The Sinking of the S. S. Lusitania

The Sinking of the S. S. Lusitania - obverseThe Sinking of the S. S. Lusitania - reverse

© sam64

Features

Location Germany (1871-1948)
Type Commemorative medals › Satirical medal
Year 1915
Composition Iron
Weight 70.10 g
Diameter 55 mm
Thickness 4 mm
Shape Round
Technique Milled
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized Yes
Number
N#
114297
References Kienast# 156,
Gunter W. Kienast; 1967. The Medals of Karl Goetz. The Artus Company, Cleveland, Ohio, united States.
And 1 more volumes.
Eimer# 1941A,
Christopher Eimer; 2010. British Commemorative Medals and their Values. Spink & Son, London, United Kingdom.
BHM# 4118
Laurence Brown; 1980. British Historical Medals / Volume 1. The Accession of George III to the Death of William IV. Seaby, London, United Kingdom.
And 2 more volumes.

Commemorative issue

Sinking of the LusitaniaAutomatically translated

Obverse

The Lusitania sinking in heavy seas; in five lines in exergue.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
KEINE BANN WARE
DER GROSSDAMPFER
LUSITANIA
DURCH EIN DEUTSCHES
TAUCHBOOT VERSENKT
5 MAI 1915

Translation:
no contraband!
the liner Lusitania sunk by a German submarine

Engraver: Karl Goetz

Reverse

Skeleton (as Death) standing left within ticket booth, queue of passangers to the left.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
GESCHAFT VBER ALLES
KOG

Translation: business above all

Engraver: Karl Goetz

Edge

Smooth

Comments

Entering passenger service with the Cunard Line in 1907, the Lusitania continued the line’s heavily-traveled service between Liverpool and New York City. After the outbreak of World War I, however, relations between Great Britain and Germany diminished, as the two became enemies within the conflict. This lead to Germany’s declaration of submarine warfare upon the British Isles and a ‘no-sail zone’ for any vessel flying the British flag. On 7 May 1915, the Lusitania was identified by a German U-Boat, torpedoed, and sank in 18 minutes, killing over 60% of the passengers. The vessel went down 11 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, and instantly became an iconic symbol for American involvement into the now global conflict.

Case of the United Kingdom restrike



German type a and d have a diameter of 57mm whereas the British medals have a diameter of 55mm.
An American copy from the time also exists, a Japanese copy has been made in the 70's and other modern museum reproductions and modern couterfeits also exist.

In total between 250.000 and 300.000 of the british restrike medals have been made.

See also

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Date VG F VF XF AU UNC Frequency
1915  9% Eimer 1941A a; with in inscription May and Geschaft;Stamped K. GOETZ on edge
1915  45% Eimer 1941A b; with in inscription May and Geschaft;no inscription on edge, without cardboard box, descriptive label on lid and propaganda leaflet
1915  14% Eimer 1941A c; with in inscription May and Geschaft;no inscription on edge, with cardboard box, descriptive label on lid and propaganda leaflet
1915  5% Eimer 1941A d; with in inscription May and Geschaft;Stamped K. GOETZ on edge struck and not cast
1915  14% Eimer 1941A d; with in inscription May and Geschaft;Stamped K. GOETZ on edge struck and not cast
1915  5% German Medal with inscription Mai and Geschäft
1915  0% German Medal with inscription Mai and Geschäft and with the corrected date 7 Mai 1915

Frequencies show the percentage of Numista users who own each year or variety among all the users who own this item. Since some users own several versions, the sum may be greater than 100%.

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This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.

Past sales

Pictures Sale Date Version Grade Sold price
Picture 1 of a sold The Sinking of the S. S. Lusitania
Katz
Auction 92
Lot 703
Internet Archive
15 Aug 2023 Undetermined UNC USD 98.28
(EUR 91.00)
(+ buyer's premium)
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