Unknown medallist. 1914.
✤LÜGE･V･VERLÄUMDUNG✤VNSRE･GRÖSSTEN･FEINDE (lie a[nd] slander our greatest enemies). Single-sided cast bronze, dark patina, 51.02 mm, 33.74 g. Vorzüglich (extremely fine).
Title legend in double-lined border; at center of field, head with three grimacing faces, to front, left, and right, from whose open mouths writhe serpents; surrounding image, the names REVTER (Reuter) above; STEFANI below; PETERSBG.(Petersburg) right; HAVAS left; year date 19 --- 14 upper left and right, respectively.
This medal disparages the main news agencies broadcasting propaganda negative to the Central Powers: the English Reuter's Telegraph Company founded in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter (a German immigrant); the Italian Agenzia Telegrafia Stefani founded in 1853 by Guglielmo Stefani; the French Agence Havas founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas; and the St Petersburg Telegraph Agency founded in 1902.
The image of the snake-spewing faces on this medal possibly inspired that on the obverse of Karl Goetz's K-185 (
Reuter Gezeter: deutsche U-boote in Amerika 7. Okt. 1916). Goetz's medal employs a stereotype anti-Semitic caricature of Reuter (a German immigrant and converted Jew) to add scorn to the English enemy news agency. The tri-faced image on the present medal, however, displays no obvious anti-Semitic features, though Havas also came from a Jewish family.
If any readers can shed more light on this medal - especially published references, the medallist, or examples in other collections - it would be much appreciated.
