GERMANY. Medallic Issues. Hamburg. Parabolical Gold Medal of Ducat Weight, ND (ca. 1708). NGC Unc Details--Surface Hairlines.
cf. Fieweger-345 (silver); Gaedechens II, p. 25, 15.; Vogel Coll-8739. Diameter: 22mm Weight: 3.45 gms. On the supposed corruption of the imperial commission by the Jewish community. Obverse: DENN GESCHENKE MACHEN DIE SEHENDEN BLIND ( for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous... ), bust facing slightly right, with hand nearly covering face, though with eyes peering through; across the middle, banner reading SO KOMME ICH DIR SO ( I'll scratch your back... ); Reverse: DU SOLST NICHT GESCHENCK NEHMEN (...and though shalt take no gift, --adapted from Exodus 23:8 [2nd Book of Moses]), hand putting forth a coin; across the middle, banner reading KOMSTU MIR ALSO (...if you'll scratch mine ). A popular and fascinating type essentially without any wear or breaks of brilliance, though some minor surface hairlines are noted. In reading this type, the pair of underlined legends should be read as one phrase, with the pair of non-underlined legends read as another phrase. The city of Hamburg had a festering issue between its Senate and Citizens' Council in the late 17th century, with its local Jewish population a chief concern. Though a Sephardic Jewish population had much more long-standing roots in the city, the Ashkenazi population was, in contrast, much more recent and without actual legal status regarding its ability to reside there. The Citizens' Council-dominated by orthodox Protestants-along with the Lutheran clergy sought to block any concessions by the Senate to the Jewish populations, with the issue eventually escalating much higher within the hierarchy of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Joseph I appointed an imperial commission, led by Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn-Buchheim, to settle the dispute between the Senate and Citizens' Council in Hamburg. Ultimately, the commission redefined the legal relationships of the Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish populations in Hamburg, with the regulations becoming part of the new Hamburg constitution in 1712. It is quite likely that this satirical medal, along with the various others that share a common design and message, were meant to convey the idea that the Jewish citizenry had bribed the commission for recognition of their status, furthering an anti-Semitic viewpoint among the largely Protestant populace.
From the Augustana Collection.

Estimate: $1000.00- $1500.00