Lot 153
Commemorative Medal – Kaiser Wilhelm II's Voyage to Palestine, 1898
Medal commemorating Kaiser Wilhelm II's visit to Palestine, 1898. German.
Obverse: Church of the Redeemer. Legends: "Erloserkirche Geweiht am 31. Okt. 1898 / Erinnerung an die Kaiserfahrt nach Jerusalem 1898" [Church of the Redeemer, consecrated on October 31, 1898 / to commemorate the Kaiser's voyage to Jerusalem, 1898]. Reverse: a cross against the background of Jerusalem's skyline, and a long legend: "…it is neither power, nor glory, nor honour, nor earthly goods that we seek here…" (German).
This medal was presumably minted in order to alleviate the concern that the Kaiser intends to establish a military base in Palestine, and to emphasize the religious character of his visit. See: Ya'akov Meshorer, "Third side of the coin" (Jerusalem: Yad Ben-Zvi, 2006), p. 166 (Hebrew).
Diameter: 40 mm.
