Archive: People and Markets
Peter Ilisch (1947–2023)
Peter Ilisch passed away on 29 May 2023. The former curator in Münster specialised in medieval and early modern Westphalia. As an obituary, we publish the speech of Stefan Kötz, who paid tribute to his predecessor in office at the funeral service.
€150,000 each: The World’s Most Expensive Euro Coins – They Really Exist!
A six-figure sum for a single euro commemorative coin? Stories like this repeatedly grab headlines – most recently with rumours of a commemorative issue honouring Cristiano Ronaldo. But which price records for euro coins are actually realistic?
Archive: Coins, Medals and more

The First Years of Czechoslovak Coinage
SINCONA will auction off an impressive collection of Czechoslovak patterns. The offer includes a pattern for the Wenceslas Ducat of which only two specimens exist. Moreover, the sale features the very specimen of the Wenceslas Ducat that President Mazaryk gave to the family of the murdered Finance Minister Rašín.

Joachimsthal and the Reformation
On 29 January 2025, Künker will auction a series of valuable Renaissance medals. They feature biblical topics and were minted in the region of Joachimsthal to spread the teachings of the Reformation. Johannes Mathesius, the author of Luther’s Table Talk, may have been at the origin of some of the motifs.
Will Germany Abolish the 1 and 2 Cent Coins?
We Germans still like to pay with cash, but like in many other countries, the 1 and 2 cent coins are unpopular. The important National Cash Forum has now spoken out in favor of their de facto abolition. Read here how cash transactions would change in practice.
Imperial Impressions – New Exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
A new temporary exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna is exploring medals as a form of art and a tool of courtly representation for the House of Habsburg. The focus is also on the court medalists.