Watch List notes:

SKULLS & SKELETONS. Germany. Empire. Battle of Verdun Satirical Cast Bronze Medal, "1917". CHOICE UNCIRCULATED.
Kienast-196; Jones, Dance of Death, 18. Diameter: 59mm; Weight: 78.31 gms. By K. or G. Goetz. Obverse: VERDVN, Death (as a skeleton), smoking a pipe, advancing left, leading a restrained Marianne (representing France) by her neck, her hands tied behind her back; Reverse: Bleeding heart, surmounted by Phrygian cap made from a modified Adrian helmet, pierced by scepter surmounted by head of Otto von Bismarck; torch and laurel branch in background; in three lines in exergue, VND - RVHIG / FLIESST - DER / RHEIN (and the Rhine flows calmly). Edge: Plain. Glossy brown surfaces, with an alluring brilliance, and a possibly chased nature that points toward a likely later issuance by father or son. Nevertheless, a haunting, popular, and VERY RARE type.

The Battle of Verdun, lasting the better part of an entire year from 21 February to 18 December 1916, was ultimately a French victory over the Germans. A part of the Western Front, the battle-the longest of the war-would come to be seen as emblematic of French resistance against the German aggressors, with each side estimated to have lost over 300,000 during its entirety-a staggering figure. On this medal, Goetz presents a more one-sided view, with Death leading a symbol of France away in bondage, yet the Germans fared an even worse fate than their adversaries at the end of the conflict.

Estimate: $300 - $450