Exhibit 99.1


February 13, 2004                             Steven F. Nicola
                                              Chief Financial Officer,
                                              Secretary & Treasurer
                                              412-442-8262



         MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES PERSONNEL CHANGES


PITTSBURGH, PA, February 13, 2004 -- Matthews International Corporation
(NASDAQ NNM: MATW) announced today that David J. DeCarlo has been appointed
Group President, Bronze and York Casket Divisions.  In this role, Mr. DeCarlo
will maintain direct responsibility as President, Bronze Division and will
assume oversight responsibility for the York Casket business.  Mr. DeCarlo
has been a Director of the Company since 1987 and has been President, Bronze
Division since 1993.

Joseph C. Bartolacci has been appointed Executive Vice President and
President, York Casket Division.  In this role, Mr. Bartolacci will assume
direct responsibility for the York Casket business as well as continuing
responsibility for European operations.  Mr. Bartolacci joined the Company in
1997 as General Counsel and has been President, Matthews Europe since April
2002.

The Company also announced the resignation of Jonathan H. Maurer as
President, York Casket Division.  Mr. Maurer is leaving Matthews for a
position with an unrelated company.

Matthews International Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer principally of
memorialization products, caskets and cremation equipment for the cemetery
and funeral home industries, and custom made products which are used to
identify people, places, products and events.  The Company's products include
cast bronze memorials and other memorialization products; caskets; bronze and
aluminum architectural products; cremators and cremation-related products;
mausoleums; printing plates, pre-press services, and imaging systems for the
corrugated and flexible packaging industries; and marking equipment and
consumables for identifying various consumer and industrial products,
components and packaging containers.