101965 | UNITED STATES & FRANCE. Sinking of the "Lusitania" Bronze Medal.

101965  |  UNITED STATES & FRANCE. Sinking of the Lusitania Bronze Medal. Issued circa 1920. The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania (54mm, 72.20 g, 12h). By R. Baudichon in Paris.

 

VLTRIX AMERICA JVRIS (America, the defender of the just) / 1917 USA 1918, upper part of the Statue of Liberty rising from the Atlantic Ocean, holding sword in place of torch // LVSITANIA MAY 7 1915, stern of the Lusitania above the ocean, in the process of sinking; capsized lifeboat in foreground; above, vignette containing a drowning child. Edge: «cornucopia» BRONZE.

 

Jones, Dance of Death, 27; The Art of Devastation, p. 310, 99. Choice Mint State. Tan-brown surfaces, with a delightful matte nature; some minor spotting is noted on the reverse. A powerful and historically interesting piece relating to America's build up to World War I. Compare to similar examples that realized totals of $780 (in Stack's Bowers April 2020 World CCO) and, more recently, $960 (in Stack's Bowers December 2021 Tokens & Medals CCO).

 

Not long after the German warning against sea travel into her 'war zone' declared upon Great Britain, a popular liner—the RMS Lusitania—was torpedoed 11 miles off the coast of Ireland, where over 60% of her passengers, some of whom were American, were killed. Serving as a rallying cry against the German Empire, this action solidified the U.S. involvement in World War I.

 

Upload: 1 November 2023.