1924 Airship 'Los Angeles' Medallion

The silvered medallion is approximately 1-1/4 inches in diameter. The medallion shows wear to the silver finish. The obverse depicts Hugo Eckener, the captain of the airship and head of the Zeppelin company. LZ 126 / ZR III 'Los Angeles' was commissioned by the German Reich government as reparation payments by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH to the USA. It was to replace a destroyed military airship. The delivery flight in October 1924 attracted significant media attention. This established the Zeppelin myth and made Hugo Eckener, the captain of the airship and head of the Zeppelin company, world-famous. It was the first time that Germany made positive headlines internationally after World War I. LZ 126, known as ZR III in the United States, was celebrated as a symbol of peace and international connection and was named Los Angeles by Grace Coolidge, the wife of the American president.