1858 Wiener Cathedral Medal from ANA Summer Seminar YN Auction

[The Penny Lady]

The Young Numismatist auction is a fundraiser held at the ANA Summer Seminar to help fund YN Summer Seminar scholarships. All of the auction items are donated and no one is looking to get a "good deal" on anything they purchase. However, being new to the Summer Seminar and YN auctions, I didn't know that various bidding antics were quite typical and that there were actually "no rules" during the auctions!

 

So when I saw this medal come up for bid, I raised my bidder number, but then someone else began bidding on it. What I didn't know was that my good buddy Todd Pollock was the other bidder and that he was using a "counterfeit" bidder number he had created of MY OWN bidder number - which meant in essence, I was bidding against myself! Once I discovered that the other bidder was Todd and that he was using my own number, he "graciously" dropped out, but there was another real bidder, so we both kept bidding higher and higher, until finally I won out.

 

This is the beautiful Cathedral medal that I won:

 

 

It depicts both the interior and exterior of the Church of St. Genevieve (Pantheon) in striking detail. The building depicted was first built as a Cathedral to honor St. Genevieve, a Saint who in 451 supposedly led a “prayer marathon” that saved the city of Paris from Atilla and the Huns. The Cathedral was secularized during the French Revolution, changing its name to the Pantheon. It then served as a burial site for distinguished French citizens such as Voltaire, Jean-Paul Marat and Jean0Jacques Rousseau. This large medal itself features incredible attention to detail and utilizes 3-D perspective on the reverse, making the eye feel it is actually looking deep within the Cathedral while looking at the medal.

 

In 1872, 14 years after completing this medal, Jacques Wiener lost his eyesight due to the strain of making these incredibly detailed pieces. After losing his sight, he was forced to give up his art. However, his legacy lives on through the skills he taught to his brothers, Karl and Leopold Wiener.

 

And here is my bidder number (in blue) and Todd's "counterfeit" bidder number:

 

[RWB]

The perspective on most of the medals in that series is magnificent!

[rons]

Great joke but a terrific medal. Congratulations

[physics-fan3.14]

I always wondered - how accurate are these medals? If I were to go visit this cathedral, is this what I would see?

[Coindude]

That is one gorgeous medal! I've always love that design! Congrats.

[ldhair]

Now that's a fun trick to pull.

[messydesk]

Is it just me, or should there be a mustard stain on those bidding paddles?

 

(Oh, and nice medal, too!)

[The Penny Lady]

I always wondered - how accurate are these medals? If I were to go visit this cathedral, is this what I would see?

 

Keep in mind, this particular medal was done in 1858, however, I believe the interior has not changed but I understand the outer building of this particular cathedral has changed.

[cpm9ball]

I really find these 3-D medals very interesting. I have only one, but it is not a Wiener.

 

I just have to ask this, Charmy. "How far" were you willing to go to win this? Just kidding..........you don't have to answer. But, really, what was the winning bid?

 

Chris

[cpm9ball]

Is it just me, or should there be a mustard stain on those bidding paddles?

 

(Oh, and nice medal, too!)

 

The mustard is in the same place as the relish & onions.......on Todd's head.

 

Chris

[The Penny Lady]

Chris, as I mentioned, these YN auctions are a fundraiser and everyone knows the money goes for a good cause and no one expects to "get a good deal" at these auctions, so I didn't mind paying strong.

 

But it was funny because after Todd dropped out, the new bidder and I kept going back and forth and we both ended up just standing up with our "paddles" held high. Then, when the bid got to $475 and even though I couldn't see the other bidder since he was behind me, we both simultaneously sat down as (unbeknownst to each other) we had reached our limits! The crowd all laughed because it looked choreographed. But then the auctioneer couldn't tell who was the last bidder. So he asked us who wanted the coin at $475 and both of us shook our head. He then asked us if we would pay $450, and I agreed, so that's what it sold for.

 

In any event, I don't think I overpaid for this work of art since I have seen them sell for over $500.

 

And yes, the reason that bidder plate is so wrinkled is because it was used to smack Todd around a few times!

[cpm9ball]

Charmy,

 

I know it's for a good cause, and my question about how far would you go was meant in fun like the "spirit" of the auction.

 

Chris

[blu62vette]

After a few bids for Charmy I was bidding for myself, and I was going to go to 375 to buy it.

 

A slabbed Morgan I was going to buy for a YN I thought maybe I would go to $150 about double the value of the coin. It went for over $400. People were just there to raise money.