GIES: WWI Cast Art Medal

[Goetzdude]

 

Hunger und Not (Hunger and Need), 1917, Cast, broad oval, iron medal, Ermsting WVZ 154a, VZ, RRRR.

 

Obverse: Women engaged in the Polonaise ritual at a butcher and baker shop.

 

Reverse: A sword pointing left resting on a platter with a boule of peasant bread. Inscription: IM WIND UND WETTER / UMS LIEBE BROT / STEHN STILLE HELDEN / IN GROSSER NOT / 1917;

 

In wind and weather

Around loving bread

Stand quiet heroes

In great distress

 

 

Only two known examples;

 

Bronze - Wein (Vienna) Kunsthistoriches (Art History) Museum; Sammlung und Medaillen, Münzen und Geldzeichen II 30.721 (VS) und II 30.722 (RS)

 

Iron, this one, has not been seen since the following catalog listing was publish in 1918; La Guerre Européenne Medailles de Necessité Papiers-Monnaie. Insignes Destinctifs des Régiments; Lagerkatalog 70, J. Schulman, Amsterdam 3/1918, S. 183,, Nr. 1945; Metzger-Bäcker

 

 

I'll provide more subject analysis once I have had a chance to study this new addition to my Gies collection.

[Goetzdude]

I see that I forgot to list it's size. It's 63.5mm X 60.0mm.

[Art]

Quite interesting. I'm wondering about the significance of the scales and the bowling ball looking thing on the ground under it.

[Saor Alba]

A very stark medal, kind of surprised it could be issued given that it is fairly well critical of what was going on at the time.

[constanius]

Polonaise ritual = queueing, I assume, also a common occurence in England during wartime. Titled "Hunger und Not (Hunger and Need)" so would the last line be better as "In great need" rather than "In great distress"?

[bill]

Given the total numbers issued, is there a museum that has a more comprehensive collection? Nice addition.

[Goetzdude]

"Titled "Hunger und Not (Hunger and Need)" so would the last line be better as "In great need" rather than "In great distress"?"

 

Or, the other way around....

 

Hey, anyone with better German skills than my Bablefish translation is more than welcome to help out.

 

 

Given the total numbers issued, is there a museum that has a more comprehensive collection? Nice addition.

 

The London, British Museum, Department of Coins and Medals and the Munich, Staatliche Münzsammlung (National Coin Collection) will undoubtedly have a greater number of examples but in the case of Gies, there just aren't the numbers out there for each example to be held by all interested. I have five or six, perhaps a few more, that these museums do not, and could not own because mine are either unique or the other pieces are held in other museums.

 

I'll admit that my collection has grown to a respectable 25 WWI examples. It would have been far more had I started just a few years earlier with Gies collecting. Several old collections were sold of by Stacks and Dix Noonen five or six years ago. Had I known what I do now, I would have owned every single one of them because they were going for a pittance of their value today. For instance, I could have picked up four or five examples for the same amount that this piece cost. Then again, those examples, although highly in demand, have 8-10 examples made of each.