Bismark Commemorative Coin

b.loree

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Staff member
I have had this for years so, not a new find. However, I would appreciate some information on it. Obviously some sort of commemorative piece celebrating a 90th anniversary of what???...Bismark's birth?, the end of the Napoleonic Wars?
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The reverse:
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My German is extremely limited. :(
 
I can't make out the word before Dem Auge fern, but basically it says:
Close to the eye, forever close to the German heart
to the memory of the 90th birthday
The date is obvious.

This is probably a commemorative coin celebrating Otto von Bismarck.

John :)
 
Better translation:
Away from the eye, or no longer seen, instead of "Close to the eye, forever close to the German heart" (I meant to say Not close to the eye)
So we would say "No longer with us 'but' forever close to the German heart".

John :)
 
The translation SkipperJohn is really good.
Think the Medal is out of bronze and could have been silver plated. It was released in 1905, in memorial to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Otto von Bismarck (1st of April 1815). It was pressed by A. Werner & Söhne, a fabricator of Armee stuff, Medals, coins and stuff like this in Berlin. The picture of Fürst von Bismarck was designed by Albert Moritz Wolff, a sculptor and medalist of the German-Empire. On the Backside, it is a decorated Monument with the coat of arms of the Bismarck-Family and a burning memorial flame above.
Not sure about the worth..have seen it for 65€ but also 125€. Have fun with it :bravo:
 
Thanks Sandy....yes very small along the rim of the reverse side A. Werner Sohne Berlin. This one is definitely silver plated but tarnished. The profile of Bismark is very well done, almost 3 dimensional. The piece is also stamped 938 on the rim to the left of his shoulder board.
 
b.loree said:
Thanks Sandy....yes very small along the rim of the reverse side A. Werner Sohne Berlin. This one is definitely silver plated but tarnished. The profile of Bismark is very well done, almost 3 dimensional. The piece is also stamped 938 on the rim to the left of his shoulder board.

938 is a mark for German sterling silver. In the U.S. sterling silver is usually 925, but I have seen 938 commonly on German pieces. I'm not sure if you can use that mark on a plated piece, or just a solid silver piece. Are there any other proof marks that you can see?

John :)
 
SkipperJohn said:
938 is a mark for German sterling silver. In the U.S. sterling silver is usually 925, but I have seen 938 commonly on German pieces. I'm not sure if you can use that mark on a plated piece, or just a solid silver piece. Are there any other proof marks that you can see?

John :)

Maybe it was also pressed in silver, I don‘t know. But you are right, if 938 is stamped it would speak for solid silver.
Even better :bravo:
 
No other proof marks on the piece. I wondered as well if 938 meant solid silver. In my world nothing plated is ever marked with a hallmark like this is. My two WW1 German patriotic rings are both stamped as well.
 
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