{"product_id":"imperial-german-1870-71-franco-prussian-war-patriotic-pendant-beutemetall","title":"Imperial German 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War Patriotic Pendant Beutemetall","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eOriginal Imperial German patriotic pendant commemorating the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and the foundation of the German Empire that followed it, cast in white metal alloy from \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e — bronze captured from French artillery taken in the great victories of Sedan, Metz, and Paris. Pendants of this type were produced in considerable variety in the years following the war and the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles on 18 January 1871, sold to civilians, veterans, and patriotic associations as enduring tokens of the unification victory and the founding moment of the \u003cem\u003eKaiserreich\u003c\/em\u003e. The present example is the larger of the two principal size variants, measuring approximately 1 3\/4 inches (44 mm) in diameter as compared with the more commonly encountered 1 1\/4 inch form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe pendant is cast in a single piece with integral suspension loop at the upper edge for ribbon or chain mounting, and takes the form of a circular disc with the central field cut as openwork to display the form of an \u003cem\u003eEisernes Kreuz\u003c\/em\u003e (Iron Cross) of the 1870 pattern. The obverse cross bears the date \u003cem\u003e1813\u003c\/em\u003e on the left arm and \u003cem\u003e1870\u003c\/em\u003e on the right arm, with a small crowned \u003cem\u003eFW\u003c\/em\u003e cipher (\u003cem\u003eFriedrich Wilhelm Rex\u003c\/em\u003e, the cipher of King Friedrich Wilhelm III who founded the Iron Cross in 1813) at the head of the cross, and a small crown at the foot. The dating pair \u003cem\u003e1813–1870\u003c\/em\u003e deliberately frames the Franco-Prussian victory as the second great trial of Prussian arms in the Iron Cross tradition, the direct continuation of the \u003cem\u003eBefreiungskriege\u003c\/em\u003e (Wars of Liberation) of 1813–15 against Napoleon. The encircling legend reads \u003cem\u003eAus Deutschlands Heldenkampf, gegossen aus Kriegsbeute\u003c\/em\u003e — translating as \"From Germany's heroic struggle, cast from war booty\" — directly attesting the \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e origin of the alloy from which the pendant was cast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe reverse mirrors the obverse cross form in openwork, with the four cross arms now bearing the inscribed battle names of the Franco-Prussian War: \u003cem\u003eSedan\u003c\/em\u003e at the top, \u003cem\u003eMetz\u003c\/em\u003e at the right, \u003cem\u003eParis\u003c\/em\u003e at the bottom, and the fourth arm bearing a further engagement (the legend partially worn). The central medallion bears the right-facing profile portrait of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the founding sovereign of the German Empire, surrounded by the encircling legend \u003cem\u003eHeil dem Sieger — Vaterland\u003c\/em\u003e — \"Hail the Victor — Fatherland.\" The encircling outer legend on the reverse continues the dedication, naming the issuing or sponsoring association in language that links the artifact directly to the post-war commemorative culture that flowered in Germany throughout the 1870s and the early Imperial decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe historical significance of the Franco-Prussian War to the German national tradition cannot be overstated. The decisive defeat of the Second French Empire at Sedan on 1 September 1870, the capitulation of Marshal Bazaine and the entire Army of the Rhine at Metz on 27 October, and the surrender of Paris on 28 January 1871 produced not only the military collapse of France but the political conditions for German unification under Prussian leadership. The proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor in the \u003cem\u003eSpiegelsaal\u003c\/em\u003e (Hall of Mirrors) at Versailles on 18 January 1871 founded the \u003cem\u003eKaiserreich\u003c\/em\u003e that would endure until November 1918, and the \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e pendants — cast quite literally from the captured artillery of the defeated French — were among the most direct and physically substantial memorials of that founding victory available to the broader German public. They were worn at veterans' association gatherings, at \u003cem\u003eSedantag\u003c\/em\u003e (Sedan Day) commemorations on 2 September each year, and at family observances throughout the German Empire across the half-century of its existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe German \u003cem\u003eAus Deutschlands Heldenkampf, gegossen aus Kriegsbeute\u003c\/em\u003e translates as \"From Germany's heroic struggle, cast from war booty\"; \u003cem\u003eHeil dem Sieger — Vaterland\u003c\/em\u003e as \"Hail the Victor — Fatherland\"; \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e as \"war booty metal,\" referring specifically to the French artillery bronze from which the pendants were cast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCondition is honest and consistent with a piece carried, worn, and stored across more than a century since manufacture. The pendant retains its original dark patina across both faces, with substantial accumulated soil in the recessed legend and openwork areas — uncleaned and original to the piece. The strike detail across the obverse and reverse cross compositions, dates, cipher, crown, and Wilhelm I portrait remains sharply defined. The encircling legends are largely legible with some softening at the worn high points. The integral suspension loop is intact and shows the appropriate wear at the contact point from chain or ribbon suspension. The surface dirt is honest period accumulation and is generally preferred over the appearance of modern aggressive cleaning by serious collectors of this category. No structural damage or restoration is evident.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eFor the collector of Imperial German foundational material, the 1870-71 \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e pendant is one of the cornerstone artifacts of the post-Franco-Prussian-War commemorative tradition and the natural companion to any 1870 Iron Cross 2nd Class, \u003cem\u003eKriegsdenkmünze\u003c\/em\u003e 1870–71 service medal, or \u003cem\u003eSedantag\u003c\/em\u003e veterans' association badge. The larger 1 3\/4 inch variant is encountered notably less frequently than the more common 1 1\/4 inch form, and pieces with intact suspension and clearly legible legends — particularly with both the \u003cem\u003eBeutemetall\u003c\/em\u003e obverse legend and the \u003cem\u003eHeil dem Sieger\u003c\/em\u003e reverse legend in good preservation — anchor the category at modest cost.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49379046260975,"sku":"17-127","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/17-127_2.jpg?v=1777406953","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-1870-71-franco-prussian-war-patriotic-pendant-beutemetall","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}