101896 | GERMANY. Wilhelm II silver Medal.

101896  |  GERMANY. Wilhelm II silver Medal. Issued 1914. World War I series: The German Emperor and Prussian King (33mm, 18.14 g, 12h). By L. C. Lauer in Nürnberg.

 

WILHELM II DEUTSCHER KAISER KG v PREUSSEN, uniformed bust left / Crown and three swords dividing date; legend in eight lines below. Edge: SILBER 990.

 

Zetzmann 2016; Klose –. Choice Mint State. Deep gray surfaces, with a good deal of prooflike brilliance in the fields and some pastel iridescence. Compare to a similar example that realized a total of $480 in the recent Stack's Bowers January 2022 NYINC sale.

 

Not originally in line to ever become the King of Prussia and, more importantly, the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II ascended to the thrones following the rather brief reign of his father, Friedrich III, who passed away from cancer at the relatively young age of 56 and after ruling just three months. Unlike his father, who would have likely been a liberal reformer heading into the 20th century, Wilhelm was more autocratic and bellicose in his tendencies. It was on account of this aspect that the events that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I and, by extension, World War II, became much more likely with his rule as opposed to that of his father.

 

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