103259 | UNITED STATES, GERMANY & SPAIN. Christopher Columbus copper Medal.

103259  |  UNITED STATES, GERMANY & SPAIN. Christopher Columbus copper Medal. Issued 1892 for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America (27mm, 12h). Ludwig Christian Lauer mint in Nürnberg.

 

CHRISTOV. COLON, robed bust left, with back facing // RECUERDO DEL 4º CENTENARIO 1892, crowned and robed seminude female personification of Spain, holding scepter and cradling wreath, seated slightly right upon globe focused upon the Western Hemisphere; tablet in background to left; in background to right, ship under sail right.

 

Eglit 224; Starlust ST-eg-224c; Rulau B52K. NGC MS-66 Brown. Glossy red-brown surfaces, with great lustrous brilliance throughout. Tied with just one other for the finest seen at NGC, and very rare without a loop attached at the top. An exceptional rendition with a "heroic"-style bust, with this obverse type serving as the basis for many slightly larger "so-called dollar" issues.

 

Ex Bruce Thomas Collection.

 

During the lead-up to the quadricentennial of Columbus's initial contact with the New World, numerous medals were designed and struck, both in the United States—in conjunction with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago—and abroad—sometimes for this event or for similar others. Known as the "Lauer la vista" medal on account of the German-based Lauer firm that produced it, this type is also seen in an anglicized version for American consumption.

 

Upload: 2 September 2025.