Archive: People and Markets

Data Breach During Sale of 2-Euro Coin in Cyprus: How to Avoid Server Crashes

Cyprus wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its EU membership with a 2-euro coin – but the party turned into a fiasco. Even before the start of sales, the server crashed; at times, customers could see the data of other buyers, and to this day, it is unclear whether the central bank will make another attempt to sell the coins.

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A Greek gold necklace with horned lion heads on each end. No, this object has not disappeared, but it is listed by the British Museum as „similar to those that are missing.“ Photo: Trustees of the British Museum

Can the British Museum Recover Their Lost Items?

Around 2,000 un-inventoried objects from the Greek-Roman collection of the British Museum were stolen. The museum recently announced the deployment of a task force and recovery program, but will these measures be enough to see the return of the lost objects?

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Lars O. Lagerqvist in May 2015. Image: Sven Rosborn via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lars O. Lagerqvist (1929-2023)

Lars O. Lagerqvist, former director of the Royal Coin Cabinet in Stockholm and FIDEM Honorary President, passed away. He was one of the most important Swedish numismatists and a renowned expert for medals. Marie-Astrid Voisin Pelsdonk remembers her mentor and friend.

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A wearable proof of love: “Key to my Heart”.

CIT’s Key to my Kingdom

How do you show a person how important they are to you? CIT proposes a coin series with the special technique smartminting® in Ultra High Relief with Special Shape. After “Key to my Heart” issued in 2022, now comes “Key to my Kingdom”.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Only 138 out of the planned 1,000 pieces were minted. This makes the Lion Dance a highly contested collector’s coin!

100 Yuan Lion Dance 1995: One of the Rarest Chinese Coins of Our Age

From 13 to 15 May 2024, Heidelberger Münzhandlung will hold its 88th auction sale. Among the highlights are some of the rarest contemporary issues from China, including the 100-yuan Lion Dance coin of 1995. 1,000 specimens should have been minted – but in the end, only 138 were produced.
Mit dieser Münze stimmt etwas nicht! Bild: NGC. Gemälde im Hintergrund: Eduard Gaertner, Unter den Linden, 1852

Counterfeit Detection: Altered Prussia 20 Mark

An NGC expert gives us insight into his everyday life. He shows how the year on a coin from the German Empire was altered by a coin doctor.
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