KARL GOETZ MEDALS. Austria - Germany - Russia - Serbia. Serbian Assassins/Russian Ambassador Cast Bronze Medal, 1914. Munich Mint. MINT STATE. Kienast-132. 58mm. By Karl Goetz. Obverse: Russian ambassador Hartwig standing left, receiving Serbian assassins and presenting them with a bag of money; Reverse: Assassin advancing on a road to Sarajevo, holding bomb behind back. Charming yellow-brown surfaces, with darker highlights near the peripheries.<p><em>Starting merely as a local issue between Austrian-dominated Serbia and the Russian Empire who wished to have greater influence in the Balkans, World War I escalated upon the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian crown prince, Franz Ferdinand, along with his wife Sophie in the streets of Sarajevo in 1914. Conducted by Serbians who were members of the Black Hand, this caused Austria to punish Serbia, with Russia then coming to the aid of Serbia. In turn, Germany s decades-old alliance with Austria brought her into the conflict against Russia, with France and Great Britain (owing to their own alliance with Russia) in against Germany and Austria. Through numerous alliances, this Balkan issue quickly spiraled into the largest conflict then seen by the world.</em> From the Richard Jewell Collection.
