Archive: People and Markets

Gilded silver plate, Iran or Afghanistan, probably Parthian or Early Sasanian, probably 2nd–3rd century. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

“Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece” at the British Museum

Over centuries the Persian empire and the Greeks had many conflicts. But nevertheless they influenced each other in many ways, as coins and works of art document. A major exhibition at the British Museum explores the relationship between luxury and power in this time.

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ANA eLearning Academy Now Without Access Restrictions

It is no longer necessary to be an ANA member or to log in to access the content of the American Numismatic Association’s eLearning Academy. A wealth of numismatic education opportunities is available there and easy to access.

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The HKINF is one of the most important numismatic fairs in Asia.

Successful December 2023 HKINF

The organizers of the 11th Hong Kong International Numismatic Fair (HKINF) are grateful for the positive feedback they received for the event. The date of the next HKINF has now been announced. Tables are still available.

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Colouring on 2-euro coins – still an absolute exception today. Collage: Canva.

Are Things Becoming Too Colourful? France and Portugal Issue 2-Euro Colour Coins

After six years, two Eurozone countries make use of the opportunity to design commemorative 2-euro coins with a special effect. Until now, official 2-euro coins with colour have been an absolute exception – for they are not at all liked to be seen in Brussels.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Some of the protagonists of the 30 Years' War depicted on coins. Coin photos: Künker (see further illustrations of the article). Background: copper engraving of the second battle of Breitenfeld on October 23, 1642, detail.

The Protagonists of the Thirty Years’ War: A Slightly Different Preview of Künker’s Auction 410

On 23 September 2024 Künker will auction off a breathtaking collection including many multiple gold coins, multiple talers and rare medals relating to the Thirty Years’ War. We present the most beautiful pieces, and explain why the men depicted on these issues took part in the Thirty Years’ War.
Karl Ludwig von Bruck, the mastermind behind the Vienna Coinage Treaty. We chose not to depict Emperor Franz Josef I at this point, who is shown on the coins, but the liberal politician Karl Ludwig von Bruck. Born into the family of a bookbinder in Elberfeld (now Wuppertal, Germany), he worked his way up from a merchant’s position to become Austria’s finance minister. He could almost be described as a beacon of hope for Austrian economic policy. It was tragic – and not just for him personally – that Franz Josef “ungraciously” dismissed him in April 1860 on false suspicions. The then 61-year-old took his own life. This deprived Austria of an imaginative politician who might have prevented its economic marginalization by Prussia.

A War Fought with Unusual Weapons: How Prussia Used Finance and Politics to Force the Habsburg Hereditary Lands Out of the German Confederation

On 26 March 2024, the Künker auction house will offer the Tursky Collection with coins of Emperor Franz Joseph I. We use specimens from this collection to tell the story of how Prussia used its economic sway to become the sole hegemonic power in Germany.
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