Maximilian I gold "Friedrich III Memorial" Medal ND (1531) AU (damaged, flan crack), Horsky-829 var. (weight), Julius-Unl., Lanna-Unl., Goppel-Unl., Moser-Tursky-Unl. 44mm. 12.11gm. By Utz Gebhart. A rare representative of this commemorative type, produced in gold in the memory of Maximilian I and his father, Friedrich III. The obverse depicts the portraits of the two Emperors, with the legends naming Friedrich III as "Pat" (pater/father) and Maximilian as "Fil" (filius/son), the reverse bearing an ornate heraldic design flanked by cherubs and surrounded by legends naming the "noble family of Austria." Attractively designed and displaying a near-uncirculated level of detail, with only faint hairlines noted throughout the surfaces, in addition to a single flan crack extending toward a small hole in the center. We are aware of only one other example of this medal in auction records, coming from Adolph Hess's November 1910 sale of the Horsky Collection, where it was designated as a "Juden-Medaille," and interestingly also noted as cracked ("Riss"), though it is unplated in that catalog. Ulrich (Utz) Gebhart had been employed as a mintmaster and engraver at Leipzig, Joachimsthal, and, from 30 November 1528, at Vienna. Engaged under King Ferdinand, while residing in Vienna he still worked in the capacity of engraver for the Joachimsthal mint and was mintmaster at Zwickau from 1530-1531. For his part, Forrer mentions that Gebhart "engraved a large number of coin-dies and also several Medals of low-relief," as is indeed seen here.

HID09801242017

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