NGC-certified German World War I Christmas Medals Offered by Heritage

Peace on earth — the promise spoken by the angels in the biblical account of Jesus’ birth — did not ring true during 1914. The world was at war. In Germany, many soldiers spent Christmas that year, and the ones that followed, in the trenches.

To honor those soldiers and acknowledge the sacrifice that they were making for their country, Germany issued a number of commemorative Christmas medals designed by the famous German artist Karl X. Goetz. Four of these “Christmas on the Front” medals are being offered in The World Medals and Tokens Showcase Auction being presented by Heritage Auctions through November 13, 2022. Each medal is bronze and measures 23mm in diameter. Each was also certified and graded by Numismatic Guaranty Company™ (NGC®).

The Christmas on the Front 1914 medal is graded NGC MS 64 BN. The obverse shows Paul von Hindenburg, the field marshal who led Germany’s Imperial Army during World War I. He appears to be wearing a classic German Pickelhaube, which is the iconic spiked helmet worn by many German soldiers, emblazoned with the German Imperial Eagle. The reverse of the medal shows a single lit candle resting on a pine branch. The words WEIHNACHT IM FELD (“Christmas in the Field”) encircle the candle while the date “1914” flanks it.

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The Christmas on the Front 1915 medal is graded NGC MS 63 BN. The obverse shows an unidentified soldier in a Pickelhaube looking to the left. To the soldier's right is an eagle looking in the opposite direction. The initials “KG” are beneath the soldier. The reverse shows two lit candles on a pine branch with the words WEIHNACHT IM FELD 1915 (“Christmas in the Field 1915”). The initials “KG” also appear on the reverse.

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The Christmas on the Front 1916 medal is graded NGC MS 62 BN. The obverse shows two soldiers who are unidentified along with the initials “KG.” The soldier on the right is similar to the one who appears on the 1915 coin. The other soldier appears to be Crown Prince Leopold of Bavaria, who had recently been appointed Supreme Commander of the German forces on the Eastern front. Another version of the medal from 1916 features Prince Leopold alone. The reserve of the coin shows three lit candles on a pine branch with the words WEIHNACHT IM FELD 1916 (“Christmas in the Field 1916”).

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The Christmas on the Front 1917 medal is graded NGC MS 62 BN. The obverse shows a German soldier looking to the right and wearing a combat helmet. The initials “KG” appear under the soldier’s chin. The reverse of the coin shows four lit candles on a pine branch with the words WEIHNACHT IM FELD 1917 (“Christmas in the Field 1917”).

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The Christmas on the Front 1918 medal is graded NGC MS 63 BN. Signifying the first Christmas after the war, the coin’s obverse features an angel standing on a combat helmet with a palm branch and a trumpet. The words on the obverse proclaim FRIEDE AUF ERDEN (“Peace on Earth”). The reverse shows five lit candles on a pine branch with the words WEIHNACHT DAHEIM 1918 (“Christmas at Home 1918”). It also includes the initials “KG.”

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A variety of different versions of the medals were issued, some utilizing metals other than bronze. The designs on the obverse also varied, with some featuring military leaders such as Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, Field Marshal August von Mackensen, Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph.

Karl Goetz created more than 800 medals during his artistic career. Many had satirical messages about the events of World War I. Another bronze Goetz medal offered in the Heritage sale commemorates the bicentennial of the Sendling Christmas Day Massacre. It is dated 1905 and graded NGC MS 64 BN.

NGC’s website provides information on the range of world tokens and medals that it has certified, including 870 Karl Goetz Medals.