Among the countless highlights in our May Collectors Choice Online Auction (CCO), a four-day event running from May 16-19, we are happy to present a rather extensive collection of artistic award medals from the PHG Collection, the vast majority of which are from the increasingly popular series of Swiss shooting medals.
These beautiful and highly attractive miniature works of art present numerous collecting opportunities. Some of the particular standouts include more traditional designs, like lots 73534—issued for the Federal shooting festival held in Geneva in 1887—and 73504—awarded at the Western Switzerland shooting festival held in Biel in 1893. Others utilize timeless motifs and iconography, with Neoclassicism serving as a popular inspiration for engravers, such as lots 73531—presented for Geneva’s Society of Riflemen in 1882—and lot 73611—struck for the Federal shooting festival held in Frauenfeld in 1890. Still others parallel the changing art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, employing hints of Art Nouveau on lot 73475—issued for the Aargau Cantonal shooting festival in 1902—and featuring strong nods to Art Deco on lot 73559—awarded at the Sempach annual shooting festival from the 1920s. Commemoration of some of these festivals included not just medals, however, as coins at times also celebrated the events, with crown-sized pieces offering a great analog to the award medals. An early example of a “shooting Taler” is lot 73547—a 4 Francs from 1842 celebrating the Federal Free Shoot in Chur. No matter one’s specific collecting focus or interests, the PHG Collection likely offers treasures for both advanced and novice collectors.
To view these lots, as well as the rest of our current CCO, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.
We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for our future auctions, and are currently accepting submissions for our August 2023 Global Showcase auction and our fall Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are accepting submissions for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next of which (for which we are accepting consignments) will be in September 2023. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.
