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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,317 |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
161 Posts |
Hello, and welcome to the forum!
Your item appears to be a commemorative medallion.
The language on the reverse is German and reads
"To the memory of the building of the Arlburg Tunnel".
Arlberg is a mountain range or massif between Vorarlberg and Tyrol in Austria, so I'm guessing your medallion is Austrian.
That's a beautiful piece. I love the relief of the obverse.
Steve
P.S. PLEASE...don't clean it!
Edited by Firecom911
01/01/2008 12:42 am
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Moderator
 Australia
16832 Posts |
It's neither Italian, nor a coin. It's an Austrian railway medal. The language is German. It appears to be commemorating the construction and opening of a very long railway tunnel, the Arlberg Tunnel, 10 km long between Tyrol and Vorarlberg. A massive engineering effort in it's day, nowadays it doesn't even rank in the list of super-long tunnels. The reverse legend says around it, "The Royal Imperial Direction for building the State Railways". The central inscription translates to: "to the memory of the designers of the Arlberg tunnel". Edit: Firecom beat me to it... gotta type faster.  Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Edited by Sap
01/01/2008 12:53 am
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New Member
 United States
3 Posts |
Wow, you guys are amazing, Thanks!
@Firecom911, you said don't clean it? I know that could kill it, but is there nothing you recommend for preserving it from the oils of skin? Although I remember touching this thing when it was at my grandmas house, that was 28 years ago, I'm 33. Apparently it never hurt it, so I see what you mean.
My parents were asking if it's worth anything, do you guys think it?
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
That is one of the most beautiful coins I have seen. The detail is just amazing. Not sure of it's worth but if you ever wanna sell it please come here first
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Moderator
Australia
16832 Posts |
quote:
My parents were asking if it's worth anything, do you guys think it?
It can be, if you sell it in the right place. CoinArchives is a database of prices realised for coins and medals from the larger European and American auction houses. A search for "Arlberg" shows up quite a few of these exact same medals; prices realised range from 65 euro to 150 euro, and a silver version sold for over $2000. You probably won't get that sort of money for it on ebay, but you never know. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
Wow, Thanks guys I was looking through some of my stuff, I've got this US Indian Head penny from 1901 And there is a Thomas Jefferson coin from 1809 with a funny looking back. It dosn't look like it's money, it's just an old coin about Thomas Jefferson. It's amazing how well the metal on these coins holds up over the years. |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
Very nice medal. Another way to tell it's from Austria is the Double headed eagle coat of arms.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
quote:
I know that could kill it, but is there nothing you recommend for preserving it from the oils of skin?
It appears that some glue or something is one the surface in a spot or two. You should not clean the medal, but there is something you can do to conserve it. Cleaning generally refers to a harmful process that disturbs the metal on the surface of a coin(in your case, a medal)- this is bad  . Conservation is the process of removing surface contaminants and not disturbing the metal- this is good  . Search the forum for the proper use of acetone- it has been discussed many times. Acetone is an organic solvent that will remove organic surface material- glue, finger grease, pvc, etc.- but it will not harm or react with the metal itself and it will not remove any verdigris that may be present on the surface. It is volatile and flammable so you do have to take some safety precautions, but overall it is relatively safe to your health to use. Edited by biokemist6
01/04/2008 1:32 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1238 Posts |
By the way, the medal was not made in 1880, I think, but a little later. It says "Beginn Juni 1880 - Durchschlag Nov. 1883". So June 1880 was when construction began, and November 1883 was the breakthrough date. Guess the medal is from late 1883 ... Side note: 10248.7 meters (see the medal) was the length of the tunnel when it was opened. The 10648 m (see Sap's first link) is the length of the tunnel today. So it's not a rare error piece.  But still a nice medal. Christian |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,317 |
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Posted 01/01/2008 12:51 am
