Austria, Imperial. A Trio of Bravery and Civil Merit Medals

1. (Tapferkeitsmedaille Franz Joseph I) Silver Medal for Bravery, featuring the right-facing bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I, measuring 31.0 mm x 35.7 mm inclusive of the suspension ring and weighing 20.5 grams including the ribbon, displaying a smooth and lightly toned silver surface with small nicks around the edge, the reverse with “DER TAPFERKEIT” within a laurel wreath showing traces of old tape residue, suspended from its period folded wartime ribbon which shows notable age fraying.

2. (Tapferkeitsmedaille Karl I) Silver Medal for Bravery, featuring the right-facing bust of Emperor Karl I, issued 1917–1918, measuring 32.1 mm x 35.3 mm including the suspension ring and weighing 25.9 grams including ribbon and bar, the upper bar denoting a second award, the obverse showing moderate wear with scattered contact marks, the reverse with “FORTITVDINI” within a laurel wreath sharply struck, suspended from its correct triangular ribbon with metal prongs, the ribbon exhibiting period wear along its folds.

3. (Kammer der Gewerblichen Wirtschaft für Wien) Large silver table medal of the Chamber of Industrial Economics for Vienna, designed by Edwin Grienauer, 70.9 mm in diameter and 144.5 grams, the obverse depicting Mercury (Hermes) running with caduceus and laurel wreath before an industrial backdrop of factories and smokestacks, the reverse showing three muscular labourers engaged in a rope-pull motif above the inscription “FÜR TREUE MITARBEIT FRAU KAROLINE HÖLLINGER WIEN 1968” (translated: “For Loyal Service, Mrs. Karoline Höllinger, Vienna, 1968”), the surfaces exhibiting even toning with light handling marks.

Footnote: The Austro-Hungarian Medal for Bravery (Tapferkeitsmedaille) was the principal decoration for frontline courage, established in 1789 and issued through the First World War in several classes and portrait types. The Franz Joseph I and Karl I silver issues represented high-level recognition for repeated acts of valour in combat. The Chamber of Industrial Economics medal, produced by renowned sculptor Edwin Grienauer, reflects the postwar Austrian tradition of honouring long and loyal service within the commercial and industrial sectors, its iconography symbolizing economic vitality, labour, and civic contribution.