101711 | GERMANY. Graf von Zeppelin/Miracle at Echterdingen bronze Medal.

101711  |  GERMANY. Graf von Zeppelin/Miracle at Echterdingen bronze Medal. Issued 1908 (60mm, 91.23 g, 12h). By E. Torff.

 

MEIN / LEBEN / EIN / KAMPF – ZEPPELIN, bust of Zeppelin facing slightly right / Bellerophon, nude and holding spear and reins, on Pegasos rearing right; above, radiant Zeppelin flying right; below, slain Chimera right. Edge: Plain.

 

Hans Kaiser 300. Mint State. Light bronze-brown surfaces, with a few scattered spots and a hint of minor rub.

 

Following the record-breaking 12-hour flight of Zeppelin's fourth airship, the LZ-4, over Switzerland in the summer of 1908, the German government issued a challenge to the count, promising financial support were he able to produce a successful 24-hour "endurance flight." With the challenge accepted, his ship took off from Bodensee on 4 August, but was forced to make an emergency landing the next day in Echterdingen. While moored, the airship was blown from its tethers, being destroyed when its hydrogen ignited. Despite failing at the challenge, the German public rallied to his side, contributing some 6 million marks to the effort, ensuring that the count's enterprise would continue to expand.

 

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