GERMANY. Frankfurt. Medal 1899 (Bronze, 39 mm, 25.49 g, 12 h), on the golden wedding of Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild (1828-1901) and Hannah Mathilde von Rothschild (1832-1924). בית תפלה יקרא (Isaiah 56:7: '[It] shall be called a house of prayer' in Hebrew) / SYNAGOGE D.ISR.RELIGIONS- / GESELLSCHAFT / ZU FRANKFURT A.M. Interior view of the Old Frankfurt Synagogue (Hauptsynagoge). Rev. DIE / SYNAGOGENGEMEINDE / ISRAELITISCHE / RELIGIONSGESELLSCHAFT / ZU / FRANKFURT A.M. / FREIHERRN / WILHELM CARL VON ROTHSCHILD / UND FREIFRAU / MATHILDE VON ROTHSCHILD / ZUR FEIER IHRER / GOLDENEN HOCHZEIT / AM / 8. NOVEMBER 1899 in 14 lines; above, wreath below עוד ינובון בשיבה דשנים ורעננים יהיו (Psalm 92:15: 'They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and fresh' in Hebrew); below all, יום ד׳ ו׳ כסלו ('4 Kislew 5660'=8 November 1899 in Hebrew). Joseph/Fellner 2369. Stern -. Of the highest rarity. Mintage of only five pieces. Tiny deposits on the obverse and very minor edge nicks, otherwise, virtually as struck.



Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild was one of the leading figures of the Frankfurt branch of the Rothschild family and, from 1855, helped direct the family banking house M. A. von Rothschild & Söhne, eventually becoming its sole head in 1886. A deeply observant Jew, he was an important supporter of Orthodox Judaism in Frankfurt and played a major role in financing the institutions of the 'Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft' and its synagogue.

In 1849, he married his cousin Hannah Mathilde von Rothschild, daughter of Anselm Salomon von Rothschild of the Vienna branch, and the couple made their home in Frankfurt. Their marriage produced three daughters, Georgine Sara, Adelheid, and Minna Caroline; after Georgine Sara’s premature death in 1869, her parents established a hospital in Frankfurt in her memory. Mathilde was herself a remarkable figure: a gifted musician who had studied with Chopin, she composed numerous songs and became one of Frankfurt’s most prominent philanthropists, supporting hospitals, Jewish charities, cultural institutions, and, later in life, the University of Frankfurt.

Their golden wedding anniversary in 1899 was commemorated by the Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft with this impressive medal, whose obverse appropriately depicts the interior of the synagogue that Wilhelm Carl had done so much to support. The medal is of exceptional rarity: with a reported mintage of just five pieces in bronze and 15 pieces in silver (see Lot 518 below), it was clearly intended for only a very small and select circle, and surviving examples are correspondingly elusive.

With its intimate connection to the Rothschild family, Frankfurt’s Orthodox Jewish community, and the couple’s extraordinary philanthropic legacy, this medal offers a tangible glimpse into one of the most influential Jewish families of 19th-century Europe.