For the past five decades it has been my pleasure to coordinate the production of over 50 medals for the Jewish-American Hall of Fame. I have worked closely with the medalists to create commemoratives of historical significance and of the highest artistry. I am also on the board of the American Medallic Sculpture Association, and chair the committee that chooses the American Medal of the Year. So I am thinking often about medal designs. But, I have never before thought about my favorites – so here it goes (in chronological order).

Zurich’s talers have a centuries-old history behind them; the earliest guldiners were struck way back in 1512 and the last Zurich taler of 40 batzen was struck in 1813. Each and every coin selected is a little piece of history and, if they could talk, they would no doubt astonish us with tales of everything they experienced and what they were used for. This selection therefore focusses less on physical beauty and more on historical value.

Since medieval times, the term “Bremen coinage” has been used to refer to the coins of both the archbishops of Bremen and the city of Bremen. The production of coins of the archbishops ended in 1643, the city of Bremen issued coins until 1871. During the time of the German Empire, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen issued coins with face values of 2, 5, 10 and 20 marks at a rather low mintage between 1904 and 1907. The design of the city’s coins was dominated by the city’s coat of arms held by lions featuring a key referring to the city’s patron Saint Peter. Until 1806, the imperial eagle with the title of the respective emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was shown on the reverse. During the time of the German Empire, this depiction was replaced by the usual reverse design of circulation coins featuring the imperial eagle. When selecting the pieces, I attached great importance to rarity and quality.

ANS-Chief Curator Peter van Alfen presents his choice for the 10 most beautiful Hellenistic Royal Coins: