.N.J., stamped in centre

Bronze medal of the German Empire (HCR139200)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1918

Obverse

ENGLAND BEW -- EINT -- DAS -- RVSSENVOLK / in field: 10. / JAN . 1918 / SOWJET. VOLKSRAT, male figure holding tissue on his face/left eye, to right; behind him, another male figure with broom to left and head facing

Reverse

1914- / ALLES . FVR . DEN GROSSEN . SCHLAG, an elaborate pot filled with paper money and bonds, being held by two hands from above

Iron medal of the German Empire (HCR139218)

Period

Modern

Person

Karl Goetz

Mint

Munich (Modern)

Dating

1918

Obverse

IM SIEGESTAUMEL, A rooster on top of three flags (American, British and French), building in background reading VIVE / FOCH.

Reverse

K · G, A shield reading 19 -- 14 / 19 -- 18 in center; surrounded by Foch leading four male sub-altern or colonial figures, including a Native American and Black African, representing the Entente Powers.