100719 | GERMANY. Graf von Zeppelin silver Medal.

100719 | GERMANY. Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin silver Medal. Issued 1928. The Christening of the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin (36mm, 19.49 g, 12h). By K. Goetz in München.

 

TAUFE DES Z 127 AM 90 GEBURTSTAG / 8 JULI 1928, bust facing slightly right / GLÜCK AB GRAF ZEPPELIN, Zeppelin coat-of-arms, with balloon holding children as supporters; airship in background. Edge: BAYER. HAUPTMÜNZAMT • FEINSILBER.

 

Kienast 408; Hans Kaiser Coll. 478. Choice Gem Mint State. Flawless matte surfaces, with an alluring brilliance and mélange of cobalt and russet toning near the peripheries. A truly captivating piece, and assuredly one of the finest known. Compare to an inferior piece, a PCGS SP-65, which realized $384 in February 2018 (Heritage 271808, lot 36078).

 

Zeppelin was a German general and aircraft manufacturer, who later founded the airship company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. Following Zeppelin's death in 1917, Dr. Hugo Eckener became the head of this company and oversaw post-war fundraising to expand upon its production, even serving as commander for the LZ 127 on numerous occasions. When this airship first entered use, it was the first commercial passenger transatlantic flight service in the world, eventually making 590 flights over nearly a decade. In 1940, she was scrapped for metal for the German efforts in World War II.

 

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