As a result of the Turkish war, Rudolf saw his God-given omnipotence tarnished. Thus, the melancholy emperor sought refuge in his art collection, for which he always had money. However, this didn’t help him against his ambitious brother Matthias.
On his coins, Rudolf II displayed the high aspirations he had for his reign. However, day-to-day business was though and then war broke out against the Turks. And medals played a crucial role in it.
Rudolf II went down in history as an unworldly emperor hiding in the witches’ kitchens of alchemists. His brothers stole his imperial crown while he was still alive. Justly? Unjustly? Let’s try to answer this question.
Super-agent James Bond seems to know everything about diamonds, champagne, and gold. But at least as for gold, the Bond movies mix facts, fictions, and urban myths. After reading Simon Bytheway’s article you will watch “Goldfinger” with different eyes!
A regulation of the Bavarian dukes William IV and his brother Louis X is still quoted frequently today: the “Reinheitsgebot” – the beer purity law of 1516. We tell its story with the help of coins from the Special Collection Bavaria, which will be on sale on 18 March 2020 at Künker.
On 18 March 2020, Künker’s auction No. 335 offers a special collection of medieval coins containing about 150 splendid bracteates. These Romanesque works of art take us back to a time when saints were regarded as fellow citizens willing to engage actively for the well-being of the community.
When euro coins were introduced in 2002, Vatican coins were considered a safe investment. Our expert numiscontrol checked whether the objects met the expectations.
Currently, Swissmint continuously produces bestsellers: first Roger Federer in silver, then the smallest gold coin of Switzerland and Roger Federer in gold. Collectors had to be quick in order to purchase one of these items.
Among the wealth of interesting objects from the Holy Roman Empire offered by auction house Künker in this year’s Berlin Auction, you can find a small series of so-called Salvator medals. Even though they are called medals, they actually should be classified as coins.
There are very few power seekers of the past that are admired in today’s world as much as Napoleon. One of the reasons for this is his way of self-portrayal. We tell the story of one of his medals. It belonged to Napoleon himself and will be offered in Künker’s Berlin sale.
