Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
Collector's Choice October 2021 Auction 12-14 Oct 2021
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SKULLS & SKELETONS. Germany. Satirical Silvered Bronze Medal ("Hunger Taler"), 1948. CHOICE UNCIRCULATED.
By K. & G. Goetz. Diameter: 36mm; Weight: 19.99 gms. Highlighting Munich's long period of suffering. Obverse: MÜNCHENS LEIDENSZEIT (Munich's suffering), the Münchner Kindl (robed child holding Gospels and raising hand in benediction) standing between statistics of the city's losses and hardships: on the left, 19,800 fallen, 12,000 missing, and 265,000 homeless; on the right, 66 aerial attacks resulting in 6,250 dead, 10,600 buildings & 82,000 apartments destroyed; in background, buildings are engulfed in flames, including the Frauenkirche (Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau); Reverse: HVNGER TALER, Death (as a skeleton), wearing loose fitting robe, seated left on stones, holding false scales with fish tagged KALOR[IEN]; on stones, a poster displaying the day's ration: 2 gms fat; 7 gms meat; 9 gms fish; 9 gms sugar; 22 gms broth; 50 gms flour; 143 gms potatoes; 250 gms bread. Edge: Plain, though some light marks, possibly for testing, are noted at the rims. Lightly toned near the peripheries, with a good deal of brilliance.
By K. & G. Goetz. Diameter: 36mm; Weight: 19.99 gms. Highlighting Munich's long period of suffering. Obverse: MÜNCHENS LEIDENSZEIT (Munich's suffering), the Münchner Kindl (robed child holding Gospels and raising hand in benediction) standing between statistics of the city's losses and hardships: on the left, 19,800 fallen, 12,000 missing, and 265,000 homeless; on the right, 66 aerial attacks resulting in 6,250 dead, 10,600 buildings & 82,000 apartments destroyed; in background, buildings are engulfed in flames, including the Frauenkirche (Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau); Reverse: HVNGER TALER, Death (as a skeleton), wearing loose fitting robe, seated left on stones, holding false scales with fish tagged KALOR[IEN]; on stones, a poster displaying the day's ration: 2 gms fat; 7 gms meat; 9 gms fish; 9 gms sugar; 22 gms broth; 50 gms flour; 143 gms potatoes; 250 gms bread. Edge: Plain, though some light marks, possibly for testing, are noted at the rims. Lightly toned near the peripheries, with a good deal of brilliance.
This piece, likely a combination effort by father (the famous Karl Goetz) and son (Guido Goetz), reflects the state of affairs in Germany in the years following World War II. The obverse recounts the massive losses by the city of Munich-from a human standpoint as well as structural-while the reverse paints a more grim picture surrounding the severe rationing taking place with respect to food throughout the war-torn nation.
Estimate: $200 - $400