103386 | GERMANY. König Wilhelms Railway Bridge bronze Medal.

103386  |  GERMANY. König Wilhelms Railway Bridge bronze Medal. Issued 1870 for the completion of the bridge across the Rhine between Hamm and Neuss (71mm, 12h). By Leopold Wiener.

 

+ WILHELM KOENIG VON PREUSSEN + AUGUSTA KOENIGEN V PREUSSEN, jugate bare heads right of Wilhelm and Augusta // KOENIG WILHELMS / RHEIN–EISENBAHNBRUCKE / ERBAUT IN DEN JAHREN / 1868 BIS 1870, nude river god of the Rhine reclining right, resting elbow upon overturned urn from which liquid flows and resting hand upon civic coats-of-arms of Hamm and Neuss; in background, perspective view of the bridge.

 

Ross M292; Döry/Kubinszky 145; Henckel 4933; Schulten 9; Brettauer 337. PCGS SP-64. Extremely vibrant and glossy, with rich brown surfaces and a wondrous overall appearance that would seemingly make this somewhat conservatively assessed. As such, a premium quality example, and likely one of the finest of the type that one will encounter. The only representative of the type in the PCGS census.

 

The initial bridge for Düsseldorf over the Rhine, the König Wilhelms Railway Bridge was begun in 1868 and completed just two years later—an event commemorated on this medal. Over the years, the bridge has been extended, renovated, and completely rebuilt, with the current incarnation aesthetically similar to its predecessor, and with the original watchtowers (which can be seen at the far left side on the reverse of this medal) still standing right next to the current bridge.

 

Upload: 3 November 2025.