Description
Golden Wedding Medal 1918, Weihnachten 1918, struck in Iron by engraver and medalist Alois Börsch (Boersch) A.B.
The last medal of the kingdom of Bavaria, instituted in 1918 by King Ludwig to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of the Bavarian Royal Couple (King Ludwig III and Queen Maria Theresia) on 20 Feb. 1918.
It was intended to be issued as a Christmas gift to the troops (King’s Regiments) under his Command (hence the inscription “Weihnachten 1918” (Christmas 1918) under the portraits of the Royal Couple on the obverse side. A total of 14.000 medals were ordered but due to the November Revolution, the end of WW1 and the fall of the German Monarchy they were not distributed as intended. Instead, they were subsequently given to Crown Prince Rupprecht who distributed a large number of medals to attendees of the solemn burial of his father King Ludwig III, who died on Oct.18, 1921.
The remaining medals were unofficially awarded by the Bavarian Royal Household between 1921 and 1935.
