GERMANY. Augsburg. Stadt. Medal 1645 (Silver, 45 x 51 mm, 33.94 g, 12 h), so-called 'Ratsmedaille'. By D. Sailer or D. Stadler. •BERNHARD:REICHLINGER•ÆT:AO.LXXXI // *DAVID•WELSER•ÆT:AO.LXXV // SAC:CÆS:MAI: / Ä CONSILiiS / II VIRIS PR• / AVGUVSTANIS• Crowned and nimbate eagle; in front, Pyr between facing draped busts of B. Reichlinger and D. Welser within cartouches; below, two coat of arms within floral ornament above DS. Rev. MEMORIÆ ANNI CHRSITIANI - MDCXLV - AVGVSTA•VINDELICORVM• // CI - Æ81 / HCR / •HCL / MQ / F / GE / HWZ• / OVR / •I - W• / MM Eight coat of arms within cartouches; all crowned by manus Dei with wreath. Erlanger -. Forster 38. Extremely rare. A lustrous, fresh and beautifully toned medal. Some edge filing, otherwise, virtually as struck.


The coveted Augsburg Ratsmedaillen ('Council medals' in German) are impressive symbols of the proud self-image held by the Free Imperial City of Augsburg - especially during the turbulent times of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), when the city had to stand its ground against a rotating cast of occupying forces. Just beneath the imperial eagle and the Pyr, Augsburg’s official city emblem, appear the portraits and coats of arms of the two Stadtpfleger (mayors), Bernhard Rechlinger and David Welser on the obverse. David Welser (1570-1654) hailed from a prominent merchant dynasty that, alongside the Fuggers, played a dominant role in long-distance trade out of Augsburg and Nuremberg. The reverse of the medal features the coats of arms of the other eight members of the city council.

These medals were commissioned by the city council as prestigious gifts and are distinguished by their exceptional artistic quality, the result of work by highly trained die engravers. This particular piece is often attributed to a certain David Stadler - though no trace of him appears in Augsburg’s historical records. However, the city archives do reference a die cutter named Daniel Sailer (1571-1645), who signed his work with the initials 'DS' and was most likely responsible for the dies used to strike this medal (cf. L. Forrer, Biographical Dictionary of Medals, Vol. V, London 1909, p. 297).