KARL GOETZ MEDALS. Germany. 125th Anniversary of the Oktoberfest in Munich Silver Medal, 1935. Munich Mint. PCGS MATTE SPECIMEN-64 Gold Shield. Kienast-513. 36mm. By Karl Goetz. Obverse: Busts of Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, crowned, veiled, and facing slightly right, and of Crown Prince Ludwig von Bayern, facing slightly left; Reverse: German eagle, with wings spread, standing atop swastika; below, platform with elements of Munich (civic coat-of-arms) and the festival (horse and rider, ox, targets, barley, and hops. A vibrant Near Gem, this <strong>SCARCE </strong>piece presents highly lustrous surfaces with some flecks of burnt sienna and cobalt toning throughout. PCGS has seen just one finer.<p><em>Originating in 1810 as a way to celebrate the marriage of the Bavarian crown prince to Princess Therese, the Oktoberfest came to be known, as it still is today, as a celebration dominated by beer. Specifically, the maerzen style was popular, as early modern German laws prohibited the brewing of beer between late April and late September. As one would need a beer to last through the entirety of the summer and still be palatable during the time of the festivities in early October, the maerzen--</em>its naming owing to being brewed in Maerz (March in German)<em>--was brewed with a slightly higher alcohol content as well as hop character in order to better preserve it throughout the summer months.</em> From the Richard Jewell Collection.
