(Blutsauger am Rhein)

1923, Cast Bronze, 61mm, 62g. VZ

Obverse: A German baby is attacked by a huge blood-sucking leech.

Reverse: The German Michel is in a screw press that is being turned by the heads of two French soldiers. Coins are being squeezed from the Michel's pocket. Inscription: "Boches' fest ausgepresst" (The Boches are completely squeezed dry ). Dated 1923. “Boches” was a derogatory term regarding Germans and used by the French.

Lampooning the harsh conditions of the reparation terms. On May 6, 1921 the London ultimatum reduced the total reparations payments to 33 billion dollars, with the immediate payment of 1 billion Gold Marks. The German government accepts this ultimate rather than have the Ruhr territory occupied. In November 1922, Germany asks for a freeze of the payments for 3 or 4 years to help stabilize the Mark and revive German industry and trade. The request was denied. The December 1922 conference of the Reparations Commission realized that the German government was bankrupt. In January 1923, one American dollar would buy 10,000 Marks and not the usual four German marks. This was the atmosphere in which Goetz created this medal.

Although this piece is not rare, it is a highly collected post-WWI medal purely due to its bizarre symbolism. You must admit that Goetz probably got his point across.!

HI-RESOLUTION IMAGES PROVIDED UPON REQUEST

I will be selling numerous Goetz medals from my private collection over the next upcoming weeks.

SALES CONDITIONS

We reserve the right to block any bidder from participating in a listing, as well as to cancel suspect bids during the course of an auction. Please feel free to email us with any questions.

PAYMENTS

Payment must be received withing seven (7) days (see below). Please contact us within 72 hours of auction close with your shipping address so that we may ascertain your payment total with shipping and insurance.

INSURANCE & SHIPPING

Postal insurance is required for all items which sell for $50.00 or more. We will not be responsible for any item that is lost or broken in transit. A filing of an insurance claim is the obligation of the buyer, although we will provide insurance receipt information upon request. Postal insurance fees will be assessed at close of auction.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS & SHIPPING

We will ship only to countries as outlined below. You may still bid if you maintain a viable shipping address within acceptable countries. Please email us before bidding if this is the case. Winning bidders outside the United States will be quoted shipment costs based on their postal zone and country of origin following the conclusion of the auction.

All sales are transacted in U.S. Dollars. We are unable to accept payments paid or drawn on other currencies. International PayPal payments received in other currencies other than U.S. dollars will be refused which may result in the item won being relisted.

International insurance claims for lost or damaged items shipped from the U.S. can take up to a year to process. We will not be responsible for lost or broken items in international shipments. We will provide the insurance purchase receipt and paperwork to the claimant, but the claim must be filed by the buyer in his or her home country.

RETURNS

Items sold carry a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and are subject to a full refund (minus shipping costs). If unsatisfied with your purchase, simply notify us with your refund request within 3 days of receiving the item. Returned item(s) must be in precisely the same condition as when received, and postmarked for return within 3 days of receipt.