Rare Pre WW1 1912 Berlin Canada CELEBRATION OF CITYHOOD Watch Fob Medal Antique
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:82914 |
Over the next few months, I'll be selling a huge collection of original period pieces from the Civil War, Indian Wars, WW1, and WW2. Please check my other auctions.
Are you a WW1, medal or pinback collector who likes to have rare one-of-a-kind items in your collection? Well, this might be one of those perfect items for your collection! Here we have an original 1912 bronze medal given out in Berlin, Ontario, at their "Celebration of Cityhood" (1799-1912). Only a few hundred of them w...ere produced, and what makes this medal hard to find is that after WW1 began two years later, an anti-German faction in the city led a movement to have the name changed from Berlin to Kitchener in 1916. It only took 346 votes to change the name, and as far as I know, this little town of Berlin was the only city in the Western Hemisphere to change its name due to WW1. Most likely, many of these little medals were discarded or melted down after the name change. The city went through a lot of turmoil during and after that time due to the anti-German sentiment.
The medal measures approximately 1 1/2" by 1 5/8" and is in very good overall condition. It may be the only one in existence to still be attached to its original watch fob. I believe the medal and leather fob were originally meant to attach to a pocket watch. During this time, men didn't yet wear wristwatches and still carried around pocket watches. This fob could have easily been used to attach the pocket watch to a belt. Another interesting note is that the medal was produced by The Green Duck Co. of Chicago, the company that produced highly collectible pinbacks throughout the 20th century. The Green Duck Co. was founded in 1906, so this was one of their early pieces.
The medal and fob will be sent via USPS Priority in the nice little display case pictured.
Check out Wikipedia to read about Berlin's name change to Kitchener!
Are you a WW1, medal or pinback collector who likes to have rare one-of-a-kind items in your collection? Well, this might be one of those perfect items for your collection! Here we have an original 1912 bronze medal given out in Berlin, Ontario, at their "Celebration of Cityhood" (1799-1912). Only a few hundred of them w...ere produced, and what makes this medal hard to find is that after WW1 began two years later, an anti-German faction in the city led a movement to have the name changed from Berlin to Kitchener in 1916. It only took 346 votes to change the name, and as far as I know, this little town of Berlin was the only city in the Western Hemisphere to change its name due to WW1. Most likely, many of these little medals were discarded or melted down after the name change. The city went through a lot of turmoil during and after that time due to the anti-German sentiment.
The medal measures approximately 1 1/2" by 1 5/8" and is in very good overall condition. It may be the only one in existence to still be attached to its original watch fob. I believe the medal and leather fob were originally meant to attach to a pocket watch. During this time, men didn't yet wear wristwatches and still carried around pocket watches. This fob could have easily been used to attach the pocket watch to a belt. Another interesting note is that the medal was produced by The Green Duck Co. of Chicago, the company that produced highly collectible pinbacks throughout the 20th century. The Green Duck Co. was founded in 1906, so this was one of their early pieces.
The medal and fob will be sent via USPS Priority in the nice little display case pictured.
Check out Wikipedia to read about Berlin's name change to Kitchener!
