1897 German Cycling Club Watch Fob, 12th Congress Munich, General Cyclist Union

Description

1897 German Cycling Club Watch Fob.  A very detailed fob in raised relief, the fob itself identifies its origins:  The top part of the fob has "
XII CONGRESS MUNCHEN 17-22 JUL 1897
", with two-headed eagle  in shield on the left and eagle with one head in shield on the right.  This is a reference to the 12th bicycle congress of the General Cyclist Union, held in Munich, Germany, July 17-22, 1897.
Beneath this top part is a person in hooded cloak with cross on the front, left hand on an 1890s bicycle, and right arm raised above a 5 Kilometer marker, and Munich buildings in the background.  Above this image is "
DEUTSCHER TOUREN-CLUB ALLGEM.R.UNION
".  This is a reference to the German cycling club
Allgemeine radfahrer-union
, abbreviated
ARU
(or "
General Cyclist Union
" in English)
.
At the bottom is an eagle with spread wings, holding an
ARU
emblem in its talons.  There is worn red and black enamel around the ARU initials.
The clasp is marked "800" (800 silver, or German silver).  The fob is silver plated and is worn in spots with the copper base showing through (see pictures).  It measures 5 inches (13cm) top to bottom.
RESEARCH NOTE
:  The last two pictures are from an 1897 publication, found online, that documented this 1897 ARU cycling event in Munich. The first of these pictures is the cover of this publication and shows the same image - a person in hooded cloak with cross on front and arms raised. The second of these pictures shows an item with similar features as this fob and identified as "Das Festzeichen".
NOTE: this 1897 publication is
not
part of this auction; these pictures are provided as research references only and included because of the background they provide related to this watch fob.
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