The Battle of Poltava and a medal of Peter the Great

Once upon a time, there were two boozing companions hatching a plot how to deprive a juvenile of a part of his inheritance. What sounds like a perfect scenario for a Dickens novel can turn out tragic for entire peoples with the two buddies fond of tippling happen to rule Russia and Poland…

A Nordic heavy weight: the second heaviest coin of Classical numismatics

Almost 15 kilograms, as much as 4 bricks – that is the weight of the second heaviest coin of Classical numismatics, this Swedish copper plate of 8 taler. It was issued in 1659…

The Swedish Emergency Money of Freiherr von Görtz

Once upon a time, high in the North, there was a fairytale king – or almost, since only the beginning of his story sounds like a fairytale. Fighting all alone against overpowering enemies, Charles XII, the puerile King of Sweden, managed to …

Berlin and South Africa – an Ancient Connection

In 1892 a joke did the rounds in South Africa. Finally the newly minted coins had been put into circulation. They depicted the …

Bullion coins part 7: The ducat

Ducats were officially disestablished in Austria in 1858. However you can still buy 1 ducats and 4 ducats for investment purposes at the Austrian Mint, which all bear the date 1915. And in a few minutes you will know why.

Bullion coins part 1: The Krugerrand

Gold has always been an alternative for investors. And since 1967, one can not only invest in bullion, but also in bullion coins. The South Africans ought to feel like the inventors of the gold bullion coin. They have been minting the Krugerrand since 1967.