Germany - Weimar Republic: Karl Goetz Commemorative Silver Medallion for the Stratosphere Balloon Flight of Piccard and Kipfer 1931. Rare.
Condition: Extremely Fine.
Provenance: ex Meister and Sonntag Auction 5 in Stuttgart, 19th September 2007, Lot 2230.
Silver medal, signed K. Goetz, the obverse with the busts of Piccard and Kipfer facing three-quarters right, reverse with a view of Augsburg with balloon above, 36 mm in diameter.
On 27th May 1931, Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer took off from Augsburg, Germany, and reached a record altitude of 15,781 m (51,775 ft) (9.8 miles). (FAI Record File Number 10634) During this flight, they became the first human beings to enter the stratosphere, and were able to gather substantial data on the upper atmosphere, as well as measure cosmic rays. Piccard and Kipfer are widely considered the first people to visually observe the curvature of the earth.