Imperial War Museum London - The Lusitania Medallion

Introduction

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Karl Goetz

German 1st Issue

British Anti-German Propaganda

German 2nd Issue

British Lusitania Medallion

The British 'Lusitania Medallion'

The British 'copy' of Goetz's first issue 'Lusitania Medallion' may be identified as follows:

The date in the obverse exergue reads '5. MAY 1915' (not '5. MAI 1915' - note the German spelling in the original)
The copy has a much cruder finish and there is significant loss of detail
The reverse text lacks clearly defined umlauts over the A of GESCHÄFT and the U of ÜBER (spelt with a V)
The text on the copy tends to be slightly larger and certainly more crudely formed than that of the original

The British replicas were sold at a shilling each, in an attractive cardboard presentation box with a hinged lid, the proceeds being directed to St Dunstan's Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Hostels and the Red Cross. The outside of the lid is decorated with an illustration of the liner steaming from left to right with 'R.M.S LUSITANIA: CUNARD LINE. 32000 TONS: SUNK ON HER RETURN JOURNEY FROM THE UNITED STATES BY A GERMAN SUBMARINE MAY 7TH 1915.' printed in a panel.

The inside of the lid bears sixteen lines of overtly propagandist text hammering home the disturbing ambiguities offered by the German original and stating that the piece 'is proof positive that such crimes are not merely regarded favourably, but are given every encouragement in the land of Kultur...'. Accompanying the medallion and its box in many instances was an 'explanatory' illustrated leaflet. Again, much stress was placed on the idea that the original medallion sought to celebrate the sinking in terms of a naval victory.

(Note: The original German '5 Mai 1915' medallions are very scarce - one can be seen on permanent display in the Imperial War Museum, and one is in the British Museum collection.)

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