posted 02-21-2009 11:10 AM            

The shown medal has my attention, I don't have to know the value about this one, because the dealer has given his price.

The measure is diameter 6 cm and 0,5 cm thick. Normally I can't find many medals at internet but the pattern (personal taste) is nice. The story behind it is that at the front there is placed a goddess and the question is who is this person. I have researched a little and perhaps it's the one who is mentioned "Ceres" (but I'm not sure about that).

The medal is given as first price for the person who solved the problem for looking in shop windows finding letters and in combination a winning worth good be found. The two shields at the bottom of the front side looks like, the left like a medical symbol and the other looks like a little wheel from a watch.

I have thought about this and because the local retail trade in 1948 gave this price I think the right shield could be a symbol for a watch/jeweler shop who organized this and made this medal by himself. (Organizing with several retail trade shops).

In the medal are no silver marks considering the dealer but perhaps a little sword can be found? At the front after the goddess there are shown like the shops were and still be situated in little villages or small towns.(of course in Holland). Nowadays there are more prices to be given by retail trade but there is hardly a price list for the winning persons.

So in those days it was nice to get one like this.

I hope someone can give any information about the (continental Greek? goddess?)
The dutch worths : at the front are : winkel week means : shop week.

Thanks a lot, Silverhunter.

posted 02-23-2009 06:13 PM            

Medals are very common and there are countless different ones. Some are made of solid silver, or silver plated, or are made of bronze or brass. They have been made for hundreds of years. There are many different ways to collect them: by designer, by subject matter, by artistic style, by country, by vintage, etc. etc. Your only limit to collecting them is your imagination and even if you pick a very narrow category there will be many thousands of different ones to find and collect.

The values of medals are very wide ranging and one dealer may offer you one for a very low price and the next dealer will offer you the exact same one for a very high price. There are no useful price guides for them - they are more a matter of what you are willing to pay for a given one and whether you are willing to wait to find one for a better price.

posted 02-23-2009 06:33 PM            

I am not for instance interested in w.w.1 and w.w.2 medals and can't understand why people for instance are looking for material to be find about mentioned periods of war with detectors. It's also can be dangerous job to find sharp munition and I think let the ground also rest in piece.

Don't disturb the past.

The only medals I had are gone by wind.I didn't knew they use so many materials for producing these one's or combination of materials.

I have a medal about the lowest measured point in Holland -6.74 below sea level and found it a special one.

I will read your reaction more than once and appreciate it a lot!

posted 02-26-2009 05:22 AM            

Thanks lot for your reaction and advise, I sure will visit that website, I have read the reaction from Kimo about how many medals there can be found on the internet.

posted 02-26-2009 03:03 PM            

There are no actual photos of these goddesses and gods so one can only guess which, if any, of them the image on this particular medal is trying to represent - though hopefully not Laverna since I am sure the group of stores that sponsored this medal were all honest people My guess is it may be Minerva or maybe Juno.

You should also understand that in English, the word medal can mean several different things. One meaning is for a military award where the metal part hangs from some colorful ribbon and is worn on a uniform. I think that is the meaning that you are thinking about. However, the broader meaning is any small metal artwork in the shape of a circle, a rectangle, or other shape where one side or both sides are made with artistic designs and words. Many are made in commemoration of an event or a place or a person or whatever is desired. Others are made as prizes to people for a contest or some other event such as a sporting contest or a dog or cat show or anything. Some were designed by very famous artists and some were designed by relatively unknown artists. There are so many kinds that it makes your head spin. I just took a look at the big auction's France website and I notice there are 3,896 auctions going on now in France alone for these kinds of medals - the word in French for medals is médailles and that is the title of the section where they are found. Or on the German website there are 6,304 auctions in the medallion section (that is the German word for for medal).

posted 02-26-2009 06:17 PM            

I believe it was a imitation by the Roman to rename the goddess and give their own interpretation name.

Teutons, Batavians and other population groups had also their own names for their goddess.

A lot of old silver/guilded/gold masterpieces show different fantasy goddesses.

The word "medaille" is perhaps related to the French word medallion and is exported by the French to Holland. Other dutch word for medallion is "plak". gold medal/gouden plak.

Een penning(penny)soldered with a iron eye can be called a amulet(Eng/French origin?).

Pelgrims ("insignes(french?")were used certain from the 13th century made of pewter. A insigne can also be given as reward.

Formerly I found a pewter amulet, at the front was a figure St. Joris who killed the Dragon and at the back was Jesus in a fishing boat with some apostles. I looked for the original amulet, it was made in the 17th century made of gold and was called; St.George penning / amulet. I think it doesn't matter which material it is, if you really like the one you own it is your own value interpretation. (I hope I say it well?)

posted 02-27-2009 07:15 PM            

What is the translation of the writing on the back please.

posted 02-28-2009 01:48 AM            

My best translation ever done and best English words are:

1e price

shopwindow contest

jubilee week

1948.

Customers who could find some letters between the hardly filled shopwindows (economy was slowly restarted after W.W.2) and someone good make a word combination good win this medal.
So it a rather unique price, concerning they only made one for this contest.

posted 02-28-2009 06:11 AM            

Some pay a high price to win a prize that's also possible.

Greetings Silverhunter.