Archive: People and Markets

Spectacular Coin Hoard Discovered in the Province of Utrecht

A hoard of 404 coins has been unearthed in the province of Utrecht. It is probably the first find on the European mainland to include both Roman and British Celtic coins. The coin find underlines the importance of the Lower Germanic Limes for the Roman invasions of Britain.

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German Coins in 2026: Two New Series and a Familiar Face

The Federal Ministry of Finance has published the coin programme for 2026. Collectors can look forward to a total of twelve coin issues covering a wide thematic spectrum.

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Al was mentor to many young people in numismatics. Image provided by Stephen Album Rare Coins.

Dr. Albert J. Beck (1935-2024)

Dr. Albert (“Al”) J. Beck passed on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Our friends from Stephen Album Rare Coins shared this obituary for their colleague with us.

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Save 50% on Volumes 1–50 of “Collection Moneta”

For 30 years now, numismatic articles have been published in the series “Collection Moneta”, edited by Georges Depeyrot. The series now comprises a full 210 volumes. The first 50 of these can now be purchased at half price until the end of January; after that, they will no longer be available for purchase.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Wurde dieser Aureus aus geplündertem rhodischem Gold geprägt? Fotos: Hintergrund: Ymakris, CC-BY 4.0. Münze: Auktion Künker 416 (29./30. Oktober), Nr. 1809.

Gold from Rhodes for the Battle for Rome

On 30 October 2024, Künker will be auctioning an aureus minted by Caesar’s assassins in 42 BC. The extremely rare piece is estimated at 100,000 euros. We tell the story of a coin that takes us back to the heart of the Roman civil 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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