Gold rush in California: part I

Countless stories tell of the Californian gold rush which brought thousands of men to America, the Promised Land. But the gold made only very few rich. The majority died as a result of the exertion during the travel, the hard work and the disappointment when they returned back home, poorer than they had come. Their story should be told here.

Gold rush in California: part II

Countless stories tell of the Californian gold rush which brought thousands of men to America, the Promised Land. But the gold made only very few rich. The majority died as a result of the exertion during the travel, the hard work and the disappointment when they returned back home, poorer than they had come. Their story should be told here.

Bags – an interesting topic for numismatics, too

Did you ever wonder which item is the most important one in a lady’s handbag? No, not the iPhone – it’s the money bag containing money, ID card, credit cards… Actually, the handbag originated from the want to show as imposingly as possible how much money one had at one’s disposal. That can be seen in an exhibition in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum.

Human Faces Part 4: Philip II as Hegemon of Greece

Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? Ursula Kampmann poses these questions in her book ‘MenschenGesichter,’ from which the texts for our new series are taken.

Pour le mérite

On May 31, 1740, Frederick II succeeded his father on the throne, soldier-king Frederick William I. To the 28 year-old, that came as some kind of liberation. Finally, he was able to carry out his ideas.

Human Faces Part 2: Athena and Athens

Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? Ursula Kampmann poses these questions in her book ‘MenschenGesichter,’ from which the texts for our new series are taken.

The ‘Modest Aphrodite’ from Nysa-Scythopolis (Beth Shean) and Ptolemais (Akko)

A comparison between a statue of Aphrodite found at Beth Shean and a coin type from the mint of Ptolemais reminds us of the realistic nature of statues appearing on city coins.

Between England and France – the Outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War

He was one of France’s most powerful kings, this Philip the Fair who humiliated the pope, crushed the Templars and humbled the Plantagenets. But 14 years after his death the house of the Capetians had ended. Now the question was: Who was to reign over mighty France?

Munich, the German Mecca for Coin Collectors

No other city in Germany offers such an accumulation of well-known coin auction houses in a relatively confined space as Munich does. On and around the Maximiliansplatz such important companies are located as…

Was king of east Kent son of badger killer?

On 20 December 2012 an exceedingly rare gold coin of the Cantiaci tribe was found south of Canterbury in Kent. The coin is a gold quarter stater attributed to Sego, an elusive king who probably ruled in east Kent shortly after the birth of Christ.