Papal Medals

[JRocco]

Hey guys,
This one a very rare piece in silver  dated 1572 and shows Gregory XIII on the obverse and the
reverse shows a depiction of the Massacre of the Huguenots.
It measures 9 on the Mionnet scale. It is a silver piece just about the size of a half dollar.
I see a reference in the Spink catalogue to a silver piece that is mounted.
Spink # 699
It is always nice to find these pieces in medals other than the more common bronze.

[JRocco]

Here is a early piece that was crudely made in the late 1500's.
This is a Pope Sergius II medal 844-847.
Slightly smaller than a silver dollar but much much thicker.
Let me quote one of the pro's with this description:
"this is part of an extensive, albeit crude, series of medals struck unofficially in the late 1500s or so. Papal medals began to be issued in earnest in the early 1400s and my understanding is that there was considerable effort to fill the demand of collectors (yes even then!) who wanted examples of earlier popes. This is part of the earliest produced "restitution" series. Many of the portraits are totally imaginary and the reverses used stock types appropriate for any pope. Per CNORP, your medal is one of 4 types used (or at least known) for Sergius (others include parallel keys, keys behind a miter, arms without a legend along with the crossed keys you have with the legend "SANCTUS PETRUS ET PAULUS.") "

[coinsarefun]

Awesome Papal medals. I am so thankful you are sharing them with us

[JRocco]

Thanks Stef, as long as no one minds me posting these medals.

This is a crude piece that is approximately 30-32mm's and I believe it is bronze.
I purchased this from the same German seller as the Sergius ll piece I posted above.

Let me quote info I received on this piece from a guru in the field.

"This piece is listed in the Miselli volume, n. 188. No real description other than that it shows the Last Supper. The obverse can be traced to another papal medal (n. 186 in Miselli), which was issued to commemorate the pontiff's taking possession of the Lateran Basilica (Sept. 24, 1724). The book has only one collection example listed, being at a museum in Milan. The one pictured in the book also looks like a crude casting taken from a struck medal, such as the one here. It does not provide any information about where the reverse might be from"

Cool stuff

[JRocco]

Glad your mom is doing better Stef.
Here is a really interesting medal (have I mentioned that I love interesting coins/medals ? )
This is a Pope Paul IIII ( 1555 - 1559 )
Spink 568
This piece shows Pope Paul IIII with a reverse depicting Christ giving the keys to Peter
What makes this piece so interesting in the unbelievable die breakup evident by the reverse.
Back in the day, die's were very expensive and their lives were extended as long as possible resulting in
some very interesting cracks and breaks. I would bet this one was held together with some make-shift strapping of some
kind to get every last medal struck from the dies before total failure. This one may have been the last struck.
It is a struck piece and not cast. Sorry for the shadows, but the die cracks ar huge.






 

[coinsarefun]

I always loved the one with all the die cracks, what a VAM

Actually.......could it be.......lightning bolts

[JRocco]

HaHa
My first thought when I first held the piece was
The Power of Christ....
The medal sure does make a statement.

The reverse on the Paul IIII piece is very similar to this reverse on
my Pope Marcellus II medal (1555).

[JRocco]

Here is an extremely rare piece.
This is an original medal of Pope Clement VIII.
As I have learned, the obverse is the work of Giorgio Rancertti and the reverse that of Gian Cristofor Romano.
The obverse shows Clement VIII while the reverse shows Annona, who was used on ancient Roman Coins referring to the annual harvest from Egypt to feed Rome, Annona is shown holding grain and a cornucopia.
This is a bronze piece measuring 33 mm. It has very heavy relief and will not sit, but will rock due to the high relief.

This is an original 1593 work.

[JRocco]

Here is another high relief piece
It is a Pope Pius IX dated 1874
This piece is a little larger than a silver dollar and about twice as thick.
Looking at this you would think this was a great big part of the design of this medal.
Even the steps are detailed and in full relief.

Pulling back a bit you can see that this is just a piece of the larger design. Note the detail on the wall engravings in this "church"

Back a little further and you can see that this throne is set well back in the interior of the church. Note the detail on the pillars.

Looking up at the roof of the church you really get the sense that you are IN the church looking up at the detailed ceiling.

The detail on the pillars in amazing.

You get the feeling you could just step into the medal. The detail goes beyond the pillars to the walls behind.

The medal in its entirety.

[regandon]

Very nice Papal medals. I just started getting some.