A fan of Alexander the Great
Many Roman politicians adored the conquerer of the world, Alexander the Great. The emperor Caracalla was no exception…
Big price for an emergency coin
The city of Syracuse issued a marvelous gold coin during its war against the Carthaginians. A perfect specimen of this emission sold for 66.700 Euro during the last auction sale of Gorny & Mosch…
Leo Mildenberg
In the first semester of 2011, the glorious history of the Bank Leu / Leu Numismatik AG and LHS Numismatik AG will come to an end. Hence, it is time to look back when Leo Mildenberg left a decisive imprint on the numismatic scene in Zurich…
Under the eyes of Artemis
The upcoming sale of Numismatica Genevensis SA on November 30, 2010 offers a unique gold stater struck by the citizens of Abydos. Here’s the story behind…
The Nine Types of Coin Collectors
You will find them everywhere in their natural surroundings: at coin shows, auction sales, in coin shops, at the flea market… But, there is only very few information about the genus of coin collector. It seems to form a part of the biological family of collectors, which for its part belongs – without any doubt – to the human beings. This is the first attempt to describe the nine hitherto known species of coin collectors…
Gold for Portugal
Portugaleser, that is how the magnificent large gold coins are called that were produced in Hamburg. But what do they have to do with Portugal? The answer lies in the route the African gold has taken in the Early Modern Times…
A King at a pinch – the stolen coin collection of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
A King dealing in coins – that sounds preposterous? Well, in 1944 the satirical magazine “Nebelspalter” published a caricature of the same tenor which was understood throughout Europe. Victor Emmanuel’s passion for coins was proverbial. He is said to have collected 120,000 pieces as the foundation of the most important publication of Italian coinage, the CNI, whose first volume was published exactly 100 years ago…
The coins of Philipp II of Macedonia
Philipp II ranges amongst the most important rulers of Antiquity. He transformed the small and endangered Macedonia into one of the most powerful kingdoms of the Ancient world. His coins circulated in all of Greece and bought him what he needed – loyalty, politicians, mercenary soldiers…
Numismatics in Russia
What is it like when a government claims a monopoly on his culture? The real socialism in the former Soviet Union gives an appalling impression about what happens if the state prohibits any private collecting.
Vasily Gerasimov, distinguished expert on the Russian coin scene, provides a close up view of the Russian numismatic world – during socialism and today…
Money of the German Colonies
In 1871, after the great victory over France and the unification of the German Confederation in the German Empire, ambitious German businessmen thought that everything was possible. They saw their English colleagues earning the earth in the colonies and wanted to do just the same…
