102035 | GERMANY. King of Cards cast bronze Medal.

102035  |  GERMANY. King of Cards cast bronze Medal. Dated 1921. "Kartenkönig"—pun on the former Kaiser Wilhelm's tax declaration compared with his actual net worth (58mm, 12h). By K. Goetz in München.

 

UND SEIN (and actually...) on two banners, Kaiser Wilhelm II, depicted as on a playing card, with facing bust viewable from top and bottom, as the King of Hearts, with crown, ermine mantle, and eagle-tipped scepter, and with 160 / MILLIONEN / GOLD (160 million in gold) on oval in the middle / SCHEIN (...but in pretense) on banner, Kasier Wilhelm II advancing left before the Dutch tax office, holding out overturned pickelhaube as if in search of hand-outs; from his mouth emanates speech bubble "ICH HABE NUR / 1-1/2 MILL GILD" (I only have 1.5 million Guilders), and with four line legend on building to right: EIN ARMER MANN BITTE (I'm just a poor man, please help!).

 

Kienast 277. NGC MS-63 Brown. For cert verification, please follow this link. Just two graded finer in the NGC census.

 

Following Germany's loss in World War I, the Empire ceased to exist, costing Wilhelm the crowns of his hereditary realm of Hohenzollern Prussia along with the Empire to which it became attached upon German unification some five decades prior. He fled to the Netherlands, where he was allowed to purchase an estate at which he would spend the remainder of his life. Though no longer in the possession of his crowns, he was allowed to transfer numerous cars worth of personal belongings from his palace to his new estate. He was able to elude extradition and any subsequent punishment as members of the allies wished not to cause further animosity by a trial of the former monarch. Despite the idea that Wilhelm had become a citizen, he clearly retained great privileges, as alluded to on this medal.

 

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