European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Holy Roman Empire. Leopold I. 1640-1705. Medal (Silver, 43mm, 37.18 g 12), on the defeat of the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683, by H. Haffner in Nürnberg, 1683, given as a chronogram. OppVgnata bona est non eXpVgnataVIenna:NaM CoeLô perDens HostIbVs HostIs erat Plan of the besieged city of Vienna, with the palace and the great cathedral, all within ramparts; above, the Danube; around, the camp of the besiegers; on a battery at the bottom right, HH. Rev. DefensorIbVs IstIs FortIbVs atqVe PIIs praeCLara VIenna triVMphat Military trophy with two Turkish captives bound at its base; above, the zodiac from July to September. A. Hirsch, 1883, 10. Very rare. An attractive, toned and well struck example. Extremely fine. A considerable number of medals were struck commemorating the great defeat of the Turks before Vienna in 1683. This piece was designed by the Nürnberg engraver, H. Haffner, and is rather unusual because both sides of this medal are more commonly found used with other reverses. The obverse here is found paired with a reverse showing the fleeing Turkish army, and the present reverse (used as an obverse) is found combined with a reverse showing storks nesting peacefully on a Viennese chimney. As is, this medal is quite rare; it also is, again rather unusually, dated by use of a chronogram on both sides.